The Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria at Cranbourne Gardens, is a division of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (the second division being the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, located in the centre of Melbourne). It is located in the suburb of Cranbourne, about 45 km south-east of the Melbourne city centre. Cranbourne Gardens specialises in Australian native plants. The total area of this division of the botanic gardens is 363 hectares, including heathlands, wetlands and woodlands. The gardens also provide habitat for native birds, mammals and reptiles, including some rare and endangered species. A recent feature of the Cranbourne, is the specially constructed Australian Garden, opened to the public on 28 May 2006. The Australian Garden features a number of exhibition gardens, sculptures and displays aimed to bring the beauty and diversity of the Australian landscape and plants to the public. Beyond the Australian Garden, the bushland section of the garden contains 10 km of walking tracks, and includes the Trig Point Lookout tower, secluded picnic sites and free barbecues. History The indigenous Australian Boon Wurrung people inhabited the area around Cranbourne in pre-European times. The site of Cranbourne Gardens was used for sand mining from as far back as the 1820s, largely to supply the building of Melbourne and its suburbs. The military used the site from 1889 until 1953, with private licences also issued for sand mining, grazing and timber gathering. In 1970 the site was named as a division of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, with a focus on Australian plant research and conservation. The gardens were not opened to the public until 1989. The Australian Garden was planned and developed over several years, finally opening to the general public on 30 May 2006, and attracting 15,000 visitors on the opening day. The Australian Garden The Australian Garden aims to allow visitors to explore people's place in the Australian environment and to learn more about Australian plants. It features about 100,000 plants spread across fifteen landscape displays and exhibition gardens. The Australian Garden was designed by Taylor Cullity Lethlean Landscape Architects with Paul Thompson (Plant Design Pty Ltd). The Australian Garden has won a number of design awards already, but is still a work in progress, with a second stage covering an additional ten hectares scheduled to commence construction in late 2007 and to be completed by late 2011. Red Sand Garden The Red Sand Garden is the central