My earliest memories of Botanic Gardens actually relate to a train station in my home town of Hull, where steam trains would hold up our journey into the city sometimes. The Gardens themselves were long gone, though I often mixed them up with the exotic smells of the greenhouses in a nearby park, and imagined all Botanic Gardens had hot houses. Many of Victoria’s Botanical gardens were set up in the 1860s, when white settlers had time (and money) for leisure, and botanists were keen to educate the general population on flora from distant lands. Many of these gardens remain today, with lots of vintage buildings (or indeed trees) to admire.
Castlemaine Botanical Gardens
Some trees in Castlemaine Botanical Gardens date back to the goldrush years. A lot of the vintage structures have been recently restored but have kept their charm for visitors to the Gardens today.
Geelong Botanic Gardens
19th century explorer Daniel Bunce was the first curator of Geelong Botanic Gardens; a life-size model of him and a Victorian lady visitor to the gardens stands just by the entrance today.
Portland Botanic Gardens
The most westerly botanic gardens in Victoria, Portland's gardens are also some of the oldest. The curator's cottage dates from 1857, and many of the trees are a similar vintage.
Port Fairy Botanic Gardens
A vintage bandstand / rotunda is about all that remains of the old Port Fairy Botanic Gardens, which have now disappeared from online maps. There's talk of funding to revive the gardens in 2021 though
Warrnambool Botanic Gardens
The pine tree grown from the seed from the Lone Pine at Gallipoli is surely the star vintage feature of Warrnambool Botanic Gardens. The octagonal 'rotunda' is also a star of these gardens.
Penshurst Botanic Gardens
Penshurst Botanic Gardens played host to grazing sheep for many years. These days covering a smaller area and converted to a wetlands garden, there isn't much left of the old botanic gardens here.
Hamilton Botanic Gardens
Of all the botanic gardens of Victoria, Hamilton's has kept perhaps the most vintage aspects from its superb entrance gates, through its fountain, rotunda and trees commemorating big names of our past
Sale Botanic Gardens
A lot of vintage aspects of Sale Botanic Gardens were lost when the local golf club took over the space nearly 100 years ago. But new landscaping now is turning this into a lovely spot by the lake.
St Kilda Botanical Gardens
There's a mix of the modern and vintage in St Kilda Botanical Gardens. The rose garden and rotunda are my favourites, along with the Rain Man sculpture and the radiator from Hull
Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne
Opening in 1846 makes the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne the oldest entry yet on Vintage Victoria. Lamps, lakes, gates and cottages make it an exciting place to explore 175 years on.
Camperdown Botanic Gardens
Thankfully there are still vintage buildings such as the potting shed, the pavilion and ironwork benches dotted around the Camperdown Botanic Gardens. Great views also over lakes and distant volcanoes
Colac Botanic Gardens
Nellie Melba loved the roses in Colac Botanic Gardens, but I wonder what she'd make of the flying foxes which rule the roost above large sections of the Gardens today.
Koroit Botanic Gardens
Apart from some magnificent old trees, the only remaining vintage features in the Koroit Botanic Gardens seemed to be the lamps that line the paths and a small stretch of picket fencing.
Ballarat Botanical Gardens
Gold money brought marble statues to Ballarat Botanical Gardens in the 1880s - They still feature today, some housed in a vintage pavilion, some exposed to the elements, including William Wallace.
Williamstown Botanic Gardens
The magnificent iron gates at the entrance to Williamstown Botanic Gardens were forged in Glasgow and shipped over some years after the Gardens opened in 1860. Still standing proud today.
Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, Daylesford
The 1938 look out tower still stands in Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens in Daylesford, giving superb views over the century-old trees and the distant dormant volcanoes on the horizon
Horsham Botanic Gardens
Horsham Botanic Gardens opened in the 1870s or 1880s. Each curator since then has a path or walkway named after him, and an ancient tree has now become a commemorative sculpture.
Buninyong Botanic Gardens
The original 1901 bandstand rotunda still stands in Buninyong Botanic Gardens today. Along with 'The Gong' lake next door, a beautiful spot in 2021 still.
Benalla Botanical Gardens
England's touring cricketers played Country Victoria on the oval in Benalla Botanical Gardens in 1937. You could watch the game from the bandstand which still stands today.
Kyneton Botanic Gardens
The original Kyneton Botanic Gardens, opened in 1861, extended down to the Campaspe River & regularly flooded in the early years. A picnic & a swim in the river baths was a common activity back then
Bendigo Botanic Gardens
Some of the trees in the Bendigo Botanic Gardens may well date from their early years in the 1850s. The vintage pavilion is a little newer than that. And now there are Gardens for the Future too.
Malmsbury Botanic Gardens
Malmsbury Viaduct has been looking down over the Botanic Gardens since they opened in the 1860s. Not many brass bands playing these days, or town hall dances after a gardens picnic, though.
Castlemaine Botanical Gardens
Some trees in Castlemaine Botanical Gardens date back to the goldrush years. A lot of the vintage structures have been recently restored but have kept their charm for visitors to the Gardens today.
Geelong Botanic Gardens
19th century explorer Daniel Bunce was the first curator of Geelong Botanic Gardens; a life-size model of him and a Victorian lady visitor to the gardens stands just by the entrance today.
Portland Botanic Gardens
The most westerly botanic gardens in Victoria, Portland's gardens are also some of the oldest. The curator's cottage dates from 1857, and many of the trees are a similar vintage.
Port Fairy Botanic Gardens
A vintage bandstand / rotunda is about all that remains of the old Port Fairy Botanic Gardens, which have now disappeared from online maps. There's talk of funding to revive the gardens in 2021 though
Warrnambool Botanic Gardens
The pine tree grown from the seed from the Lone Pine at Gallipoli is surely the star vintage feature of Warrnambool Botanic Gardens. The octagonal 'rotunda' is also a star of these gardens.
Penshurst Botanic Gardens
Penshurst Botanic Gardens played host to grazing sheep for many years. These days covering a smaller area and converted to a wetlands garden, there isn't much left of the old botanic gardens here.
Hamilton Botanic Gardens
Of all the botanic gardens of Victoria, Hamilton's has kept perhaps the most vintage aspects from its superb entrance gates, through its fountain, rotunda and trees commemorating big names of our past
Sale Botanic Gardens
A lot of vintage aspects of Sale Botanic Gardens were lost when the local golf club took over the space nearly 100 years ago. But new landscaping now is turning this into a lovely spot by the lake.
St Kilda Botanical Gardens
There's a mix of the modern and vintage in St Kilda Botanical Gardens. The rose garden and rotunda are my favourites, along with the Rain Man sculpture and the radiator from Hull
Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne
Opening in 1846 makes the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne the oldest entry yet on Vintage Victoria. Lamps, lakes, gates and cottages make it an exciting place to explore 175 years on.
Camperdown Botanic Gardens
Thankfully there are still vintage buildings such as the potting shed, the pavilion and ironwork benches dotted around the Camperdown Botanic Gardens. Great views also over lakes and distant volcanoes
Colac Botanic Gardens
Nellie Melba loved the roses in Colac Botanic Gardens, but I wonder what she'd make of the flying foxes which rule the roost above large sections of the Gardens today.
Koroit Botanic Gardens
Apart from some magnificent old trees, the only remaining vintage features in the Koroit Botanic Gardens seemed to be the lamps that line the paths and a small stretch of picket fencing.
Ballarat Botanical Gardens
Gold money brought marble statues to Ballarat Botanical Gardens in the 1880s - They still feature today, some housed in a vintage pavilion, some exposed to the elements, including William Wallace.
Williamstown Botanic Gardens
The magnificent iron gates at the entrance to Williamstown Botanic Gardens were forged in Glasgow and shipped over some years after the Gardens opened in 1860. Still standing proud today.
Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, Daylesford
The 1938 look out tower still stands in Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens in Daylesford, giving superb views over the century-old trees and the distant dormant volcanoes on the horizon
Horsham Botanic Gardens
Horsham Botanic Gardens opened in the 1870s or 1880s. Each curator since then has a path or walkway named after him, and an ancient tree has now become a commemorative sculpture.
Buninyong Botanic Gardens
The original 1901 bandstand rotunda still stands in Buninyong Botanic Gardens today. Along with 'The Gong' lake next door, a beautiful spot in 2021 still.
Benalla Botanical Gardens
England's touring cricketers played Country Victoria on the oval in Benalla Botanical Gardens in 1937. You could watch the game from the bandstand which still stands today.
Kyneton Botanic Gardens
The original Kyneton Botanic Gardens, opened in 1861, extended down to the Campaspe River & regularly flooded in the early years. A picnic & a swim in the river baths was a common activity back then
Bendigo Botanic Gardens
Some of the trees in the Bendigo Botanic Gardens may well date from their early years in the 1850s. The vintage pavilion is a little newer than that. And now there are Gardens for the Future too.
Malmsbury Botanic Gardens
Malmsbury Viaduct has been looking down over the Botanic Gardens since they opened in the 1860s. Not many brass bands playing these days, or town hall dances after a gardens picnic, though.