punting on the lake, royal botanic gardens - mamma knows melbourne

Well isn’t this a lovely civilised way to explore the gardens!

Look, we love to wander around the majestic pathways of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne by foot, but to get a different perspective (and a guided tour and history lesson) this is the way to go.
Pick your spot in the comfy seats (fits 6 people) on the gondola and be slowly and peacefully guided around the lake, visiting the local swan family and spying some turtles sunning themselves on a log, as the bellbirds ring out their pretty tunes - and yes it is ACTUALLY that amazing.

Owner Wes, with his trusty sidekick pooch Captain Max, chats about the history of the gardens and points out some of the amazing plants and trees and of course we learnt all about the swan family that have been living here for so many years. Wes is so knowledgable, and with his wife Ayami, have been running the punts for 10 years now.

Everyone is welcome on the punt - including of course the kids (under 10 will need a life jacket) and the fur kids.
Our tour ran for 30 mins which was a perfect amount of time for us, so keep that in mind as there is no moving around the boat whilst on the tour.
The tours book out very quickly so be sure to book ahead - and note they don’t run over the winter months.