The Cranbourne Gardens, is a division of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Melbourne. It is located in the outer suburb of Cranbourne, about 45 km south-east of the Melbourne city centre.
The indigenous Australian Boon Wurrung people inhabited the area around Cranbourne in pre-European times. The site of Cranbourne Gardens was used for sand mining from as far back as the 1820s, largely to supply the building of Melbourne and its suburbs. The military used the site from 1889 until the 1960s, with private licences also issued for sand mining, grazing and timber gathering.
In 1970, the area was declared a division of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. The transformation began. Occupying 363 hectares, the gardens opened to the public in 1989.
It is The Australian Garden, opened in 2006, that is the major attraction. It aims to display the beauty and diversity of the Australian landscape. 100,000 plants are spread across the fifteen display areas in this project. Many wildlife species have returned and are supported by the landscape.
A contribution to the weekly photo challenge, transformation
