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My entry to one of the oldest gardens of
Melbourne -The Fitzroy’s Gardens couldn't have been lovelier – after a steady whiplash of chilly showers and intimidating grey skies in the morning, the afternoon sun finally gave a glance, peeping out from behind a skyscraper.
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| Entrance to the Fitzroy gardens: A sanctuary of peace. |
The hustle bustle of a city as chaotic as Melbourne soon faded away as I briskly crossed the briefly sun tanned skyscraper, to step out of the city traffic and into the wide open spaces of the Fitzroy gardens: long meandering avenues lined with files and files of beautiful majestic pines, deodars and English elms on either sides.
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| The lush green carpet of the Fitzroy Gardens |
Set in classic Victorian-era design and covering an area of 64 acres since 1860, the Fitzroy gardens along with the other gardens like Royal Botanical gardens occupy a healthy part of the Melbourne city and reflects its thoughtful belief in cultivating a culture of green in a place as concrete as itself. Hidden beneath and beyond these veils of quiet foliage, however, are significant attractions of the city, cherished by the people and the tourists alike, thus ensuring something for everyone stepping on its land.
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Meandering pathways, all for you to discover.
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Green as it was; my first glimpse of the garden was inviting, and the enveloping quietude only helped the impression. As I started walking along the perfectly manicured corridors, a sense of déjà vu gripped me and left me smiling silently, reminding me of
Hibiya Park in Japan: a carpet of green, a floral paradise, away from the maddening crowd... I felt familiar to the gardens, I felt like I had known them after all.
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| Dense shaded canopies: The only window to the outside world. |
With a gloomy weather in full bloom, the dense umbrella of the trees weaved a dense shadow obliterating the place in a mystical aura, also blocking out all the noise and chaos that Melbourne is famed for.
. . . . .
Let’s take a walk down here, and see what’s in store.
(A Photo Essay on the Fitzroy Gardens):
Captain Cooks Cottage:
First attraction in sight was Captain Cooks' Cottage, a pretty small house believed to have been owned by Captain James Cook's parents and subsequently brought by a wealthy Australian businessman from it's original location Yorkshire to it's current location Melbourne to commemorate Victoria's centenary in 1934.
Take a peek from the outside, you can see a life size statue of Captain Cook standing in the garden, and a cardboard face-cut placard for souvenir photo takeaways. Inside, three small rooms and a gift/souvenir shop, promises to take you through to a tour on his voyage of life and death.
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| Captain Cook: The 'discoverer' of the east coast of Australia. |
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| A postbox near the cottage entrance. |
Though I love history, one of the reasons I had put this place in my Melbourne itinerary, but with the help of suggestions given by Melburnian blogger friends and from my own first hand idea, I dropped the idea of taking a complete tour and instead just appreciated the cottage from the outside.
After discovering the cottage, take a turn where you may like, and if you were to follow in my trail,
Step on this wooden bridge to crossover flowery beds and other rock outcroppings making themselves known...
... And stride along a stream housing a boy resting on a turtle.
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| Boy on the turtle |
Conservatory: Then take a few moments out to admire the statue of Diana and the hounds and step into this Spanish Mission-style Conservatory, dating from 1930 and housing changing exhibitions of magnificent floral displays.
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| The figurine of Diana and the Hounds at the entrance to the conservatory. |
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| Backside-view of the conservatory. |
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| Floral delight inside the conservatory. |
Follow your heart or take the help of signboards or better still interact with the locals, help them guide you towards the most beautiful and eye catching key points in the gardens. In any case, trust the paths that you take, there are gifts with each step that you take, once unwrapped, revel in their charisma.
And if you feel you have walked enough, have a seat, and let the arms of the canopy of trees embrace you in a deep calm slumber. Here, try listening to the sounds of the outdoors, and spend some quiet moments with yourself…
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| Would you like to have a seat? |
Here, try expanding your sights and broadening your vistas, maybe there are new friends to be made?
. . . . .
Having walked for a good thirty to forty five minutes on my clock, I stood there near the noisy fountain, savoring the marvel of being completely alone in it. The tree cover was now silhouetted by a sheath of concrete buildings and glass windows in the backdrop. I was searching for the exit.
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| Somewhere near the exit area |
Suddenly, a group of birds singing somewhere distracted my vision and this little family of ducks caught my eye, perhaps they were hungry and were searching for food (?). They made beautiful sounds, preening and chattering among themselves, following the eldest in the group in a pattern as disciplined and rhythmic that could easily put my school assembly obedience to shame.
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| Say hello! |
I left the garden through the nearest exit, now in the company of gigantic skyscrapers towering upon me, looking for a tram to the main city; with memories of the small lake busy with the army of ducklings marching their way towards the garden, still making noises under the canopy of the pine trees.
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Tips and tricks for travellers:
- Captain Cook's cottage is a pretty small house which looks quite beautiful from the outside; if you are travelling on a budget (like me) and not really intent on exploring the history, consider giving the interiors a miss and spending that much more time in the garden instead, it's a nature sanctuary.
- If you love nature, and flowers, then the conservatory is something not to be missed. What's more, it's free!
- Besides the cottage and the conservatory, also look out for: several fountains and sculptures, a band pavilion and rotunda, a miniature Tudor Village and the Fairies Tree carved by Ola Cohn. These are some of the other things I missed due to paucity of time.
- The gardens are a short distance from the MCG cricket grounds; try clubbing the two together in your itinerary.
Getting there:
Fitzroy gardens is very close to the city center, the CBD. To get there, you can either catch a city circle tram and get down at the nearest stop St. Vincent Plaza. Or if you have no qualms walking, you could walk all the way down the Yarra river course from the Federation square and reach the gardens via the MCG cricket grounds.
Location, Contact, opening and closing hours and entry fee:
Address: East Melbourne VIC 3002, Australia.
Entry fee for Cook's cottage is $ 5; rest of the gardens is Free.
Phone: +61 3 9658 9658
Visiting Hours: Mon to Sun; 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM; closed on Christmas day.
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Previous stories from Melbourne:
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