Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
Explore nature and art in breathtaking settings amid Australia’s oldest botanic garden
10am–4pm
About the building
Established in 1816 on the site of the first European farm, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is the oldest botanic garden in Australia and the second oldest in the southern hemisphere. Governor Macquarie saw the potential for the site as the ideal place for horticulture, botany and research and set aside the land for Sydney’s botanic garden.
More than a natural masterpiece, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney features historic buildings and artist and craftspeople exhibitions. The Artisans in the Gardens exhibition is held in Victoria Lodge, a sandstone cottage designed by James Barnet and built in 1865, and Lion Gate Lodge, a picturesque Victorian cottage from 1878. The showcase of work by established and emerging artists and craftspeople has more than 3,000 pieces on display, including sculpture, ceramics, hand-blown glass, jewellery and textiles.
The Garden Gallery will feature the finalists’ exhibition of the 2025 National Emerging Art Prize in November. Founded in 2021, this prestigious prize shines a national spotlight on Australia’s most promising emerging visual and ceramic artists.
The gallery opened in 2024 following a $15 million renovation to the iconic Robert Brown Building. Built in the 1970s, the Brutalist structure was previously the home of the National Herbarium of NSW, which moved to a new state-of-the-art facility at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan. Built in 1876, the Palm House is the oldest glasshouse in NSW. Sydney Open is a rare opportunity to explore this historic treasure, flooded with natural light and nestled in a stunning garden setting. In 1912, the original structure was replaced under the direction of Government Architect George McRae, giving the Palm House its enduring Victorian character.
Visitors can also explore the abundant gardens and nurseries, and the Cadi Jam Ora Garden, a place which honours the rich culture and enduring connection of Australia’s First Nations peoples to the land.
Built
1816
Architect
Charles Moore, Joseph Maiden
Alterations
James Barnet, 1865
Find out more about this building here
Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney
Entry details
The gardens, exhibitions and the Palm House
10am–4pm
3.30pm
Need to know
Accessible featuresThere is an accessible entrance at the Woolloomooloo Accessible Gate via Access Road. Accessible toilets are available
Toilets availablePhotography allowedFood and drink availableCafe
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