The Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, Australia, was established in 1846, after Lieutenant Governor Charles La Trobe selected the site on the southern bank of the Yarra River.

In 1857, the Gardens’ first full time director, Ferdinand von Mueller, was appointed, who went on to become one of the most acclaimed botanists of the 19th century.

Today, the gardens are home to more than 51,000 individual plants, representing more than 12,000 different species.

These photographs were taken in March 2006.