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Carlton Gardens

Gardens ·Melbourne
4.714.8K
#2Gardens in Melbourne#4Gardens in Australia
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About

Carlton Gardens is a park in Carlton, Melbourne, on the CBD’s northeastern edge. Its grounds and the Royal Exhibition Building form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Carlton Gardens — Open lawn beneath mature trees with Melbourne towers beyond
Carlton Gardens — Open lawn beneath mature trees with Melbourne towers beyondCarlton Gardens — Formal flower beds and fountain beneath a bright blue skyCarlton Gardens — Garden fountain among autumn trees and fallen leavesCarlton Gardens — Water spilling from a fountain into a garden pondCarlton Gardens — Panoramic view across the park lawn and mature treesCarlton Gardens — Black and white view of bare trees across the gardens

Why go

  • English elm and Ulmus × hollandica avenues that survived Dutch elm disease.
  • Victoria’s largest recorded Taxodium distichum tree.
  • Sweeping lawns with European and Australian plants.
  • A maze-shaped playground designed by award-winning landscape designers Taylor Cullity Lethlean and Mary Jeavons.

Don't miss

  • Royal Exhibition BuildingLook for the hall along the plane-tree avenue leading towards it.Within Carlton Gardens
  • Three fountainsFind the Exhibition Fountain, French Fountain and Westgarth Drinking Fountain along the tree-lined paths.Within Carlton Gardens
  • Northern playgroundA playground laid out as a Victorian maze.Northern section of Carlton Gardens
  • Southern lakesTwo ornamental lakes decorate this section of the gardens.Southern section of Carlton Gardens
  • Notable plantingThe gardens include an Acmena ingens specimen.Within Carlton Gardens

What you see

  • Tall plane trees.
  • Broad views across sweeping lawns.
  • Exhibition Building architecture framed by European and Australian planting.

Photo spots

  • Gardens and Exhibition BuildingThe gardens and Exhibition Building are popular settings for wedding photography.Carlton Gardens

Shorts

History

The 1888 Melbourne Centennial Exhibition marked a century of European settlement in Australia. Cycling and motorcycle races also used the gardens: a cycling track opened at the Exhibition Oval in 1890, and a banked board track built in 1936 was removed in 1939 after a court ruled it breached the Exhibition Act’s free-access requirement.

  1. 1839Superintendent Charles La Trobe reserved land around Melbourne’s original town grid from sale; some was kept for public parks.
  2. Around 1856The City of Melbourne took control of the gardens and commissioned Edward La Trobe Bateman to design them.
  3. 1870sThe Victorian Government resumed control, with minor changes led by Clement Hodgkinson.
  4. 1879William Sangster was hired to redevelop the gardens as part of Joseph Reed’s redesign for the 1880 exhibition.
  5. 1880The Exhibition Building was completed for the Melbourne International Exhibition. Sculptor Joseph Hochgurtel designed the Exhibition Fountain for the event.
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  1. 1891The curator’s lodge was completed and occupied by John Guilfoyle.
  2. 1901Australia’s first Parliament opened in the Exhibition Building on 9 May. From that year, the building also housed the Victorian Parliament.
  3. 1919The complex served as an emergency hospital during the influenza epidemic.
  4. Second World WarThe buildings were used by the Royal Australian Air Force.
  5. 1948–1961Part of the complex operated as a migrant reception centre.
  6. 1999Melbourne Museum opened on the gardens’ site, occupying one sixth of it.
  7. July 2004The Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens were added to the World Heritage List.

How to get there

  • On footA short walk from Melbourne’s city centre.
  • TramTram routes 30 or 35 to Stop 9.

Sources: Carlton Gardens - Wikipedia · Melbourne/Inner north - Wikivoyage (see) · Carlton Gardens - Wikipedia · Jardins Carlton - Wikipedia · checked 4 Oct 2026

Where
1-111 Carlton St, Melbourne

Plan from here: Evening walk →

Questions and answers

What happened to the temporary exhibition annexes at Carlton Gardens?

The northern annexes were demolished after the exhibition closed on 30 April 1881.

Who lived in the curator’s lodge at Carlton Gardens?

John Guilfoyle occupied the lodge.

Who designed Carlton Gardens for the 1880 exhibition?

Architect Joseph Reed led the redesign, and gardener William Sangster redeveloped the grounds.

What happened to the cycling track at Carlton Gardens?

It was removed in 1928 and replaced with a dirt track for high-powered motorcycle racing.

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