The 13 Best Australia Garden Tours

1.Maleny Botanic Gardens Bird Aviary Experience Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 579 reviews · from $33Our pick

Meet more than 700 native and exotic birds at Maleny Botanic Gardens & Bird World. Walk through the aviaries, enjoy free bird photos, explore six kilometres of paths, and picnic beneath views of the Glass House Mountains. Guided sessions run in the morning and afternoon.

“The birds were great would be better if we could also feed the birds to so that the birds want to interact with us as well as the tour guide obviously not the really big birds. But still a good experience.”

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2.Aboriginal Heritage Walk – Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Melbourne Gardens

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 314 reviews · from $30Top rated

Join an Aboriginal guide at 11:00 am for a 90-minute walk through Melbourne Gardens. Learn how the Kulin people use native plants for food, medicine, and cultural practice. Guides such as Uncle Den, Uncle Ben, and Jacobi bring stories, poetry, and hands-on plant encounters into this small-group experience.

“Den was our Aboriginal guide and he was excellent. This was a very informative and thought provoking tour and enjoyed by visitors and Australians in our group. The Botanic Gardens are stunning and need a lot longer to explore.”

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3.The Explorer – Melbourne Gardens

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 224 reviews · from $10Best value

Ride through Melbourne Gardens in a purpose-built open-air minibus for 30 minutes. Guides such as Eugenie and Verity explain the gardens’ plants, trees, lakes, and past. The small group, gentle pace, and seated view suit anyone short on time or unable to walk far.

“An excellent garden shown in comfort, by a professional and very knowledgeable guide who took the time to explain things and answer all questions asked. A truly great experience.”

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4.Melbourne: 1-Hour Gardens and Sporting Precinct River Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 196 reviews · from $27

Spend one hour on a sheltered Yarra River cruise from Southbank, passing Princes Bridge, the Royal Botanic Gardens, MCG, Olympic Park and Herring Island. English commentary explains the city as you go, with tea and coffee included. Expect a calm overview, not a highly interactive guided tour.

“Enjoyed this river cruise . We tend to do these things when travelling so we thoroughly enjoyed being tourists in our own city. Commentary was informative and we learned quite a bit on this cruise”

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5.River Gardens Melbourne Sightseeing Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 193 reviews · from $29

See Melbourne from the Yarra River on a one-hour cruise from Southbank. Expect onboard commentary, complimentary tea and coffee, enclosed seating, an outdoor deck, and views of Herring Island, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the MCG, Olympic Park, and Princes Bridge.

“Very enjoyable. Had a great time, had great fun and will definitely recommend to everyone. Worth a visit.”

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6.Night Walk in Cairns Botanic Gardens – Let’s Go Buggin

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 153 reviews · from $57

Join macro photographer Bridgette Gower at 7pm for a two-hour search for frogs, insects, spiders and fungi in Cairns Botanic Gardens. She helps you find tiny subjects and improve your camera work. Bring your own gear or reserve a beginner, intermediate or professional camera in advance.

“Bridgette was very experienced and knowledgeable about the insects and very patient with a newbie camera user. I enjoyed the quick activity and would recommend it to anyone interested in macro photography”

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7.The Explorer – Cranbourne Gardens

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 135 reviews · from $10

Ride The Explorer open-air minibus through the 15-hectare Australian Garden at Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne. A driver-guide points out the Red Sand Garden, Howson Hill, Ian Potter Lake, Arid Garden, and Dry River Bed. You can also hop off at selected stops to explore on foot.

“School holiday free for kids, but viator charged for kids as well.. Requested refund. But viator not ready to pay back.”

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8.Near Gold Coast: Crystal Castle Admission Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 116 reviews · from $642

Spend a full day at Crystal Castle and Shambhala Gardens in Byron Bay’s hinterland. Walk through subtropical gardens, enter the 20-tonne Enchanted Cave, join guided meditation and crystal singing bowl sessions, and visit the Kalachakra World Peace Stupa. Food costs extra.

“Great staff. Friendly atmosphere. Amazing crystals. Staff quite knowledgeable and professional. Will visit again.”

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9.Hunter Valley: Wine Tour with 3 Tastings and Garden Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 103 reviews · 10 hours · from $166

Spend 10 hours travelling from Sydney to Hunter Valley with an English-speaking driver-guide such as Ben, Rafael, or Jeff. Visit three boutique wineries, taste local cheeses, enjoy lunch at Cypress Lakes, and browse village shops and galleries. Expect a full day with about 360 kilometres on the road.

“Fantastic experience!!! The day was wonderful, we had a really nice and small group to enjoy our time and some nice wines. Visited 3 different wineries and we did cheese/ chocolate tastings. Highly recommend tour! Last, but not least, thank you so much for our guide Jeff, who went above and beyond throughout the whole day!”

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10.Kuranda Koala Gardens and Birdworld Admission Tickets

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 99 reviews · from $27

Visit Kuranda Koala Gardens and Birdworld on a self-guided wildlife outing in Kuranda. Feed kangaroos and wallabies, see wombats, quokkas, crocodiles, and rare nocturnal animals, then walk to a rainforest aviary with more than 80 bird species. Koala photos and animal food cost extra.

“The Koala Gardens is basically a tiny version of every other Australian zoo i.e., only a couple of each popular Aussie animal, nothing special or different there. It was underwhelming at best. Birdworld was neat but tiny, and they charged extra for a bag of food to feed the birds, which was ridiculous for what they charge to get in. It was about a 20 minute activity that they charged more than 20 for. Basically, it wasn't really worth the price, but it was something different and made for a couple cute photos.”

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11.Kuranda Koala Gardens General Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 90 reviews · from $15

Spend about an hour among koalas, quokkas, wallabies, wombats, reptiles, and crocodiles at Kuranda Koala Gardens. Feed selected animals, visit the rare nocturnal exhibit, and learn how the North Queensland Wildlife Trust helps injured wildlife. Optional koala photos cost extra.

“If you want to see wildlife up close go to this place (koala, kangaroos, wombat, crocs, etc.). The wallaby was scared of people and the koala during his slumber had no choice when he was disturbed to take pictures with the paying customeRead more”

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12.Cairns: Night Walk in Cairns Botanic Gardens

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 86 reviews · 2 hours · from $56

Walk the Cairns Botanic Gardens rainforest boardwalk after dark with guides such as Bridgette and Ros. Use head torches to find frogs, spiders, possums, insects, and birds, with optional camera hire for close-up night photography. Groups are limited to eight people.

“It was fantastic! Ros could spot a frog from a good 20m away! I hired a camera and was blown away by the quality of the images I was able to get! 100% recommend and I will be seeing if I have the time to book on again before I have to leave!”

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13.Kuranda Koala Gardens Park Entry

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 85 reviews · 1 day · from $15

Spend a day at Kuranda Koala Gardens inside the Heritage Markets, meeting koalas, wallabies, wombats, quokkas, gliders, possums, reptiles, and freshwater crocodiles. Entry costs $15 per person. Koala and python photos cost extra, and the park is open from 9:30am to 4pm.

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