Royal Botanic Gardens

Description:

• This vast expanse of parkland on the eastern fringe of the CBD, and stretching down to the harbor, actually started life as a failed vegetable patch. The colony's first settlers tried growing grain and other produce, but this proved unsuccessful due to the poor soil.
  Today, the 30 hectares that make up the Royal Botanic Gardens, wrap around Farm Cove like a giant verdant picnic rug. Ponds, paths, a swimming pool, native plants, specific feature gardens (like the Palm Grove and Rainforest Walk), the Cadi Jam Ora Indigenous display, along with numerous heritage listed structures and buildings make a day out in the gardens an invigorating (or restful) experience. Other notable highlights include the Pyramid Glasshouse, Herb Garden, Fernery, and Rose Garden.
  The view west at sunset of the Opera House and Harbor Bridge from Mrs Macquarie's Chair – a peninsula named after a governor's wife – cannot be equaled. Free admission and guided walking tours daily.
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