Royal Botanic Gardens

Glorious gardens with spectacular city views
Noteworthy for: Established in 1816, the Botanic Gardens are Australia's oldest scientific institution.

Talk of the town: Park officials are currently attempting to relocate thousands of destructive fruitbats who roost here by broadcasting a high-pitched noise (inaudible to humans) throughout the colony.
Accessed from the eastern side of the Opera House, the Gardens have been a fixture of Sydney life for 200 years, and are home to some 10,000 different plant species as well as a Herbarium, a Tropical Centre, a research library and numerous ornamental gardens.

Open year-round, the beautifully manicured lawns and spectacular harbour views make the Gardens a favourite picnic spot. Follow the waterfront path until you reach Mrs. Macquarie's Chair, a huge sandstone seat carved by convicts in 1810 for Governor Macquarie's wife, Elizabeth, so she could sit and watch the ships pass through Sydney Harbour.