Melbourne’s Secret Garden
A hidden garden in the heart of Melbourne
Who knew Melbourne had its very own secret garden, just a short walk from the transport hub of Flinders Street Station? I didn’t until, by chance, I heard it described in a radio interview with horticulturalist James Hitchmough in early January.
So what exactly is this secret space?
And why is it here, waiting to be discovered?
Where to find Melbourne’s ‘secret garden’
You’ll find this colourful landscape out the back of the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at the eastern end of Federation Square. It sits where the Skyline carpark meets the socially responsible collection centre for recyclables.
What is the Laak Boorndap Test Garden?
Its purpose, according to James, is to test a huge variety of species of indigenous plants for a much larger undertaking. This bigger project is the 18,000-square-metre Laak Boorndap Urban Garden, part of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation project. The full urban garden is due to open in 2028.
In the meantime, this ‘pop-up’ garden offers an experimentally planted, continuously flowering destination for garden and art lovers alike. It allows landscape architects and horticulturalists to test and observe plantings and their response to climate change and seasonal challenges.
Visitors are encouraged to return across the seasons, observing how the garden evolves while learning about climate resilience and biodiversity. The garden is also part of ongoing scientific testing at the University of Melbourne’s horticultural campus in Burnley.
What you’ll see: seasonal colour and native plants
When I visit in late summer, lilies, banksias, kangaroo paws and many varieties of succulents create a riot of pinks, oranges and striking violets.
Art and augmented reality in the garden
Unlike many city parks or gardens, Melbourne’s ‘mini’ Laak Boorndap is a centre of active engagement. You can experience this in the sculptures and the augmented reality experiences, which are dotted around the garden. Artist-in-residence at the Burnley campus, Francis Carmody, has created ‘compressions’; 100 objects which have been produced with media including beeswax, charcoal and plant matter, using processes of pressure and collapse.
These tiny works are a delight – and such a fun discovery for younger visitors to the test garden.
Why this garden matters
It’s not often a city the size of Melbourne finds room for a brand-new two-hectare garden — and invites the public into the process. No wonder Time Out calls Melbourne one of the best cities in the world!
You can follow updates online here on seasonal plantings and programs, via @laak.boorndap on Instagram or scan the QR code on-site.
Exploring the wider precinct
By visiting the test garden, you are in a very special part of Federation Square, overlooking the Yarra River and at the tip of Birrarung Marr, which many visitors never reach.
From the garden, you have a perfect vantage point to enjoy the mature trees and hear birdsong and the happy shouts of children making full use of the playground and the ArtPlay centre where children and artists are able to create together… (Grandparents take note!)
Art and exhibitions at the Ian Potter Centre
There’s also usually something special happening in the forecourt of the Ian Potter NGV.
When I visited I was blown away by the work of Sangeeta Sandrasegar. Who, you might ask, but I suspect this amazing artist will soon be much better known. Her exhibition (in collaboration with Heather Thomas) was one which forced you to raise your eyes. Titled I ragazzi dei millefiori (the boys of the flowers), it is a series of stunning painted panels of silk organza and cotton.
It tells the story of the young male immigrants from Italy who used to sell flowers on nearby Princes Bridge in the early 1900s. It’s inspired by a tapestry the artist saw on display in northern Italy, the Millefiori or Adoration Tapestry, which is a hymn to botanical wonders. But Sangeeta’s work is also recognition of the tough existence of young immigrants who struggled to support themselves and their families early last century.
Sangeeta’s floating panels may tell a tough story, but they exemplify beauty and grace as they flow and dance above my eyes in the late afternoon sunlight. Sadly, the exhibition is now closed, but you can follow this very talented artist’s work here.
But wait, there’s more!
On Saturday, 16 May (10-12 pm), you can celebrate Melbourne Design Week by joining Principal Landscape Architect, Jon Hzelwood and arts executive Sarah Tutton for a conversation about Laak Boorndap.
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