A Guide To The Royal Botanical Gardens Hobart

One of the best things to do in Hobart is to visit the Royal Botanical Gardens. I spent two nights in Hobart at the end of my eight-day Tasmanian road trip and visited the gardens during their 200th anniversary celebration - superb timing!

There are more than 140 botanical gardens in Australia, and these are among the oldest. The Botanic Gardens in Hobart were established in the early 19th century and opened just two years after the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney.

The 14-hectare site boasts a beautiful natural environment, featuring numerous trees and plants that date back to the 1800s.

Tranquil pathways weave their way to strategically placed seating areas, allowing visitors to view, rest and immerse themselves in this oasis of calm.

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Hobart Botanical Gardens Opening Hours

8 am to 5 pm, April to September

8 am to 6.30 pm October to March

The gardens are free to enter, but a small donation is appreciated if you need a Hobart Botanical Gardens map.

Hobart Botanical Garden Tours

Hobart's botanical garden tours run daily at 11 am, providing visitors with an insight into the creation and maintenance of one of the world's most beautiful botanical gardens.

How to Get To Tasmania's Royal Botanic Gardens

The gardens are not too far from the centre of Hobart. You can walk to them through the queen's domain in about 30 minutes.

Hobart Botanical Gardens parking is available in Lower Domain Road for the main gate and Domain Highway for the lower entrance.

You can get to the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens by bus if you prefer public transport. These lines and routes have stops nearby, including 502, 615, 625, 722, and 732. 

Alternatively, you can take the Hobart hop-on-hop-off sightseeing tour bus, which stops outside the main gate. What could be easier?

Hobart's Botanical Garden Areas

Pick up a map at the main entrance, and you can enjoy a self-guided tour of the different garden areas.

Gatekeepers Cottage

I loved the whimsical statue of the head gatekeeper by the entrance to this charming cottage. Visitors can step inside and discover the story behind the Gatekeeper's cottage. Back outside, the numerous shrubs and flowers planted around the borders make for a charming area.

Lily Pond

The main focal point in the gardens is the tranquil lily pond. With a beautiful decking area built out over the water, visitors can get close to the water and the ducks! A white bridge leads across a tiny stream, and plants with huge leaves shade you from the glaring sun.

Native Plant Collection and Fernery

Make your way around this area of the gardens, and you'll feel as though you've stepped into a rainforest. Look out for the tall, lush ferns and iconic Tasmanian Huon pine trees, Australia's oldest living tree species, that tower above you as you wander along the pathways. It's a great area, and I loved discovering plants I had never seen before.

Anniversary Arch

An unusual feature in the botanical garden is the Anniversary Arch, celebrating 150 years since the garden's opening.

Floral Clock

A myriad of brightly coloured flowers make up the floral clock's super cool design, which sits close to the anniversary arch.

Japanese Garden

My favourite area was the beautiful Japanese garden, with its traditional red bridge. The Feng Shui plantings, representing water, wood, and stone, made this area feel calm and tranquil.

Japanese maples, bonsai and bamboo plants have found their home around a central pond, where Japanese koi carp glide gracefully through the water. A walkway across the pond leading to small cascading water features adds a mystical vibe to the setting, and I loved it.

French Explorers Garden

I didn't expect to find a garden area dedicated to a country thousands of miles away, but here it was in Tasmania.

Plants found in Tasmania by 18th-century French plant hunters share this space with the structure of the bow and sails of an early French sailing ship. Beautifully crafted from Huon pine, it marks the bicentenary of the first French voyages of discovery to Tasmania.

Sub-Antarctic Plant House

An area that stood out for me was the Sub-Antarctic Plant House, where you can learn about the plants that grow in this region. It was fascinating as I wouldn't have thought any plants could survive in these harsh temperatures, but they do!

As you step into the plant house, you encounter icy fog and hear noises that mimic the environments of sub-Antarctic islands in the high southern latitudes. Please make sure to wear a jumper, as it's cold inside.

Food and drink at Hobart Botanical Gardens

Abundance Food Van offers a variety of light bites, including sandwiches and hot drinks. It is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Nearby is the Hobart Botanical Gardens shop, where you can pick up a souvenir to take home - I bought some earrings and a bookmark to remind me of my visit.

Weather warning note:

I had a fabulous time exploring the Hobart Botanical Gardens, but I spent too long in the Australian sun and guess what - I ended up with sunstroke!

That night was awful as I was very ill. Knowing I had to return the hire car the next day and catch a flight to Sydney to continue my 6-week Australia road trip did not help my recovery, but I'm happy to say I made it thanks to the constant care my son showered on me (I knew I had brought him on this trip for a reason!)

Please remember that the ozone layer is thinner in Australia, and the sun's rays are more intense and potentially dangerous. It's not the same sun I am used to in England!

Be aware of how long you are in the sun, wear a sun hat, and drink gallons of water. Please don't end up like me!

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