Saturday, March 13, 2010

Australian Garden, Cranbourne


The Australian Garden is located within the Royal Botanic Garden, Cranbourne and is a garden that has been especially designed to reveal the beauty of Australian plants by using specific designs to explore the relationship between the land, the culture and the stories of Australia and Australians.

Most of the text to accompany my photographs has been taken from one of the excellent brochures I picked up during my tour. They also have one of the better audio tours that I have encountered where the young member so the gardening staff enthusiastically tell what they are trying to achieve at The Australian Garden. These photos show Stage 1. Stage 2 is due to commence construction mid-way through 2010.


Austraia's landscape is diverse, both in look and botanically, and yet historically, European settlers tended to characterise the land as empty rather than full. This garden aims to dispel this myth. The Diversity Garden leads visitors on a journey through the 85 bio-regions of Australia.


The Water Saving Garden explains issues of water conservation and the wise use of water in home gardens. This garden conveys the significance of water and its relationship to plant selection and suitability. A range of terraces demonstrate three distinct watering regimens and the plants suited for low-water use.


With vibrant red sand, circes of blue-grey saltbush and crescnet-shaped dunes, the design of the Red Sand Garden is inspired by the shapes and colours of arid Australia. A hightlight of this area is the seasonal flush of wildflowers along the north line. The 90m long Escarpment Wall sculpture is inspired by iconic red sandstone escarpments, such as those found at Uluru and King's Canyon.


The Arid Garden and Dry River Bed Garden explore how plants have adapted to dry conditions and how water shapes the land by both its presence and absence.
The Eucalypt Walk explores the many varieties of Australian eucalypts such as Stringybarks, Bloodwoods, Box and Ironbarks and how they in turn have shaped our perceptions of Australia.


The design of this garden explores the reality and dilemmas posed by the artificial manipulation of plants to achieve particular commercial or aesthetic effects. This includes horticultural techniques such as grafting, hybridisation, the development of cultivars, and most recently, plant bioengineering, all seeking to alter the naturally occurring form of a plant.

26 comments:

Cris said...

Precious place, wonderful colors

Let's Talk Over a Cup of Coffee said...

Hi julie, thanks for dropping by at my blog. You got nice photos here, i love it!

Joan Elizabeth said...

These gardens are beautiful and as you know I adore the bush ... but I can't stop myself loving European style flowers and gardens.

freefalling said...

I've wanted to visit here for ages.
Must get my act together.
It looks fabulous.
Love the orange.

Katie said...

Those gardens are absolutely beautiful!! You have some really wonderful photos here! I especially like the first one. Thanks for taking time to visit my blog. :) Hope you have a wonderful week!

Victoria Tsavdaridou said...

Very interesting post!!!!

Beth Niquette said...

What a fascinating collection of photos. They are just stunning. Wow!

They fill my eyes--which is the greatest compliment I can give.

Tracy said...

Oh, my. That is a beautiful place! Love the colors!

Johnny Nutcase said...

What a great post - this place sounds so interesting, it looks like you could spend all day (and more!) there. I love all the pictures, all are beautiful!

Gwendolyn L said...

What a beautiful location. So much color. Just wonderful. The history going along with your photos was worth your effort. Very imformative. Thanks for sharing.

Solange Belém said...

Hello!
Amazing! Wonderfull!
Hugs

Sol

Brian Miller said...

one day i will get the chance to visit. it is on my list to make it to the outback. wonderful pics!

thanks for dropping by today. the text was an effort to create a box and also mix in the difficulty in communicating with and autistic child. you got it though. some of my risks work, some dont. smiles.

Katherine said...

Wow ... these are magnificent photos Julie. You have captured the gardens beauty perfectly. I hope that some day I too can visit here.
Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog & for deciding to follow. I am honoured to have you on my list of blogger friends.

DougVernX said...

Very beautiful flowers in Australia!

Unknown said...

Great series, the blend of colours here are excellent and perfect landscape. Thanks for stopping by mine.

Magpie said...

I love all of these photos and they do show what a diverse place Australia is. It's amazing how living things find a way to do just that - live.

Linn said...

Hi from Norway!
The pictures you take are really wonderful...
Love your blog, and i am a follower :)

Have a nice day - Sp

Unseen India Tours said...

Beautiful,lovely and fantastic shot !!Simply amazing !!

penny said...

My what a lovely garden, your pictures of it are wonderful. It looks like a big place, with plenty of room to grow.
Enjoy your weekend.

Margaret Gosden said...

Your first photo looks like a garden designed after a
golf course and I thought that very interesting! Thank you for becoming a follower! All the colours are extraordinarily strong and beautiful.

Tracy said...

Those are some of the most beautiful colors I have ever seen!

Elettra said...

Hi Julie,your photo are all many suggestive

isabella kramer - veredit said...

Fantastically! Gorgeous pictures!

I would have never imagined that one park in Australia can look so beautiful!

Julie said...

Thank you, it was an eye-opener to me also, and this is only part 1 of the park. The second part of the park is opened at the end of 2010.

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing these beautiful shots. It's on my list of places to visit now.

diane b said...

Hey i've been there. I would like to see it in another 5 years when it is more developed.