Free Programs

Discover the beauty of this inner-city oasis and enjoy live commentary in the comfort of an open-air minibus. Admire rolling lawns and the stunning living collections at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.  For private group bookings, please call 03 9252 2429 or email mbookings@rbg.vic.gov.au. Kids Explorer Children ride for FREE on the Kids Explorer Bus during the school holidays. Experience amazing sights, sounds and scents as you cruise through Melbourne Gardens on this tour designed especially for families. Children-specific commentary will be provided on the following tours during Victorian school holidays: 11am and 1:45pm on weekdays, 11am and 2pm on weekends. Learn more here. 

Womin Djeka! Journey into Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, a significant cultural site for the local Kulin Nation, with a First Peoples guide.  Gain insight into the rich history and thriving culture of the First Peoples of Australia through a journey of identifying significant native plants within the Gardens. Learn about Aboriginal plant uses, customs and ongoing connection to Country. For private group bookings, please call 03 9252 2429 or email mbookings@rbg.vic.gov.au. A note for participants. At Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria we acknowledge the rich diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, representing more than 250 language groups across Australia. We invite you to join this walk with an open heart and mind to deepen your understanding of First Peoples' heritage and living culture—especially in relation to the plants and landscapes of Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.

Originating from Japan, Shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing,” is a preventative health practice that improves and strengthens mental and physical wellbeing. Recognised as a public health practice in Asia and Europe, Forest Therapy is gaining global acclaim as an evidence-based, cost-effective and natural remedy – a ‘green prescription’ for a healthier you. You will learn simple nature connection, sensory and creative practices to help calm your mind. Other proven health benefits of Forest Therapy include boosted immune system, reduced stress levels, regulated pulse and blood pressure and better sleep. For exclusive group experiences, team-building, or staff wellbeing programs please email events@rbg.vic.gov.au. Presented by Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, In My Nature and the International Nature and Forest Therapy Alliance (INFTA).

Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne is full of incredible birdlife, from coots to cormorants, spinebills to swans. On this guided walk, spot water birds nesting around Ornamental Lake and delight in the sights and sounds of the birds that call the Gardens home. Continue your discovery with a take-home bird guide.

Moonlight Cinema is back this summer at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. Enjoy movies under the stars with your favourite cult classics, box office blockbusters and family flicks. Don’t miss the chance to spend a summer evening in this spectacular green oasis.

A free guided walk is the perfect way to enjoy the sunny weather in Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. Led by a passionate guide, discover the remarkable plant diversity of this sanctuary in the middle of bustling Melbourne. Please note that there will be no Free Guided Walk tours on Fri 18 Apr (Good Friday) or Fri 25 Apr (ANZAC Day).

Relax and take in the colours of sunset at the Arid Garden whilst listening to the soothing sounds of music composed by harpist Michael Johnson. Michael leads a calming guided meditation followed by a gentle concert interwoven with tales of the inspiration he draws from the Gardens. Draw down on a sense of peace, calm and wellbeing within stunning surrounds of cacti and succulents.

Do you want to understand how climate change is affecting our plants and wildlife and contribute to climate change research? Join our ClimateWatch advocates on this free guided walk to monitor biodiversity at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. Learn about indicator species of plants and animals and how climate change is affecting their seasonal behaviour. The data you observe and record will help shape Australia’s scientific response to climate change. Make a real difference in your local community. Download the ClimateWatch app prior to the tour. Learn more at www.climatewatch.org.au.

Embark on a captivating journey through time and space with our guided tours at the Melbourne Observatory. Dating back to 1861, discover the Melbourne Observatory’s significant place in Victoria’s history and its continued importance as a cultural and heritage site. Experience two of the iconic telescopes housed in the buildings of the Observatory and learn how to use a telescope yourself on the Observatory Viewing Lawn. Delve into distant nebulae, lunar landscapes, and planetary wonders. Join the Astronomical Society of Victoria’s passionate guides for an unforgettable night, where the present, history and cosmos converge. Presented by Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and The Astronomical Society of Victoria.

Glide between the bays and islands of Ornamental Lake on a guided boat cruise.

Immerse yourself in intertwining stories, atmospheric music and mesmerising sounds of the natural environment in Sonica Botanica, created by Melbourne sound artist Patrick Cronin. Weaving together interviews, field recordings and a musical score, this evocative listening experience responds to collectors’ passions, botanical knowledge, favourite memories, childhood impressions, historical anecdotes and cultural viewpoints. Introducing a brand-new episode this summer, Sonica Botanica: Kids Get Down to Earth. Students from Ardeer South Primary School take over the mic with stories and interviews from across the Gardens.  Visit the featured locations, scan the Sonica Botanica QR code and take in these sublime sonic snapshots or listen online now. Best enjoyed through headphones. Image credit: Igor Sapina 

The Summer Sunset Series of live musical events promises something for everyone to enjoy whether it’s classical masterpieces, chart topping hits or Broadway showstoppers, sit back and soak up the sounds under the stars. Sun 2 & 9 Feb – We May Never Meet Again: The Music of Amy Winehouse: a moving tribute to Winehouse’s lifelong love of jazz. Fri 14 Feb – The Burt Bacharach Songbook in Concert: make Valentine’s Day extra special with a line-up of brilliant guest singers performing the classic hits from the Bacharach songbook. Sun 16 Feb – The Piano Men: a tribute to two of the greatest Piano Men of all time – Billy Joel and Elton John. Take a musical journey from the early years through both of their greatest hits! Sat 1 Mar – Mozart by Moonlight: immerse yourself in the extraordinary talent of Melbourne’s finest artists, accompanied by the exquisite sounds of the Melbourne Opera orchestra. Plus stay tuned for more exciting concerts to be announced soon on Sundays throughout February! Presented by The Australian Shakespeare Company.

Visitors to the Gardens can listen to an exclusive podcast interview with celebrated writer Olivia Laing, interviewed by Sophie Cunningham.  Olivia discusses her new book, The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise, which moves between real and imagined gardens, exploring how new modes of living can and have been attempted amidst the flower beds. Listen as you walk through the Gardens, and experience first-hand the joy of wandering in nature. Available online to listen anytime. Presented in partnership with The Wheeler Centre. Image credit: Olivia Laing, image by Sandra Mickiewicz

The Macbeths are back with their unparalleled thirst for the power of the throne. A stunning mix of mind games and manipulation, sparked by the prophesies of three witches and leading to madness and murder. Australian Shakespeare Company unleashes a sumptuous production of Shakespeare’s darkest and most streamlined tragedy. Invading armies, blood, dark magic, sabotage, power, storms and ghosts of our pasts. Take all the spirits of those who have strived for power and relentlessly fought for control, this, is the story of Macbeth. Come and experience Shakespeare’s greatest drama in Victoria’s greatest garden! Presented by The Australian Shakespeare Company.

Nature Obituary is a provocative, interactive, site specific, live performance inviting members of the public to write and listen to obituaries and tributes for parts of the natural world we are losing to the climate and biodiversity crisis. Created by artist Janenne Willis, Nature Obituary transforms the landscape into a reflective space for care, connection and feeling. Vintage writers’ desks will line the lakeside on the Princes Lawn in Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, eco pens and paper atop. These desks will face the open sky, inviting attendees to pen an obituary for any part of nature they feel drawn to honour. Simultaneously, spoken word artists Tariro Mavondo, Serious Meerkat and Janenne Willis will read aloud obituaries from an evolving library of reflections. This intimate and connective experience is a call to care and a space for ecological grief. Participant created reflections are woven together with commissioned contributions from First Nations writers, whose perspectives bring profound cultural insight into the relationship between land and waters, care and connection. Evoking reflections on environmental degradation and meaning, this moving experience inspires active hope, deeper action and a commitment to nurturing nature amid the climate and biodiversity emergency. More about the experience Attend one of the Nature Obituary sessions to write and / or listen to obituaries for parts of nature now lost. Contribute your voice by writing a personal obituary honouring a part of the natural world you feel connected to— a species, place, or memory. Writers will be offered all writing materials along with one of two paths: free writing or responding to creative writing prompts. Once completed, participants can choose to place their piece under a stone paperweight, creating an evolving library of reflections for spoken word artists to read live. Listeners are welcome to be in the live readings space for as little or as long as they feel called. Free, all welcome.