There was a time when botanic gardens were dull affairs that could only be of interest to the serious botanist, but these days, thank goodness, they inform and educate with a light touch and incorporate good design. Visiting a botanic garden is invaluable when you are unfamiliar with the local flora and our visit to Cranbourne, the out-of-town arm of the Melbourne Botanic Garden that specialises in indigenous plants was a great help in recognising things I later saw in the wild. We were shown around by the hugely enthusiastic curator John Arnott, the man who has overseen the creation of this exciting garden. One of the innovative areas of the garden is the Dry River Bed which transforms from a dried up creek to running with water every twenty minutes, to illustrate how water shapes the landscape and brings life to it. On hot days evaporation will completely dry out the stones even in such a brief period. Clever stuff.