Experience the best Royal Botanic Garden Sydney has to offer

The Cadi Jam Ora First Nations precinct at Royal Botanic Garden Sydney shares an inspiring story led by Country, culture and 65,000 years of knowing the plants and place of Gadigal Country, where land meets sea.

The stories shared arose from a deeply collaborative creative process between Gadigal Traditional Descendants, Elders and knowledge holders, and the Botanic Gardens Team, including First Nations Educators.

Across 75 metres of signage, there are many renewed stories coming from a place of responsibility for caring for Country and the reciprocal and intimate relationships with land, sky, and sea.

Spring Walk, just inside Macquarie’s Wall, is the oldest continuous horticultural display in Australia. First planted with spring-flowering shrubs under Director Charles Moore in the mid-19^th century, this walk has been delighting visitors for over 170 years. 

Here you’ll be surrounded by flowers and fragrance. In spring you can see the blooms of snapdragons, more than 20 varieties of wisteria, and ornamental peach trees. Look out for the fluffball-like flowers of the Purple Mist, as well as unusual rhododendrons and other plants you might not typically see in a Sydney garden. 

No matter what the season, this walk is always worth exploring as its collection changes throughout the year in beautiful ways.

Relax and unwind at The Calyx, where you can sip a coffee or enjoy al fresco dining before stepping into a vibrant, sensory exhibition filled with spectacular plants. 

Exhibition entry is by donation, and the moment you walk in you’ll feel wrapped in nature, as if transported deep into the forest. Inside, more than 18,000 plants are on display, including one of the southern hemisphere’s largest living green walls. 

The Calyx is a public exhibition space, but it’s also available for private hire, so it may occasionally close for events. Check the Botanic Gardens of Sydney website for closure dates.

Step into the Succulent Garden and explore a dazzling world of plants shaped by some of the driest places on Earth. 

Wander through vibrant zones featuring Africa’s colourful Aloes and spiny Euphorbias, then journey to the Americas to see striking Agaves, towering Joshua trees and giant Furcraeas—so slow to bloom they were once called “century plants.” You’ll also spot true cacti here, including the iconic Golden Barrel cactus. 

Bathed in warming sun, the garden glows with bold colours and sculptural forms. You’re invited to slow down, soak up the beauty and marvel at how these plants thrive in extreme conditions.

In the Trial Garden, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney runs annual experiments, testing new cultivars from plant breeders across the globe to understand what plants will grow best in Sydney. Over 12 months, each plant here is assessed for resilience, beauty and performance in response to real-world conditions.

You can come and see this fascinating array of plants yourself in the Trial Garden, near the Conservatorium Gate. From this work, the garden produces a guide to the year’s top performing annuals, perennials and natives that have flower power, vigour and pest resistance best suited to the Sydney climate, which is helpful information for Sydney’s plant-growers.

Harbour View Lawn is a treat not to be missed. To experience a quintessentially Sydney moment set to impress, head to the eastern side of Farm Cove where you’ll find some of the Gardens’ best views of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. 

Whether you’re with family and friends or showing off your sparkly city to visitors, there are plenty of spots along this stretch from Fleet Steps to Harbour View Lawn to pull up a patch of grass or bench with arresting views and atmosphere to boot. 

Find your favourite tree and the ideal amount of dappled shade for an afternoon you won’t soon forget. 

Explore the sensory delights of the Herb Garden – or sit and enjoy the garden view – to learn more about the many herbs used by people from many cultures and backgrounds who have made Australia home.

Not only a place of stories, scents and colour, the Herb Garden is a reflection of the changing nature of Australian society, showcasing the history and traditions of the use of herbs as food, medicine and dyestuffs.

Take a walk around the garden to learn how people from different cultures use herbs, or simply surrender to the sights and smells while you relax in the sandstone pavilion.

The Sensory Fountain will delight children of all ages and the Armillary Sphere Sundial, modelled on the many objects in the sky, offers an insight into the history of the telling of time.

The Palace Rose Garden in part of the old Palace Gardens is a romantic symphony of colour and aromas.

You’ll find the best time to visit is from September through to May, when the flowers are in full bloom – and this romantic aesthetic of roses and beautiful views is appreciated by the many couples who are making the Palace Rose Garden one of Sydney’s most popular venues for garden weddings.

Roses are planted in ‘Formal’ ‘Romantic’ and ‘Flamboyant’ themed beds, interspersed with plants that will complement the colour while increasing biodiversity and attracting beneficial insects such as lacewings and predatory ladybirds.

You’ll see how the garden’s horticulturalists and scientists have worked together to adapt to the challenges of growing roses in Sydney – the rose garden is now brimming with vibrant colour and buzzing bees.