Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens are as much about the spectacular location as the wonderful selection of plants and both provide a rich reward for visitors.

These, the oldest botanic gardens in Australia, are situated on the shores of Sydney Harbour and from almost anywhere in the garden there are wonderful views of the water including the classic view of the Opera House with the Harbour Bridge behind.

First established in 1816 on land of the Cadigal peoples, the gardens now cover 30 hectares and contain more than a million specimens.   But it's a place of science as much as leisure parklands, housing the headquarters of the Australian Institute of Botanical Science, the Australian Plantbank, The National Herbarium of NSW and the Daniel Solander Library.

For plant nerds this is a rare treat with so much to explore and so many different types of plants to see including :-

Ancient Ferns, Mosses and Cycads in the Fernery and Shade House including the giant Angiopteris evecta with fronds that can grow up to 6metres long.

Bamboo groves, redolent of tropical climes, best on a windy day when they knock against each other and play jungle tunes.

Australian Natives have their own dedicated beds down by the Opera House Gate and include many delightful flowering plants like Callistemon, Banksia and Grevilleas.

South African plants - so many to see including the spectacular plantings of Clivia miniata and Agapanthus praecox, to name but two of a rich palette of colourful and amazing plants.

Bromeliads and rainforest plants: There are some large plantings of bromeliads of all sizes from the giant Alcantarea imperialis down to the soft and spidery Tilandisa usenoides or ‘Old Man’s Beard'.

Water Lilies and Lotus grow easily in Sydney's climate and summer provides a visual feast of these extotic and delicately beautiful plants.

Giant Figs and many other Heritage Trees are scattered throughout with some still thriving from the very first plantings over 200 years ago.

Cactii and succulents have their own dedicated space featuring a large and diverse collection including the world's ugliest plant the Cereus uruguayanus and the most elegantly attractive cactus, Echinocactus grusonii or the golden Barrel Cactus.

The Rose Garden provides proof that it is possible to grow roses in Sydney's humid summer climate - thanks to the skills and dedication of the resident horticulturalists.  specimens include, species roses, old garden roses and many modern hybrids.

The Herb Garden boasts a good selection of new and old world medicinal plants, but the key attraction is the pergola which is just beautiful, a real work of art.

No list is long enough to cover all the botanical delights to be found here, but many visitors just come to wander at will, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere right in the centre of one of the world's great cities.  

Vast sweeping lawns, pretty flower beds, watercourses, ponds and plenty of large shady trees, make Sydney's Botanic Gardens one of the city's primary attractions.

There are many other visitor amenities like the Calyx with some large scale vertical garden displays, a shop and cafe.  There are also plenty of catering options including the very good Palm Grove cafe with the Luke Nguyen ‘Botanic House’ restaurant above.  Other options allow visitors to choose from a wide array of food styles and to access take-aways for their own picnic on these delightful grounds.

Free guided walks depart from the Palm Grove Centre daily (not public holidays) at 10.30am and take approximately one and a half hours.  And for those who don't feel like walking there is a hop-on hop-off train which runs every 30mins.

There are acres of large, grassy areas and shade to make it a wonderful place to picnic and escape the noise of the city.

Without a doubt, the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney are one of the great botanic gardens of the world and an excellent inner city park to stoll, picnic and relax in.