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Results 1-10of 11 Reviews
by cjg1
New York, New York
October 11, 2011
by MagdaDH_AlexH
Perth, Scotland, United Kingdom
November 10, 2010
From journal The rest of Sydney CBD
by travelswithkids
chicago, Illinois
September 12, 2010
From journal Sydney -- One Beautiful City
by Tallulah_B
Brooklyn, New York
September 13, 2005
From journal A Taste of Sydney, Australia
by cruvers
Nannup, Australia
September 23, 2004
From journal Sydney, Australia's capital of everything except p
by kimbis
Lansing, Michigan
March 19, 2004
Don't try to rush it, it's counter to the whole point of the place. Just plan on a long, liesurely ramble around. Just passing through on my way to someplace else I managed to misplace an hour just by stopping to see one more flower, one more bird, one more scenic view, etc. There is a posted closing time of 6:00pm, although that is frequently extended for concerts and other special events.
From journal Australia 2004 - Sydney
by billmoy
Chicago, Illinois
March 8, 2004
The Royal Botanic Gardens includes the National Herbarium of New South Wales, the Sydney Tropical Centre, the Rose Garden, and the Palm Grove Centre. The latter area features a visitor center, the Gardens Shop, dining areas and public toilets. Free guided walks of the Royal Botanic Gardens start at the visitor center every morning. A "trackless train" tour operates in good weather conditions, but this tour costs a few dollars. Otherwise, feel free to wander aimlessly and enjoy a bit of nature within the urban jungle. Look around you to see the skyscrapers peering over the treetops. A walk through here is quite refreshing after a shower, as you may get the feel of a rainforest in a tropical area. Besides the multiplicity of flora, you may spot a strange bird or two tiptoeing on the lawns.
The Royal Botanic Gardens is accessible during daylight hours throughout the year. Unless there is some ticketed event, a visit here is free to most of the areas. The Domain is open all the time, though I am not sure you would want to saunter through here in the middle of the night.
Try to walk all the way to Mrs. Macquaries Point, which juts out into the water and offers some splendid views of Sydney. Look for the old rock formation nicknamed Mrs. Macquaries Chair, a spot named after the wife of the former governor who enjoyed this view but had fewer landmarks to gaze at back in the old days.
From journal Bill in Australia - SYDNEY
by Gypsy Canuck
Northern city in Ontario Canada, Ontario
January 28, 2004
From journal Sydney in 2003...
by Tim G
Toronto, Ontario
December 29, 2002
However, the gardens themselves are good but not spectacular with typically well-kept gardens, duck ponds, etc. There is a lot of open lawn, which lends itself to the place feeling like more of a pleasant park as opposed to an impressive garden. In fact, there are signs encouraging visitors to walk on and enjoy the lawns. And as refreshing as that is, you won't be as impressed by the plantlife on display as you would be at, say, Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens.
What is undeniably impressive is the abundant birdlife. Particularly at dawn and dusk. I remember watching a parakeet trying to bite the shiny metal of a drinking fountain when I was there. The palm grove is home to a large colony of fruit bats. They really become noticeable at dusk. Look out, too, for nocturnal possums.
Aside from the palm grove, points of interest are the rose garden, herb garden, Chinese gardens, as well as duck ponds. Near the duck ponds is a popular cafe as well as the Sydney Tropical Centre where you can see both native plants and exotics within its glass pyramid (cost $2.20).
There is also a visitor center (9:30am-4:30pm) in the southeast corner where where the 1.5 hour, free guided tours commence (daily 10:30am; no bookings required).
There's also a trackless train that runs through the gardens every twenty minutes (9am-5pm daily, until 6pm in the summer; $10 adult, $5 child). The main pick-up point for the train is near the Opera House. You are alowed to hop-on and hop-off as much as you like, as your pass is for the entire day.
Admission to the gardens in general is absolutely free, and the operating hours are daily from 7am-sunset.
From journal Pleasant Days In Sydney
by sharke
Crewe, United Kingdom
June 29, 2002
Every weekday lunchtime the Gardens are full of 'office joggers', the suit wearers who change into their lycra outfits for their lunchtime exercise...quite an amazing, if somewhat amusing, sight of herds of them rushing round the gardens in half an hour!
One final surprise that the Gardens have is that of the native colony of fruit bats or flying foxes as they're sometimes known. Hundreds of these beautiful animals roost in the trees during the day -- a must-see!
From journal Sydney