Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney

The Royal Botanic Garden is a 30-hectare heritage-listed botanical garden on Sydney Harbour, at Farm Cove on the eastern edge of the city center. Opened in 1816, it is the oldest scientific institution in Australia. You can see the Sydney Opera House from the garden, and it is bordered by the Cahill Expressway, Macquarie Street, Art Gallery Road, and Sydney Harbour.

Don't miss

• The Palm Grove at the heart of the garden, planted under director Charles Moore
• The sea wall and reclaimed land behind Farm Cove, built with stone from the demolished Old Government House
• A Moreton Bay fig tree avenue planted in 1847
• The Palm House glasshouse, built in 1876 in the Middle Garden
• The statue of a huntsman with dogs by Henri Alfred Jacquemart, near where the East India Company windmill once stood

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney

Cheapest way inSydney Harbour Sightseeing Highlights Cruise4.4★ · 177 travelers~1 hourFree cancellationFrom$26 per personSee dates →Most bookedSydney Opera House Official Guided Walking Tour4.7★ · 4,135 travelers~1 hourFree cancellationFrom$36 per personSee dates →Top ratedSydney Harbour Scenic Helicopter Flight4.8★ · 680 travelers20 minutesFrom$192 per personSee dates →

Know before you go

• The garden is open every day of the year and entry is free.
• It is located at Farm Cove on the eastern fringe of the Sydney central business district.
• The garden is bordered by the Cahill Expressway, Macquarie Street, Art Gallery Road, and Sydney Harbour.

A bit of history

The site was the first farm by European settlers in Australia, established in 1788 by Governor Arthur Phillip. Though that farm failed, the land has been in constant cultivation since. The Botanic Garden was founded here by Governor Macquarie in 1816. Charles Moore, director from 1848 to 1896, did much to develop the gardens in their modern form, including building the sea wall and reclaiming tidal flats. The garden was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.