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Ian Potter Children's Garden
Splash parks in Melbourne, Australia

There are four different water play features within the Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden within the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne. Soon after passing through the child-proof gate you will see the spiral fountain squirting up from the ground. This is an open space with a spiral pattern of water jets on the ground that spurt upwards about one metre in height. Kids can run across the area and put their hands and feet on the jets, which are randomly timed to squirt from different places around the spiral. Ian Potter Childrens Garden Above: The stone moat that runs around the edge of the sand pit (Order this image)

With younger kids fascinated by the little holes that provide the source of water, watch that they don't get squirted in the eyes. Older kids can also get a bit aggressive here as they fight to touch the water, so consider moving to the other water features if your child is being pushed around here.
If you are here early, there are benches around the spiral fountain that you can sit on and watch while your child runs wild around the fountain.

Venture further into the Children's Garden to set up a base on the manicured lawn under one of the large shady trees. Along the edge of the lawn you will find the ankle deep stream, which meanders around for about 20 metres from the beehive fountain upstream, down to the sandpit moat and a little pond downstream.

No entry is permitted into the fenced off deeper section of the little pond. The stream is lined with pebble mix, so you can walk up and down its length. The channel has been shaped at different widths so that it runs subtly deeper and faster in some sections than others. Grab a leaf off the ground for some exciting boat races or just sit with you and your toddler's feet in the gently flowing water. Ian Potter Childrens Garden Above: Kids clambering to get their hands on the water spurting from the beehive pile of volcanic rocks (Order this image)

The moat downstream is lined with real pebbles on a sandy bed. It runs around the sand pit. With a bucket and spade you can carry sand back and forth from the moat to the sand pit and vice versa.
The beehive fountain upstream has a rough surface to it, so probably best to hold onto new toddlers as they explore this fountain. Older pre-schoolers were actively climbing over it when I visited.

Apart from the water features there is plenty to explore in the Children's Garden and in the broader Botanic Gardens. If you have a car park of suitable duration, you could easily spend a full morning or afternoon here.

Other Information Before You Go:

Location: Birdwood Ave, Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, 2 km south of the Melbourne CBD
Latitude:-37.830083 Longitude:144.976413
Getting there: By car, access Birdwood Ave either by Domain Road or Linlithgow Ave. Look for a spot near Gate F or the Observatory. Read the parking signs carefully as it is free on one side of the road only. By tram take any tram down St.Kilda Rd (3, 3a, 5, 6, 8, 16, 64, 67 or 72) and hop off at the Shrine of Rememberance. From the tram stop walk 300 metres east, past the shrine and the observatory. The Children's Garden is around to the right, shortly after the observatory.
General facilities: Public toilets, benches, lawns, car parking, kiosk.

Baby change facilities: Located in the visitor centre directly to the west or at the Oak Lawn toilets to the east of the Children's Garden
Sun shade: Shade available at some of the water features and on parts of the lawn. No shade available at the sand pit moat.
Entrance fee: None
Opening times: The Chidren's Garden beehive fountain and stream is turned on 10am-4pm daily. The spiral fountain is also turned from 10am-4pm daily, but only when the forecast temperature is 25 degrees or more. The Children's Garden is open 10am to sunset on all days except Mondays and Tuesdays during school terms. There is no access for 8 weeks in winter after the end of the July school holidays. The botanic gardens are closed on Christmas Day and New Years Day.
Wheelchair access: Generally accessible to wheelchairs including wheelchair accessible toilets at the two nearest toilet facilities and disabled parking spots near Gate F (2) and near the Observatory (2), either side of the Children's Garden.
Prohibitions: No bikes, no scooters, no ball games, no roller blading, no skateboarding, no climbing trees, no jogging, no feeding the birds, no barbecues. No dogs permitted in the Children's Garden.
Managing authority: Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
Nearby attractions: Plum Garland Memorial Reserve splash pad, 5 km to the south-west
Before you head out, make sure to read the water safety information and check with the managing authority for any current change of conditions.

Locality Map:

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