By Derek Schlennstedt
Parks Victoria is excited to announce the commencement of a new garden tour experience for the Dandenong Ranges Botanic Gardens.
Starting on 8 April, a new open-air electric vehicle will be available to tour the garden and the vehicle seats up to 13 people.
This new shuttle service offers a significant expansion of services to what was previously available, and in contrast to prior seasonal tours this will be available year-round, allowing visitors to experience guided excursions of the gardens and learn more about the unique setting.
District Manager for Parks Victoria Victoria Purdue said that this new service was a unique and valuable way of experiencing the gardens.
“Parks Victoria’s new Garden Tour people mover at the Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden will provide a valuable experience and unique service to garden visitors,” Ms Purdue said.
“It will allow people with limited mobility to enjoy and explore the wider garden environment, including parts of the garden they may not otherwise see. It can also provide a unique experience and overview of the property for time-limited visitors.”
The 100 acres of Victoria’s cool-climate botanic garden are host to a significant variety of plant species, with visitors enjoying a blend of coloured blooms of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, cherries and daffodils. Currently the gardens welcome 190,000 people per year.
The gardens will be enjoyed by a greater number of visitors with this new shuttle, which allows for people of all ages and abilities to see even more of the park.
The service is similar to popular attractions in the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Christchurch Botanic Garden and Singapore’s ‘Gardens By The Bay.’
Garden Tour tickets are available from the Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden Gift Shop or can be pre-booked by contacting the Gift Shop staff on (03) 8427 2087 (10am-4:30pm daily).
