Everywhere
you
look
in
Melbourne
majestic
trees
sway
gently
in
the
breeze
,
swards
of
flowers
smile
in
the
sunshine
,
and
in
hidden
corners
fountains
flow
freely
with
frolicking
birds
.
One
of
Melbourne's
proudest
showpieces
is
the
Royal
Botanic
Gardens.
The
land,
along
the
southern
banks
of
the
Yarra
River,
was
allocated
in
1857.
Today
the
gardens
constitute
one
of
this
country's
finest
tourism
attractions.
In
many
ways
the
Botanic
Gardens
really
owe
their
present-day
glory
to
Government
botanist
Dr
Ferdinand
Mueller
(later
Baron
Von
Mueller).
In
1857
his
aim
was
to
have
a
'system'
garden,
of
value
to
his
botany
students,
so
he
set
about
planting
thousands
of
pines
and
specimen
trees
in
the
serried
rows,
in
favour
with
his
Prussian
forebears.
A
later
curator
William
Guilfoyle
was
responsible
for
the
magnificent
vistas
the
gardens
present
today,
more
than
40
hectares
of
lawns
and
lakes,
towering
trees,
and
colonies
of
ducks
and
birds.
A
Scottish
landscape
gardener,
James
Sinclair,
was
appointed
in
1854
to
develop
the
Fitzroy
Gardens
.
He
was
a
remarkable
man
who
had
designed
and
planted
Czar
Nicholas'
Royal
Gardens
in
the
Crimea.
In
1928
a
conservatory
was
erected
and
today
it
attracts
people
from
all
over
the
world
to
see
its
magnificent
hydrangeas,
begonias,
tropical
and
indoor
plants,
cinerarias
and
cyclamens.
1934
saw
the
erection
of
a
second
major
landmark,
Cook's
Cottage.
Cook
claimed
the
east
coast
of
Australia
in
the
name
of
the
British
government.
A
Melbourne
businessman
bought
the
cottage
Cook's
parents
had
lived
in
northern
England,
had
it
dismantled,
and
brought
it
to
the
gardens
brick-by-brick.
Directly
opposite
the
Fitzroy
Gardens
are
the
Treasury
Gardens,
laid
out
in
1867
by
Clement
Hodgkinson,
then
assistant
commissioner
of
lands
and
Survey.
Since
1953
it
has
been
the
home
of
an
annual
art
exhibition,
and
its
most
recent
modification
came
in
1963
when
the
lake
area
was
re-modelled
to
accommodate
a
rose
garden
and
the
President
Kennedy
Memorial.
In
the
north-west
corner
of
the
central
business
district
are
the
historic
Flagstaff
Gardens.
This
area
was
first
known
as
burial
hill,
Melbourne's
first
cemetery.
Burials
ceased
in
1838.
It
was
on
Flagstaff
Hill
on
11
November
1850
the
news
was
received
from
the
British
Parliament
that
Victoria
had
been
granted
its
independence
from
New
South
Wales.
By
1880
the
decision
was
taken
to
turn
Flagstaff
Hill
into
gardens
and
a
lake
and
children's
playground
were
installed.
Almost
100
years
later
the
Stanley
Gibbons
Rose
Garden
was
planted,
a
gift
to
the
people
of
Melbourne
by
"Stanley
Gibbons
International
Philatelists".
Perhaps
the
parks
and
gardens
most
noticeable
to
visitors
are
those
bounded
by
the
Yarra
River
and
St
Kilda
Road,
directly
opposite
the
Art
Centre
and
National
Gallery.
Known
as
King's
Domain,
it
includes
Government
House,
the
Queen
Victoria
and
Alexandra
Gardens
as
well
as
the
Shrine
of
Remembrance.
Nearby
you'll
find
the
Sidney
Myer
Music
Bowl
-
the
scene
of
many
outdoor
concerts
(including
Carols
By
Candlelight)
-
and
the
beautiful
floral
clock
in
Alexandra
Gardens.
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