In search of inspiration for a play space? Check out the Children’s Garden in Melbourne
Interactivity is the guiding principle at the Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden in the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. This is a place where kids come to have fun. And it’s somewhere they are encouraged to touch, climb and dig as they quickly shed their inhibitions and morph into pint-sized adventurers.
The Children’s Garden has been carved into a series of play areas and zones, each with a distinct personality and its own set of delights to discover and mysteries to unravel. There is the Ruin Garden (complete with rainforest plantings, rocks to clamber over and sand to dig in), the Wetland Area (at the centre of which is natural pond brimming with fish, insects and plants) and the Meeting Place (an area where water spouts from the ground, garnering squeals of delight), which is connected by stepping stones to the Gorge (where one is surrounded by gnarled snowgums and massive shards of basalt).
Of course, you can’t forget the plant tunnels, the river (which starts in the rainforest and flows into the wetland pond), or the kitchen garden. And the Tree Tower is a must. Scale it and feel like the king or queen of all you survey.
Throughout the year, various activities (from face to pot painting) and educational programs are held, all of which are posted on the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne website.
Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden
Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
Birdwood Avenue
South Yarra Vic
Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 4pm
(except Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Good Friday and a two-month period following the July school holidays)
Website: www.rbg.vic.gov.au
