Maranoa Australian Gardens (Balwyn)

One of Australia's oldest native gardens, this beautiful garden displays Australian plants in a range of colourful, habitat styles.

Maranoa Gardens, located adjacent to Beckett Park at the end of Parring Road, Balwyn has been influenced by many forces since its creation. This beautiful garden was designed as a botanical display of Australian plants, exhibiting plants in a range of habitat styles, to demonstrate the flora of Melbourne and other regions.

Maranoa Gardens was created when John Watson purchased 3.5 acres in 1901 and began his quest to establish a wildflower garden. He planted a diverse range of Australian and New Zealand native trees and shrubs which was an uncommon practice in the early 20th century when garden design was strongly influenced by European trends.

The former City of Camberwell purchased the garden in 1920 and continued planting Australian natives, while gradually removing all non-native plants.

In September 1926, Maranoa Gardens was formally opened to the public. The keen interest of early pioneers in Australian plants such as Charles French, Ernest Lord, Arthur Swaby, Ivo Hammet and Frederick Chapman helped to establish Maranoa Gardens as one of the oldest and largest displays of Australian plants in Victoria.

In 1962, the original gardens were doubled in size, by expanding east into Beckett Park. The variegated Lophostemon located near the Beckett Park gates was planted to mark the extension.

Development of the gardens has been ongoing but the intent of the garden has not altered. Maranoa Gardens continues to provide an extensive native botanic collection to acquaint visitors with the value of Australian vegetation.

Opening Hours:

Opening Hours

Cost:

Free

Review:

The gardens are a very pleasant location in the heart of Melbourne to spend some time and they have the added bonus that they are next to a nice playground. You can walk through a variety of eco-systems and everything is well labelled. Depending on the season different species will be in flower - our favourites were the yellow pittosporum and "Robyn Gordon" Grevillia. There are plenty of paths winding around through the gardens. The gardens are great for photography with all the varies textures and colours. If the kids have a camera they will have a ball snapping photos of the beautiful flowers and unusual shaped bushes and trees. There is a big grassy area where you could have a picnic lunch (there are no BBQs). There is a water tap and toilets. The garden is surrounded by houses but you don't really notice that and there are plenty of birds chirping away.