Australia's Most Wonderful Botanical Gardens

Discover the beauty of Australia’s diverse plants as well as ‘guests’ from around the world amongst the beautifully maintained flora and fauna of the Adelaide Botanic Garden. The 51-hectare public garden, lying at the north-east side of Adelaide city centre, was influenced by the iconic Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England and Versailles in France. Opened in 1857, this garden boasts an array of architecture and grounds, including: a Victorian glasshouse from Germany 1875, a National Rose Trial Garden – the first of it’s kind in the country, where roses are tested in the climates of Australia for suitability – and a Garden of Health that encourages you to explore the power of plants to heal not only your body but your mind and soul too.

Monday to Friday 7.30AM – 6PM, Saturday & Sunday 9AM – 6PM

There’s much more to the desert than what meets the eye. At Alice Springs Desert Park you can discover the hidden secrets of the surrounding deserts, and the ‘interlinking world of plants, animals and Aboriginal culture’. Culturally important to the local Arrernte people, this park is home to many birds of prey and both rare and endangered animals roaming across the 52-hectares. Consisting of only those animals and plants that are native to the central Australian desert environments, this park is a prime environment education facility in the Northern Territory.

Monday to Sunday 7.30AM – 6PM

With a living collection of over 74,000 individual plants and over 6,300 species on display, the Australian National Botanic Gardens is the ‘only place in the world you will see this diversity of Australian native plants in one place’. Located in Canberra, at the base of Black Mountain, the gardens are influenced with the notion of inspiring and informing people of the diversity of Australian flora. Although there is much to explore here, a walk along the wooden boardwalks through the mist-filled valley of rainforests is one of the most lush experiences here.

Monday to Sunday 8.30AM – 5PM

Inverawe Native Gardens, TAS

Over 8 hectares of landscaped native gardens makes Inverawe Native Gardens the largest in Tasmania. Ideal for bird watching with stunning views across the surrounding areas, the garden is a slice of paradise with secret spaces where the plants bloom year round, sculptures that will undoubtedly brighten your day and a sustainable patch of unique native plants.

September to May: Monday to Sunday 9AM – 6PM

July to August: by appointment only

Inverawe Native Gardens, 1565 Channel Hwy, Margate TAS, Australia

Inverawe Native Gardens | Courtesy of Tourism Australia © Bill Chestnut

Take a walk on the wild side, well at least through the stunning wildflowers at Kings Park and the Botanic Gardens. From taking a walk through the treetops, to relaxing in the tranquil surroundings of the Western Australian Botanic Garden, this park is home to ‘half of Australia’s 25,000 plant species, most of which are found nowhere else on earth’. With sweeping views across the city centre and the iconic Swan River, this park is free to enter and open all day, every day, unlike most other botanic gardens. Located atop Mount Eliza, the entire park holds a rich cultural, and strong Nyoongar, heritage unlike any other in the country.

Maleny Botanic Gardens, Qld

For a spectacular view across the Glasshouse Mountains, complimented by the tranquil waterfalls and lush rainforests, a journey through the Maleny Botanic Gardens is one to remember. Although the gardens currently only cover over 5-hectares, it is continuously expanding across the 44-hectare land. A magical journey through the gardens will force you to take in the aromas of the roses, azaleas and some of the rarest cycads in the world. Originating as a vision by South African-born Frank Shipp, the gardens have established themselves to becoming home of around 4,000 varieties of orchids.

Monday to Sunday 9AM – 4.30PM

233 Maleny Stanley River Rd, Maleny QLD

Glass House Mountains from Maleny Botanic Gardens | © Andy Hay / Flickr

The Australian Garden, Cranbourne, Vic

The award-winning Australian Garden in Cranbourne features 25 hectares of inspiring gardens surrounded by a natural bushland. International landscaper Kat Culltiy created this whimsical garden to inspire visitors to immerse themselves into a field where art meets nature. The dramatic colours that combine the arid inland landscapes of central Australia with the rivers and river beds is shared with an abundance of wildlife. However, it is the striking Red Sand Garden that truly brings the vibrant colours of the country into one place, with flora and landscapes, art and architecture.

Monday to Sunday 9AM – 5PM

Cranbourne Gardens, Enter via cnr Ballarto Road and Botanic Drive, Cranbourne VIC, Australia

Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne | Courtesy of Visions of Victoria

The Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, NSW

Now we all know the the Blue Mountains are one of the most breathtaking ranges in Australia, however, when you head across the sweeping mountains, 1,000m above sea level lies the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden. This public garden consists of 40,000 native, rare and exotic species, and a ‘world-class collection of plants from cooler southern hemisphere’, all within this heritage-listed region. Covering a massive 252-hectares this is the highest botanic garden in Australia and one of our favourites!

Monday to Sunday 9.30AM – 4.30PM

Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, Bells Line of Rd, Mount Tomah NSW, Australia

Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens, Blue Mountains | Courtesy of Destination NSW

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, NSW

Standing as Australia’s oldest scientific institution, the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney has become ‘one of the most important historic botanical institutions in the world’. Covering 30 hectares, this garden stands where the Garden Palace once stood for three whole years prior to destruction in the late 1800s. Forming a natural amphitheatre, the Lower, Middle and Palace Gardens, as well as the Bennelong precinct, are all to be explored no matter what season of the year.

Monday to Sunday 9AM – 5.30PM

Royal Botanic Gardens, Mrs Macquaries Rd, Sydney NSW, Australia

Royal Botanic Gardens with Sydney city buildings in background | Courtesy of Destination NSW