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Botanical gardens gallop extension

The gallop extension at Botanical gardens is a funky new extension to the UNESO heritage site. It’s a spot of greenery and play, let’s explore what’s on.

Welcome to the Botanical gardens gallop extension with the Botanical art gallery building in view
Welcome to the Botanical gardens gallop extension with the Botanical art gallery building in view.

Gallop green is primarily a green space with some walking trails, therapeutic gardens and two gallery museums.

The lush garden area in the Botanical gardens gallop extension
The lush garden area in the Botanical gardens gallop extension.

It is named of the road it sits by, which branches by from Tyersall road. Though it is actually located out of the regular botanic garden ground across Gallop roads. The road here serves mainly several bungalow housing In the area as well as a link to the Bukit Timah area.

The entrance to the Botanical garden Gallop extension
The entrance to the Botanical garden Gallop extension.
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Front porch
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OCBC Arboretum
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Seasonal area

Also, you enter via the Gallop gate, which is its own separate from Botanical gardens. Paid parking is available and is usually not full. However, the gardens are not exactly very accessible without private transport. It is also a 25-minute walk from Botanic Gardens MRT.

Informatics board detailing the highlights of the gallop extension
Informatics board detailing the highlights of the gallop extension.

Vast Park Greenspaces

Nice vast green areas great for picnic goers
Nice vast green areas great for picnic goers.

The park has an open field popular as a dog run for visitors and picnics. It provides a nice view with the colonial gallop bungalows in view. The bungalows are now galleries which we shall visit later in this post.

Going through the Arboretum
Going through the Arboretum brought to you by OCBC. It is a seasonal working garden.
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Water body
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Below
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Bridge to building

Moreover, this Gallop park extension is a relatively new 8-hectare addition to the Singapore Botanic Gardens already 74 hectare size. It brings the total area of the entire gardens to 82 hectares.

Flowering Plants in the park
Flowering Plants in the park.

Additionally, the Mingxin Rambler’s Ridge. It is an easy trail with some flowering plants, as well as an exploratory trail comprising of a walk through a secondary forest with a stone stair trail climb near some water features. Also, do take caution as the stones can be slippery when it rains.

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Blooms
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Pitcher plants
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Orchids

Moreover, the OCBC Arboretum Forest is tad a working forest. Here you can find a sparse garden area home to a variety of local plant species. It is always a work in progress. The arboretum is opened from 7am- 7pm, similarly timed to the park opening and closing times.

Follow the trial of the Mingxin Foundation Rambler's Ridge
Follow the trial of the Mingxin Foundation Rambler’s Ridge.

Here, you can find interesting hidden trials to explore within the foliage. The Discovery Centre OCBC Arboretum is open 9am- 6pm daily and closed every last Monday of the month.

Gallop bungalow galleries and museum

Furthermore, new additions include two conservation buildings refurbished into mini galleries and a museum. They are called the Botanical Art Gallery and Forest Discovery Centre.

The Forest discovery center is built into a revamped colonial bungalow
The Forest discovery center is built into a revamped colonial bungalow.

Forest Discovery Centre galleries

Forest discovery center at the OCBC Arboretum in the gallop gardens
Forest discovery center at the OCBC Arboretum in the gallop gardens.

Moreover, the Forest Discovery Centre is a mini nature gallery and function space. It is built into one of the old colonial bungalows here.

The "central tree" as part of the displays in the  Forest Discovery Centre
The “central tree” as part of the displays in the  Forest Discovery Centre.
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Entrance
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Insects
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Building history

Additionally, the museum starts on the second floor elevated via a walkway bridge. The building is raised with ground floor housing toilets and a small cafe.

The nature discovery galleries within the Forest Discovery Centre
The nature discovery galleries within the Forest Discovery Centre.

Also, the forest discovery center has a mini nature gallery covering the Singapore wildlife. Here, you can find several wall photos of the history of the bungalow estate, this includes old photos of gallop road.

The picturesque botanical art gallery on the gallop gardens picnic hill
The picturesque botanical art gallery on the gallop gardens picnic hill.

Botanical Art Gallery

The Botanical Art Gallery are Singapore’s first permanent display of botanical art.

The botanical art gallery building, similarly built into a renovated colonial bungalow
The botanical art gallery building, similarly built into a renovated colonial bungalow.

Moreover, the galleries are housed within Gallop House No. 7 (Inverturret). It is the second and larger of the refurbished conserved building built in 1906 spanning two floors with a front porch.

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Gallery Entrance
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Lobby
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Seating interior

Here, the air-conditioned galleries houses Singapore Botanic Gardens’ collection. It includes more than 2,000 botanical paintings spanning two floors. The artwork does bear a resemble by those drawn by William Farquhar who documented Singapore early plant life which you can view at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.

The botanical artworks within the two story gallery
The botanical artworks within the two story gallery.

Also, you can find hundreds of hand-drawn sketches, line drawings and photographs. You can be here for even up to an hour exploring all the exhibits.

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Artworks
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Upper floor
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Vanda area

Additionally, the gallery highlights the vital role that art plays in the scientific documentation of Singapore and regional plant botany. It aims through education to inspire through art renewed appreciation of the natural world around us. The Botanical Art Gallery is open 9am – 6pm daily and closed every last Thursday of the month.

COMO Adventure Grove

The Como adventure cove children's outdoor playground
The Como adventure cove children’s outdoor playground.

Moreover, the COMO Adventure Grove is one of the family-oriented playgrounds great for kids. It introduces nature to children through play. Also, the COMO Adventure Grove are part of the exploratory family friendly elements in addition to the Mingxin Rambler’s Ridge and OCBC Arboretum.

In addition, here, you can find various custom playgrounds themed to modern interpretation of gardens various distinctive parts of trees.

The Giant durian play area at the COMO Adventure Grove
The Giant durian play area at the COMO Adventure Grove.

This sprawling large outdoor playground offers a timeless experience of swinging, sliding, climbing and playing in trees. It is tad a throwback to the vast playground that used to operate in the 90s.

Some notable playgrounds resembles the warty surface of a giant Cempedak (Artocarpus integer), the pod and seeds of a Saga tree (Adenanthera pavonina) and the aerial roots of the Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina). It does make you appear in the scene of Honey I shrunk the kids.

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Pay area
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Sandpit
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Saga seeds

Additionally, Furthermore, do note that the COMO Adventure Grove has a limited opening hours from 7am- 7pm. Also, no dogs are allowed in the play areas and sandpits. Also, the COMO sector too is home to a cafe as well as public toilet amenities.

All in all, the Gallop extension is a nice welcome to the Singapore botanical gardens. It nicely blends nature with learning, museum and play in a package great for all ages for an afternoon with nature.

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