Carlton Gardens cover 26 hectares of formal Victorian parkland just north of the CBD and are among the best-preserved nineteenth-century gardens in Australia. The centrepiece is the Royal Exhibition Building, a vast domed hall built for the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880. The building's Great Hall, with its ornate interior and soaring dome, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most significant buildings in the country.
The Melbourne Museum occupies the southern end of the gardens, with its distinctive modern glass facade contrasting pleasingly with the Victorian exhibition building behind it. The gardens themselves have been restored to their original layout, with long paths, ornamental fountains, and mature English elms providing shade. A café operates near the museum. The gardens are easy to combine with a visit to Carlton and Lygon Street — the Italian quarter is just a short walk west.