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Royal Botanic Gardens Review

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Royal Botanic Gardens

Address: Domain North, The Domain, Sydney, New South Wales | Map It
Phone: 02/923-8111; 02/9231-8125 weekends
www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au

Category: Gardens/Arboretums
Location: The Domain

Write a review | Avg. member rating: 2.6/5

Fodor's Review:

More than 80 acres of sweeping green lawns, groves of indigenous and exotic trees, duck ponds, greenhouses, and some 45,124 types of plants—many of them in bloom—grace these gardens. The elegant property, which attracts strollers and botany enthusiasts from all over the country, is a far cry today from what it once was: a failed attempt by convicts of the First Fleet to establish a farm. Though their early attempts at agriculture were disastrous, the efforts of these first settlers are acknowledged in the Pioneer Garden, a sunken garden built in their memory.

Among the many other feature gardens on the property are the Palm Grove—home to some of the oldest trees in Sydney, the Begonia Garden, and the Rare and Threatened Plants Garden. Not to be missed is a cutting from the famous Wollemi Pine, a plant thought to be extinct until it was discovered in a secluded gully in the Wollemi National Park in the Blue Mountains in 1994. Plants throughout the gardens have various blooming cycles, so no matter what time of year you visit, there are sure to be plenty of flowers. The gardens include striking sculptures and hundreds of species of birds (along with a large colony of flying foxes, also known as fruit bats). There are spectacular views over the harbor and the Opera House from the two lovely restaurants.

Tours leave from the visitor center, near the Art Gallery of New South Wales. There are also maps available for a variety of themed, self-guided walks.

Cost: Free
Open: Royal Botanic Gardens daily dawn-dusk; tours at 10:30 AM

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Member Reviews and Ratings

Reviewed by drkenrich from Los Angeles, CA on 4/6/07
Since this is right next to the Opera House, you can't really miss it. Going through it is another matter. There is a lot of walking along a series of asphalt paths to see many trees and lots of plants, but unless you're really interested in botany the best parts are the restaurant and the Art Museum of New South Wales that are enclosed there.
I went to the Chinese Garden and got a lot more out of it in a shorter and easier time.
Dr. Ken Rich