Back in February 2011 we had Paul Thompson, landscape gardener, speak at our meeting about his involvement in designing the the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens. At the time the second stage of the gardens was under construction, and we decided to do a trip once it was completed.
The weather was perfect for our trip to Cranbourne, a crisp and summy autumn day with not a cloud in sight. We had a guided tour of the right hand side of the gardens, from Water Saving, Future, Home and Research gardens, up to Howson Hill for a fabulous view over the entire area, and on up to the Melaleuca Spits and the Lilypad Bridge at the northern section. We then caught the 'Garden Explorer' to travel back along the other side of the gardens along the Eucalypt Walk, which is the more established area of the gardens. You could easily spend an entire day enjoying each garden section, and there is so much to learn about native plant diversity and garden sustainability.
We left at about 12.45 to head to Trios at Cranbourne racecourse for a delicious 2 course lunch before our trip home.