South Yarra's Royal Botanic Gardens are a textbook example of 19th-century picturesque landscaping, with vistas at every turn. The exotic mix of temperate and tropical plants, meandering pathways and ornamental lakes provides a haven for native wildlife and city dwellers.
With around 51,000 plants from over 12,000 different species, the gardens attract black swans, bell birds, cockatoos, flying foxes and noisy kookaburras. Lieutenant Governor Charles La Trobe selected the site for the Royal Botanic Gardens on the Yarra River's southern bank in 1846. Originally a rather unprepossessing area, with rocky outcrops and swampy marshland, the area rapidly became the equal of many great gardens across the world.