This was meant to be a brief lunch stop on the way to Phillip Island, but there was just so much to see and do we couldn't leave. We have stopped at the Royal Botanic Gardens - Cranbourne on our way to Phillip Island for many years, but we had only ever been to the Bushland area for our picnic lunch. This is itself delightful, with bandicoots and bush rats hopping around, beautiful bird life, and an amazingly diverse array of flora for somewhere that backs onto suburbia.
Little did we know of the magic to be found in the new Australian Garden area. Such an enchanting place for children, with a giant playground set in the bush, a dinosaur playground hidden in the garden, an artificial creek complete with stepping stones that ebbs and flows to mimic the cycle of flood and droughts in Australia. We didn't even see 1/2 of the gardens which were stunning, beautifully landscaped with Australian plants from many regions, and full of life. On our departure a Southern Brown Bandicoot hopped right in front of us across the busy entrance, it seemed oblivious to the fact it was broad daylight and near a busy car park. So delightful to see these endangered marsupials and their conical diggings everywhere.
There's a great cafe hiding inside and a school holiday program which started later than our visit, but sounded fantastic. We'll definitely be back for a longer stay next time.