The Gardens are ideal for a relaxed visit, but if you’ve got limited time, a shorter stay is very rewarding. You can even tailor your walk around to suit your personal interests, especially if you plan ahead with the Gardens map.
At 14 hectares the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens are easily
viewed over the course of a relaxed day. If your time is limited,
you can tailor your walk to encompass your personal interests.
Heritage: For instance, if you want to take in the Garden’s most signicant trees and heritage landscapes, the walks above the Lily Pond (4) are rewarding and can be coupled with a visit to other elements of our built heritage, the Friend’s Cottage (27) and two remarkable convict-built walls, named after Governors Arthur (29) and Eardley-Wilmot (39).
Tasmanian Flora: If you’d like to learn more about Tasmanian Plants, walk through the Tasmanian Section (3) then take a look at our Fern House (21) which focuses on Tasmanian ferns). Visit the Greater Hobart Garden (2) to look at our local flora, and add the Subantarctic House (7) to experience the closely related plants of wind-blown Macquarie Island, halfway between here and the Antarctic.
Horticultural Displays: The Gardens major horticultural displays are wonderful in all seasons. Start with the herbaceous plantings around the Friend’s Cottage (27) and the Lily Pond (4) and then take
in the Friend’s Mixed Border (10) which extends along the
length of the Eardley-Wilmot Wall (39). The Conservatory (8)
and its surrounding beds of annuals house colourful,
ever-changing displays.
Asia & Pacific Plants: A visit to three unique country of origin plantings makes for an interesting walk. The Chinese Collection (5) focuses on plants collected in the wild in the Yunnan Province of China. The New Zealand Collection (20) is one of the Gardens older plantings and the
Japanese Garden (12) is a favourite with visitors.
Shop and Eat: The Gardens Visitor Centre (1) is home to our Gardens Shop, as well as the brilliantly sited Gardens Restaurant. The Centre also houses selected displays and exhibitions year round.
The Restaurant is a perfect place to relax and take in vistas of the Gardens and the River Derwent while enjoying a meal.
Donations: The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens are a not-for-profit organization. Your donation is valuable, and contributes in multiple ways to furthering our mission to inspire, celebrate and champion biodiversity, and deliver science-based plant conservation across Tasmania and to the world.
(map of RTBG, with numerical code)
We offer an informative and engaging range of gardening workshops, run by our expert horticulturalists, for all levels of experience.
Come and learn how to build a hot compost, develop a no-dig garden or how to propagate professionally.
Visit here for more information and how to book.