Melbourne’s Fitzroy Gardens were not only filled with old trees carefully arranged over lush grounds, but small buildings.

We entered the conservatory first filled with begonias in a range of colours before we headed towards Captain Cook’s cottage. The tiny house, originally built in Yorkshire in 1755 was brought piece by piece to Australia in 1934 and rebuilt in the park’s beautiful setting. I didn’t bother going inside. During my school years, this explorer’s journeys had been drummed into our heads as if few other explorers existed.

It was time to leave the buildings behind and explore the greenery.