Parks, Playgrounds & Trees
St Kilda Botanical Gardens
Quick Links
About the St Kilda Botanical Gardens
Facilities Checklist
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Melways Reference 58/B1
| St Kilda Botanical Gardens Facilities | Toilets | BBQ | Playground | Shelter |
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| Availability | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Opening Hours
Between sunrise and sunset seven days a week and the conservatory is open between 10.30am and 3.30pm week days and from dawn to dusk Saturday to Sunday and public holidays.
Access
Blessington, Tennyson, Dickens and Herbert Streets. If locked in after closing there is a turnstile exit into Herbert Street.
Getting There
96 tram to the Acland Street/Barkly Street junction and walk along Blessington Street or 67 tram to Brighton Road/Mozart Street junction and walk along Mozart Street.
Download the Travel Smart Map of Port Phillip
Facilities
Toilets with disabled access, conservatory, playground, giant chessboard and chess tables, gazebo, pond, glasshouse, Ecocentre
Restrictions:
Dogs on leash, no cycling
About the St Kilda Botanical Gardens
The site of the St Kilda Botanical Gardens were established in the 1800's. The municipal council petitioned the Department of Lands and Survey to make this segment of land bordered by Dickens Street, Tennyson Street and Blessington Street a Botanic Garden. The gardens were formally established in 1859 when a boundary fence was erected. By 1907 significant donations of money and plant material had led to the establishment of a rosary, extensive flower beds and a nursery. Exotic forest trees were planted during the 1870s and Australian species were included in 1932.
Registered with Heritage Victoria, the gardens contain 810 mature tree specimens eight of which are on the significant tree register. In the 1950s the Alister Clarke Rose Garden was established and a Sub-Tropical Rain-forest conservatory added in the early 1990's. Seasonal displays and local indigenous plants provide a valuable collection to study or sit alongside enjoying a picnic.
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Xeriscape Bed |
Aloe Barberae Tree |
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Giant chess and table chess |
Mulched tree bases & lush lawns |
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Significant works took place in 2003 with the demolition of the old works depot and the implementation of the North-West Corner Framework Master Plan. This plan was prepared by Aspect Studios Melbourne in conjunction with council staff, the Friends of the St Kilda Botanical Gardens Group and staff at the EcoCentre
Built features in the gardens include a giant chess board, ornamental pond with Rain Man fountain, children's play space, gazebo, glasshouses and the Eco-centre which facilitates lessons on sustainable living practice. Rain Man is a key element to the ornamental pond and was installed in 2005, designed by Corey Thomas and Ken Arnold he runs on solar power and recycled water from the pond.
Friends and Volunteers
The gardens have a dedicated friends group, whose aim is to support and volunteer to work in the gardens.
For further information on the Friends of St Kilda Botanical Gardens meetings, events, newsletter, joining and volunteering visit their website: http://www.foskbg.org.au/.
Download a copy of the Friends of the St Kilda Botanical Gardens Brochure
Download the Friends of the St Kilda Botanical Gardens Map
Please Note - The map was designed by students of Geospatial Science, RMIT, and is copyright. We gratefully acknowledge the Friends of the St Kilda Botanical Gardens for allowing the use of this map.
Permission to reproduce this map must be sought from Friends of the St Kilda Botanical Gardens.
Wildlife in the Botanical Gardens
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| Grey Fantale | Rainbow Lorikeet | Powerful Owl |
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| Chestnut Teal Family | Brushtail Possum | Crested Pigeon |
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| Eastern Spinebill | Grey Headed Flying Fox | Tawney Frogmouth |
The St Kilda Botanical Gardens attracts a wide variety of bird and animal life. Andrew McCutcheon of Earthcare St Kilda and Neil Blake, Coordinator of the Eco Centre have recorded resident and visiting species sighted since the beginning of this century.
This valuable data and observation tells us that birds such as the Song Thrush and Great Egret, which were seen last century have either disappeared or are most unlikely to visit.
Alternatively; birds seldom or rarely seen in the last two decades are becoming increasingly common, in particular the Rainbow Lorikeet and Crested Pigeon, while others are in decline such as the House Sparrow.
St Kilda Botanical Gardens Bird Species - Listing of animal species living and visiting the St Kilda Botanical Gardens.
For more information visit the Eco Centre web page and the Earthcare St Kilda web page.
A pair of little mudlarks made a home on the sleave of the Rain Man sculpture in the Botanical Gardens ornamental pond last year. Very clever !
Weddings in the Botanical Gardens
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These gardens are a popular backdrop for weddings. If you intend to hold your ceremony ONLY please follow this link and visit the Weddings & Funcitons in Parks page.
If you wish to use the gardens as the setting for your wedding photos, you must contact the Meetings and Events team to check for availability. Visit the Weddings & Functions in Parks page to find contact details for the team.
No wedding receptions are permitted within the garden grounds.
Current Planning
An assessment of the tree collection and vegetation is currently underway. The findings from both these pieces of work will form the basis of the ongoing management of the plant collection and subsequent additional plantings and their location.
Future Directions Plan
Council has developed a Future Directions Plan for the St Kilda Botanical Gardens
St Kilda Botanical Gardens Future Directions Plan
Our aim is to maintain the scientific, conservation, educational and recreational significance of the gardens now and into the future. We want to provide a unique space for residents and visitors, that retains its cultural and heritage significance as one of Victoria's oldest botanic gardens.
Our plan has been developed to examine botanic function and cultural heritage. It looks at the existing plant collection, their current condition and how we'll manage a drier climate in the future.
It looks at shade solutions, seating, improved lawns, improved facilities including drinking water and set out future maintenance. It also looks at future heritage, and seeks to balance contemporary values with maintaining original design intent. We want to take the gardens beyond the visual, and to consider other senses, such as touch and smell.
For more infomation email ospace@porphillip.vic.gov.au or call ASSIST on (03) 9209 6777
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News and Updates
Cocktail Party - 150th anniversary of the St Kilda Botanical Gardens.
On Wednesday, 16 November 2011, the Friends of the St Kilda Botanical Gardens are hosting a party to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Gardens.
The party will be a (very) late afternoon tea party, with refreshments and entertainment reflecting the grand opening of the Gardens on 16 November 1861.
All those attending will be invited to bring a picnic dinner to continue the celebrations with friends and families.
Cost etc will be provided soon. In the meantime, to keep up to date, and sign up to the FOSKBG blog for email updates.
New Gates for the Gardens
As part of the 150th year celebration of the St Kilda Botanical Gardens, the City of Port Phillip commissioned artists to design four new gates that will replace the existing chain mesh gates. We invited the community to comment on the proposed design options for these new gates. Follow this link for more information and to view the awarded final design and completed gates installed on site - New Gates for the Botanical Gardens
Links
Weddings and Functions in Parks
Film and Photography in Port Phillip
Friends of the St Kilda Botanical Gardens
Friends of the St Kilda Botanical Gardens Blog
St Kilda Indigenous Plant Nursery
Royal Melbourne Botanic Gardens
Australian National Botanic Gardens
Contact
Telephone : ASSIST (03) 9209 6777
Fax : (03) 9536 2705
Email : ospace@portphillip.vic.gov.au
Mail : Department of Parks & Open Spaces, City of Port Phillip, Private Bag 3, St Kilda PO 3182
You can also use eServices to ask us a question, request information or give us feedback online about St Kilda Botanical Gardens.
