Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney
Entrance to the Royal Botanic Garden from Art Gallery Road
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Type	Botanical garden
Location	The Domain, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia ()
Area	30 hectares (74 acres)
Created	1816
Founder	Governor Lachlan Macquarie
Operated by	Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust trading as the Botanic Gardens and Centennial Parklands
Visitors	3,544,344 (in 2016)
Open	October: 7.00am–7:30pm November to February: 7.00am–8.00pm March: 7.00am–6.30pm April and September: 7.00am–6.00pm May and August: 7.00am–5.30pm June and July: 7.00am–5.00pm
Status	Open all year
Public transit access	: /:St James or : Martin Place : Circular Quay : Routes #441; #200; Big Bus Sydney : Circular Quay or QVB

New South Wales Heritage Register
Official name	Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain; Tarpeian Way; Botanical Gardens
Type	State heritage (landscape)
Designated	2 April 1999
Reference no.	1070
Type	Garden Botanic
Category	Parks, Gardens and Trees
Builders	Charles Fraser; Allan Cunningham; Richard Cunningham; Charles Moore; Joseph Maiden; Carrick Chambers

The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney is a famous garden in Sydney, Australia. It covers about 30 hectares (74 acres) and is a great place for events and public fun. You can find it right next to Farm Cove, near the city center.

This garden opened in 1816. It is the oldest scientific place in Australia. It is also one of the most important historic plant gardens in the world. Many people helped design and build it over the years. These include Charles Moore and Joseph Maiden. The garden is owned by the government of New South Wales. It is managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust. The garden and the nearby Domain were added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register in 1999.

The Garden and The Domain are open every day, and it's free to enter. Its amazing location on Sydney Harbour, near the Sydney Opera House, makes it very popular. It is one of the most visited places in Sydney.

Where is the Garden Located?
How the Garden Started and Grew
Who Manages the Gardens?
Garden Layout and Cool Features
Daniel Solander Library
Flying Foxes in the Garden
Images for kids
See also

Where is the Garden Located?

The Royal Botanic Garden is just southeast of the Sydney Opera House. It curves around Farm Cove. The garden covers 30 hectares. It is surrounded by the Cahill Expressway to the south and west. Art Gallery Road is to the east, and Sydney Harbour is to the north.

How the Garden Started and Grew

The first farm by European settlers in Australia was at Farm Cove in 1788. Governor Phillip started it. Even though that farm didn't work out, the land has been used for growing plants ever since. People found ways to make the soil better.

Governor Macquarie founded the Botanic Gardens in 1816. It was part of the Governor's Domain. Australia's long history of studying plants began in 1817. That's when the first Colonial Botanist, Charles Fraser, was appointed. This makes the Botanic Gardens the oldest scientific place in Australia. It has always been important for bringing plants from other parts of the world.

After several botanists and leaders, John Carne Bidwill became the first Director in 1847.

Charles Moore's Impact

Charles Moore

The next Director was Charles Moore (1820-1905). He was from Scotland and trained in Dublin. Moore was Director for 48 years, from 1848 to 1896. He did a lot to make the Botanic Gardens what they are today. He worked hard to fix problems like poor soil and not enough water.

The Palm Grove in the middle of the Garden shows his skill. He also helped create new land behind the Farm Cove seawall. This made the Garden much bigger. Moore also helped write a book about the plants of New South Wales. This showed the Garden was a key place for plant science.

The Garden's Old Zoo

The Botanic Garden used to have a zoo! It was Sydney's first zoo. It operated in the Gardens from 1862 to 1883. Most of the animals then moved to Moore Park. During these years, many native trees in the Domain were removed. New parkland was planted. The huge Moreton Bay Figs you see today were part of this planting.

The Grand Garden Palace

The Garden Palace

After the fire - The Garden Palace

In 1879, a large area of the Domain was used for the Garden Exhibition Palace. This building was amazing, with towers and a huge dome. The International Exhibition held there brought over a million visitors. Sadly, the building burned down in 1882. The land, now called the Palace Garden, was added to the Botanic Gardens.

Joseph Henry Maiden's Contributions

Royal Botanic Garden around 1908

Joseph Henry Maiden took over after Moore. He was Director for 28 years. He added a lot to the Garden's growing landscape. He built a new herbarium building in 1901. This building is now part of the Anderson Building. He also made big improvements to the Domain.

However, the Garden lost staff during World War I. In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, the Director's job was even removed. Both the plant collections and the Herbarium struggled.

After 1945

After 1945, Robert Anderson worked to bring the two parts of the Garden back together. In 1959, the Garden was given the title 'Royal'. The Herbarium and Royal Botanic Garden were joined again. They were called the Royal Botanic Garden. Knowles Mair (1965–70) finished this work. The Royal Botanic Garden started to become famous again.

Dr. John Beard (1970–72) and Dr. Lawrence Johnson (1972–85) helped the organization grow more. The Robert Brown Building opened in 1982 for the Herbarium. Many new activities started. These included groups like the Friends of the Royal Botanic Garden. Educational programs and scientific journals also began.

New gardens opened to the public after Professor Carrick Chambers became Director in 1986. These included the Mount Tomah Botanic Garden (1987) and the Mount Annan Botanic Garden (1988). The Tropical Centre glasshouses also got bigger in 1990. The Royal Botanic Gardens celebrated its 175th birthday in 1991. During Professor Chambers' time, new areas like the Rose Garden (1988) and the Fernery (1993) opened. The Herb Garden (1994) and the Oriental Garden (1997) also opened. The Rare and Threatened Species Garden (1998) was started.

New Management (2014)

In 2014, it was announced that the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney would be managed by a new group. This group is called the Botanic Gardens & Centennial Parklands.

Who Manages the Gardens?

The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust is in charge of the gardens. This trust was created in 1980 by a law in New South Wales. The trust also looks after the nearby Domain. It manages the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan and the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah. The trust sets the rules, but the staff of 'Botanic Gardens & Centennial Parklands' run the Garden every day.

Garden Layout and Cool Features

The Garden covers 30 hectares. It is shaped like a big natural amphitheater. It slopes down towards Farm Cove, like a stage. The Garden has four main areas: the Lower Gardens, the Middle Gardens, the Palace Gardens, and the Bennelong precinct. Inside these areas are many smaller gardens and open grassy spots. In the middle of the Garden is the Palm Grove Centre. Here you can find a restaurant, a cafe, a visitor center, and a bookshop.

A very special part of the Garden is the old sandstone seawall. It was built by hand. It curves around Farm Cove, from Mrs Macquarie's Point to the Opera House. This wall separates the garden from the harbor. It's a great spot for visitors, joggers, and photographers.

The Garden around & behind Farm Cove
Farm Cove
The Garden from Mrs Macquarie's Point

Lower Gardens

The Lower Gardens have the Band Lawn and the main Ponds. You can also see the HSBC Oriental Garden here. Other features include the Yurong, Victoria Lodge, Henry Lawson Gates, and the Maiden Pavilion.

The lower gardens
The lower gardens
Replica Choragic Monument of Lysicrates
The main ponds in winter
The main ponds in winter
Main ponds looking towards the city
The Band Lawn
The ponds in summer, full of water plants
Glimpses of the harbour
Picnic lawns
Writings in bamboo plant at Royal Botanic Garden, Circular Quay, Sydney

Middle Gardens

In the Middle Gardens, you'll find the Palm House. There's also the famous Wollemi Pine. Other areas include the Succulent Garden and the Rare and Threatened Plant Garden. The Herbarium & Plant Sciences Building is here. You can also see the Lion Gate Lodge, the Begonia Garden, and the Macquarie Wall and Spring Walk.

Palace Gardens

The Palace Gardens feature the Tropical Centre. This area is currently closed for updates. You can walk along the Rainforest Walk. There's also the Pioner Garden and the Morshead Fountain Gate. Don't miss the Palace Garden Gate, the Rose Garden & Pavilion, and the Turf Plots. The Old Mill Garden and the Herb Garden are also here. The Sydney Conservatorium of Music is nestled in this area.

The Old Mill Garden looking towards the Rose Garden
The Rose Garden
The Tropical Centre pyramid
Inside the Tropical Centre
Inside the Tropical Centre
Inside the Tropical Centre

Calyx glass house and function centre in the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney

Bennelong Precinct

The Bennelong Precinct has Government House. It also includes the Parade Ground and the Australian Native Rockery. You can relax on Bennelong Lawn. The Queen Elizabeth II Gate is also in this area.

Queen Elizabeth II Gate and seawall path immediately behind the Opera House
Open lawns in the Bennelong Precinct
Gateway to Government House
Government House gardens
The Opera House through the Government House gardens
The Conservatorium of Music nestled in the Garden

Palm Grove Centre

The Palm Grove Centre has the beautiful Palm Grove. It also features a Cafe, a Garden Shop, and the Botanic Gardens Restaurant.

Cafe and Restaurant
Cafe and Restaurant
The Palm Grove
The Palm Grove
The Garden Shop
Typical vegetation in the Palm Grove

Daniel Solander Library

The library at the Royal Botanic Gardens started in 1852. It is named after Daniel Solander (1733 - 1782). He was a student of Linnaeus, a famous scientist. Solander worked at the British Museum. In 1768, he joined Joseph Banks on James Cook's first trip to the Pacific. When they returned, he became Banks' botanist and librarian.

This library is the oldest plant research library in Australia. It has many books about gardening, plants, and how to classify them. It is inside the National Herbarium of New South Wales. The Herbarium has over 1.2 million plant samples. Some of these were collected by Banks and Solander on Cook's voyage.

Flying Foxes in the Garden

Flying Foxes at the Botanic Gardens

For many years, the Royal Botanic Gardens was home to a large group of native Grey-headed Flying Foxes. These are a big type of fruit bat. Sometimes, there were over 20,000 of them! They caused a lot of damage to the trees where they rested. Especially around the Palm Grove Centre, many old trees were killed or badly hurt.

In May 2010, the trust announced a plan to make the bats leave. They used very loud noises to scare them away. This plan was delayed for several years by a court case. An animal welfare group challenged it. But in June 2012, the trust finally got approval to go ahead. By June 2013, all the bats had left the Garden. The damaged trees started to get better.

Interestingly, many of these bats moved to a natural bushland area. This area was on the north coast of New South Wales. It was planned to be destroyed for a highway upgrade. The destruction of this forest became a big public issue in 2014. Building the road was delayed while the government checked the environmental impact.