Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Victoria Gardens Botanic Royal Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Melbourne Gardens Melbourne Gardens Master Plan 2020–2040 – Master Plan 2020–2040 Plan – Master Title Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Melbourne Gardens Master Plan 2020 – 2040 July 2020 – June 2040 Publication Date July 2020 Cover Image View across the Melbourne Gardens and Ornamental Lake to the CBD Publisher Royal Botanic Gardens Board Victoria © Royal Botanic Gardens Board Victoria 2020 No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968 ISBN 978-0-9587408-9-0 Citation This document should be cited as: Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, 2020, Melbourne Gardens Master Plan 2020-2040, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Melbourne ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, its Government relations, public consultation Board, Executive and staff acknowledge processes and the final Master Plan the Traditional Owners of Melbourne were guided and supported by key Gardens, the peoples of the Kulin Nation staff in the Engagement and Impact and pay our deepest respects to their team: Robin Penty, Executive Director Elders past, present and future. We are Engagement and Impact; Alice Molan, grateful and extend our thanks to the Head Development Marketing and Aboriginal Custodians who met with Communications and Maraika van Gardens staff over many months to Wessem Communications and Media contribute ideas and provide input to Lead. The Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria the preparation of all documentation Executive Team, other senior leaders in support of the Melbourne Gardens and many staff also contributed and Master Plan 2020-2040. supported the development of the Master Plan. Special thanks to Peter Symes, We sincerely thank all previous and Curator Horticulture, for his significant current members of the Royal Botanic work on landscape succession, water Gardens Board Victoria for their direction, management and living collections; Mark support, insightful contributions, and Crosher, Manager Infrastructure and strategic oversight and stewardship Facilities for assistance with the landscape throughout the four-year development of sensitivity guidelines; and the entire the Master Plan. Melbourne Gardens team for providing The Melbourne Gardens Master Plan feedback throughout the project. Sincere 2020-2040 is the result of the work and thanks are also due to Cheryl Kong of support of many people, both within and Singapore National Parks, who had outside Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria the unenviable task of collating our (RBGV). The report was prepared in preliminary consultation. response to the Royal Botanic Gardens The project was further supported by Victoria Corporate Plan 2014-2019 under an External Reference Panel: Professor the direction of Tim Entwisle, Director and Rob Adams AM, RBGV Board member Chief Executive Royal Botanic Gardens (2016-2018) and Director City Design and Victoria and the core design team of Projects City of Melbourne; Professor Tim Chris Cole, Executive Director Melbourne Entwisle, Director and Chief Executive Gardens, Andrew Laidlaw, Senior Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria; Cathy Landscape Architect and Andrea Proctor, Kiss, Senior Open Space Planner City Landscape Architect. of Melbourne; Professor Virginia Lee, Major contributions were provided Professor of Landscape Architecture The through the conceptual architectural University of Melbourne; and Associate design work of Kerstin Thompson Professor John Rayner, Director of Urban Architects in their Nature and Science Horticulture The University of Melbourne. Precinct Conceptual Master Plan and the We sincerely thank the Panel for their valuable heritage guidance from Context many hours of insight and guidance. Pty Ltd. We acknowledge and thank the contributors from these studios. ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS VICTORIA — MELBOURNE GARDENS MASTER PLAN 2020–2040 I FOREWORD Preparing a new Master Plan for what climate challenge, threatening natural and Delivered in stages, the Nature and many believe is one of the world’s great garden landscapes alike. Science Precinct will highlight the three botanic gardens is an exciting and unique dimensions of a world-leading Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria is a important task. There is an obligation botanic garden: nature, culture and scientific organisation and embedded to preserve and protect the elegance science. The Precinct will be an exciting within the landscape are collections of of the original William Guilfoyle design, new collection of built form, landscape plants supporting conservation, discovery and a timely need to celebrate the and interpretive elements, reaching from and learning. The living plant collections stories of a place with deep history and the existing Works Yard, past Oak Lawn evolve with the changing needs of our Aboriginal heritage extending millennia to the art deco 1934 Herbarium building community and the constraints of climate. beyond its 174 years as a botanic garden. and beyond to the National Heritage Held within Melbourne Gardens is the In an increasingly urbanised society Listed Melbourne Observatory, restoring National Herbarium of Victoria, home experiencing significant climate change, it for contemporary use. Key to this to the irreplaceable State Botanical our botanic gardens must also seek development is a new Herbarium building. Collection with its 1.5 million preserved new, thoughtful and creative ways to This program will safeguard and protect plant specimens dating back to the strengthen our connection with nature the growing State Botanical Collection— 1600s and painstakingly collected from and history. Most critically at this time, the ark for Victoria’s flora—from pest, across the globe. The combined living there is an urgent need to safeguard disease, fire and flood in a purpose-built and preserved plant collections underpin Victoria’s future by protecting its State vault deep beneath the ground. It will Victoria’s response to urgent issues Botanical Collection with the construction inspire ever-increasing numbers of visitors in climate change, biosecurity, natural of a new National Herbarium of Victoria, and Victorians with the plant knowledge, resource management and Victoria’s and to use that opportunity to unlock collections, programs and stories of RBGV, therapeutic, agrifood and fibre economy. those collections for scientific research and share the vivid cultural stories of and to deepen our community’s This Master Plan is more than plants Traditional Owners at Melbourne Gardens connection with nature. and landscapes. It is about protecting as the gateway for nature in Melbourne. an important State asset and shaping a The Melbourne Gardens landscape must Through the Nature and Science Precinct, future for one of the most beautiful and continue to change and evolve, and has the Gardens will collaborate with its important botanic gardens in the world. long provided a green sanctuary and neighbours and like-minded organisations botanical resource for Melbourne. The Nature and Science Precinct: in partnerships that support learning, community living around Melbourne The living heart of our city biodiversity knowledge, and horticultural Gardens continues to grow, with the In this new Master Plan, we build on and scientific research excellence. One of population in Greater Melbourne forecast Melbourne’s premier green space to stake the country’s richest botanical libraries to double to 8 million by 2040. In close out a vision for Melbourne Gardens and and treasures of the Collection will be proximity to the Melbourne Gardens, for Melbourne itself. The premier project is on public display for the very first time. a major new transport hub, the Anzac the Nature and Science Precinct which will New learning and exhibition spaces will Station is currently under construction. join the Arts and Culture, and Sports and inspire visitors and deepen engagement This will enable more people to access the Entertainment precincts as Melbourne’s with nature for all ages. Currently being gardens. At the same time, we must adapt third major destination by the Yarra River. restored by dedicated volunteers from our botanic gardens to an unprecedented the Astronomical Society of Victoria in Nature Play in the Gardens II collaboration with Museums Victoria, the developed as part of the previous Master As we emerge from the impacts of return of the Great Melbourne Telescope Plan. Due to extraordinary support devastating bushfires and the worldwide to its original home in the Melbourne from a donor, a new Arid Garden will COVID-19 pandemic, there has never Observatory will be another major project be complete in 2020 and form part of been a more important time to value and of heritage significance. the larger Arid and Drylands Precinct, protect Melbourne Gardens for future showcasing and interpreting the valuable generations. They are, and will continue The Precinct will address a number of Fields cacti and succulent collection. to be, the inspiration and lungs of our city, other RBGV’s key strategic objectives, and a major international attraction for such as increasing visitation and Huntingfield Lawn will be gently re- the State of Victoria. participation—particularly children, contoured to establish a venue for small families, younger people, older Australians scale theatrical performances, as have We welcome you to embrace and support and marginalised communities—and been presented at Melbourne Gardens this vision. establishing the Gardens as a