The Zoological Gardens at Melbourne Zoo established in 1862 are one of State’s most treasured gardens. The gardens are not only home to thousands of animals but also approximately 70,000 plant specimens.

Main Drive
Designed in the 1860s, the main drive at Melbourne Zoo has become an iconic landscape and one of Melbourne’s most recognisable heritage gardens. It consists of a boulevard 170 metres long, broken by a series of paths and circular gardens; these form the entries to our habitat based animal precincts. We are proud of our Heritage features and many of these can be found along the main drive - Federation era buildings, the Peter Pan statue, a restored animal exhibit. Melbourne Zoo's main drive has always been a great place to head off and return to as you experience the different parts of the Zoo.

Gardens of this era typically include bold tropical foliage such as Abyssinian Banana (Ensete ventricosum), Bird of Paradise Tree (Strelitzia nicolai) and Chinese Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), feature plantings, colourful display gardens and Australian plants. Other key plants on the main drive include Camellia (Camellia japonica), Bush Cherry (Syzygium paniculatum) and the Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora).

For more than 140 years the main drive held seasonal displays of introduced annual bedding plants. These colourful displays were renowned throughout Melbourne and were a great attraction. In 2005 a change in focus towards sustainable gardening techniques took place – this involves improving soil heath, biological pest control and using as little water as possible while maintaining a beautiful display of Australian plant species such as Grass Trees, Sturts Desert Pea,  Kangaroo Paws, Paper Daisies, Billy Buttons and Cushion Bushes. Water use has reduced by 60%, down from 1 million litres of water per year.

Australia Bush – Survival Secrets
Visiting Australia Bush will reveal the secrets of how plants and animals survive the harsh conditions in Australia. Our plants and animals are displayed in a landscape of red sand, pebbles, blue sky and open space that is evocative of the Australian Bush.

Australia’s flora is distinctive and unique. Examples of Australia’s 20,000 flowering plants are found in this walk-through exhibit. This diversity is on display in Australia Bush where many of our iconic plants can be seen. These include the Queensland Bottle Tree, Kangaroo Paws, Grass Tree, the Emu Bush, Sturt’s Desert Pea, Eucalypts, Banksias and Waratah.

Many have special adaptations to survive in this difficult environment. These are highlighted as you travel through this exhibit.

Learn about the landscape that once dominated much of Victoria through plantings of grasses and wildflowers.

Browse
An important function of the Horticulture Department is the provision of browse to the Animal collection. Many animals benefit from the addition of fresh browse to their diets. Fresh browse can be used as part of an environmental enrichment program. Animals that benefit from browse include Elephants, Giraffe, Red Pandas and a variety of Primate and Ape species.

Each week over 1000 branches are harvested from a variety of plantations, utilising many plant species. Fresh browse is collected from several sources including the zoos managed plantations, government, and from domestic gardens.

Many of the plants that are collected for browse are environmental weeds - using them for browse helps to feed our animal collection and is a benefit to our environment and biodiversity.

Japanese Garden
The Japanese garden was built to mark the tenth anniversary in 1990 of the sister-state relationship between the State of Victoria and the Aichi Prefecture in Japan.

This garden and an Australian garden in Nagoya, the capital of Aichi, were created to symbolise the strong friendship between the two states and to reflect the natural beauty of their respective landscapes. A joint project of the Victorian Government and the formerly named Zoological Board of Victoria, the garden was opened in November 1991.

This garden is widely acknowledged as one of Australia’s finest examples of a traditional Japanese stroll garden.