Established in 1846, the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria – Melbourne Gardens is considered one of the world’s finest gardens, with over 50,000 plants from around the world on display. Beyond being carbon sinks, green spaces such as this help mitigate the urban heat effect in modern cities. While city infrastructure tends to either trap or generate heat, a single small tree is said to have the cooling capacity of two residential air conditioners!

There are several ways to explore the Royal Botanic Gardens: Download the official map to walk the grounds at your own pace, or look for walks created by park regulars. You can also book a ride on the Garden Explorer, an electric buggy that seats up to 25 people and takes about 30 minutes to complete a full loop of the park, accompanied by “live” commentary. Alternatively, hop on and off at any of the Explorer’s seven designated stops. For booking details, refer to the park’s What’s On page, which also lists events, guided walks, and workshops that visitors can enjoy.

For an immersive green experience, head to CERES to learn how you can better care for the planet. CERES (pronounced “series”) is the acronym for the Centre for Education in Research in Environmental Strategies. A visit to this green sanctuary will—as they put it—help you to “fall in love with the Earth again.” Among the interesting things you can do here: visit a vegetable farm, “invade” a chicken coop, and explore a nursery dedicated to permaculture (permanently sustainable agriculture) and bushfood (aboriginal food). You can also check if there’s a half-day or full-day workshop that you can attend during your visit.

For wildlife lovers, consider visiting one of the zoos belonging to Zoos Victoria—a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to fighting wildlife extinction with breeding and recovery programmes. You will help to protect and conserve endangered wildlife each time you visit their wildlife parks or buy a memento from their shops. The animal attractions under the auspices of Zoos Victoria are Melbourne Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary, and Werribee Open Range Zoo. 

If you are short on time, visit the Melbourne Zoo, which is located in the heart of Melbourne. (For guests at PARKROYAL Melbourne Airport, this is only a 19-minute drive away.) If you don’t mind a longer journey, consider either Healesville Sanctuary, a bushland haven for Australian wildlife, or the African-themed Werribee Open Range Zoo.

Get directions to Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria – Melbourne Gardens

Get directions to CERES

Get directions to Melbourne Zoo

Get directions to Healesville Sanctuary

Get directions to Werribee Open Range Zoo

Concerned about the environmental impact of your travels? One of the best ways of reducing your carbon footprint while getting around Melbourne is to go on foot. You can get a quick overview of Melbourne city with the pay-as-you-wish “Melbourne Sights” walking tour, which runs twice daily (at 10:30am and 2:30pm) and is popular with travellers. 

For a green travel experience that caters to your personal interests, check with specialist tour organisers such as Melbourne Walks. Among its selections is a “Living Wild Off The Land” tour, where you can participate in a foraging expedition through Melbourne woodlands. As part of the programme, you will learn how native Australians and early settlers tapped into natural resources for food, medicine, and more.

Cycling is another eco-friendly mode of transportation around Melbourne. To rent a bicycle or find a cycling tour that you can join, look up Freddy’s Bike Tours & Rentals, Melbourne Bike Tours, and Melbourne By Bike.  

Visitors to Melbourne can also enjoy getting around on the free tram—the City Circle Tram (route number 35)—which serves the central Melbourne area. It’s a “hop-on, hop-off” service for tourists, office workers, and families, and it provides a great way to get acquainted with the city centre. The tram service includes an audio commentary of Melbourne’s major landmarks and attractions. Information leaflets, including a map of the city, are also available on board each City Circle Tram. (Route details and timetables available here.)

Have time for a nature-filled day trip out of the city? Embark on one of the world’s most scenic coastal drives along the Great Ocean Road. It’s a 243km stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia, between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Allansford. Here, you’ll have a chance to see the famed 12 Apostles—towering rock stacks carved from the sea, of which only eight have remained resilient through time and erosion. 

If you are choosing a day tour operator for your Great Ocean Road visit, pick one that has an EcoTourism Australia accreditation. Examples of such operators are Go West and Melbourne Private Tours—both have partnered with Greenfleet, a not-for-profit organisation that plants trees to offset carbon emissions. Go West runs day and sunset tours to the Great Ocean Road, while Melbourne Private Tours offers a day tour with add-on options, such as a private surf lesson.

Nature lovers can also visit the lush surrounds of the Dandenong Ranges, said to be the “green lungs” of Melbourne. The Dandenongs are a set of low mountain ranges, the highest of which is Mount Dandenong at 633m. Located approximately 35km east of Melbourne, it should take you about an hour to reach the Dandenongs if you’re driving in from the city. Melbourne Private Tours runs a half-day tour of the Dandenong Ranges, where you’ll get to ride on the “Puffing Billy,” Australia’s oldest surviving steam train. It’s a chance to sit back and enjoy the fresh mountain air—and verdant views through the window—as the train meanders through the area’s temperate rainforest.

Book a tour with Melbourne Walks

Book a tour with Freddy’s Bike Tours & Rentals 

Book a tour with Melbourne Bike Tours

Book a tour with Melbourne By Bike

Book a tour with Go West

Book a tour with Melbourne Private Tours

If you’re in Melbourne’s CBD, you will have no trouble finding a restaurant or cafe that is committed to worthy environmental and social causes. For instance, Mesa Verde (Mexican cuisine) and Higher Ground (“innovative” cuisine) are two restaurants that are working to cut waste by turning food scraps into fertiliser, which they can then use to grow their own fresh produce. 

For authentic Australian cuisine, head to Taxi Kitchen, where menus are planned around seasonal, local, and sustainable ingredients. The Taxi Kitchen team tries to reduce food miles where possible, and they have also implemented recycling initiatives to minimise their environmental footprint.

Simply looking for a caffeine boost? Kinfolk, Good2Go Coffee, and Quists Coffee are three cafes that give back to society in their own way.

To bring home a souvenir, look for establishments that support local artisans or those that champion recycling and upcycling efforts. One place you can head to is the historic Queen Victoria Market (established in 1878), which is home to over 600 small businesses, and the perfect place to hunt down a Melbourne souvenir. 

In the summer, the market remains open on Wednesdays till about 10:00pm (it was then known as the Queen Victoria Night Markets) and it’s where you can enjoy shopping, street food, music, and an even more vibrant atmosphere.

For more shopping options, refer to the City of Melbourne’s ethical shopping guide.

Get directions to Mesa Verde

Get directions to Higher Ground

Get directions to Taxi Kitchen

Get directions to Kinfolk

Get directions to Good2Go Coffee

Get directions to Quists Coffee

Get directions to Queen Victoria Market

Wondering where to stay while in Melbourne? PARKROYAL Melbourne Airport is directly connected to Melbourne Airport, which has some obvious advantages such as hassle-free stopovers, but that’s not all. You can explore the local Tullamarine neighbourhood, or take a 15-minute drive to the popular Sunbury Wine Region, where vineyards have been winning awards since the 1850s.

What’s more, Melbourne’s famed city centre—a haven of cosy cafes, fashion finds, and lush parklands—is just a 20-minute drive away. 

Green travellers will be happy to know that PARKROYAL Melbourne Airport supports various eco initiatives. 

Currently, 90% of the hotel’s lighting is in the form of LED bulbs, which use at least 75% less energy compared to traditional bulbs. This amounts to about 11,000 kilowatts of energy saved per year. 

PARKROYAL Melbourne Airport also participates in efforts such as Soap Aid, where recycled hotel soap is reprocessed and delivered to disadvantaged communities in Australia and overseas.

Need more accommodation information? View our room offers, or get in touch with our friendly staff, who are always eager to help.

If you are a guest at PARKROYAL Melbourne Airport as well as a Black Pan Pacific DISCOVERY member, you can redeem a complimentary dinner for two at the in-house Airo Restaurant, and a local experience to spend time at Living Legends, a sanctuary for Australia’s retired racehorses.