Sydney❜s Best Botanic Gardens for Kids

Family
Kids

By: Carolyn Tate, 05 September 2019

We just LOVE exploring Sydney’s many beautiful gardens with our little ones. There is something so very magical about our lush landscapes that makes them the perfect setting for imaginative play and a bit of nature loving! Whether the drawcard is a fabulous onsite cafe, playground, bird watching, bike trails or a scenic view, these are our favourite gardens that are sure to delight the whole family.

Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney

Mrs Macquarie’s Road, Sydney. Open daily. Free entry.

The Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens is the perfect place for parents and bubs to picnic, lie back and watch the light dance through the foliage, or pound the pavement with the pram for some exercise in magnificent surrounds. Children will love roaming the fairyland-like surrounds and as it rambles over 30 hectares, even the most active kids will have plenty of space to explore. They also run some great school holiday activities.

Image Credit: Sydney.com

Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden

Access via through Clark Park, off Lavender St, Lavender Bay. Open daily. Free entry.

Wendy’s Garden is a magical place and truly one of Sydney’s hidden treasures. The surprisingly large garden is lush and green and has amazing harbour views. It's hard to believe that in the ’90s, this was a derelict rubbish heap! Nowadays it's a real oasis and possibly the best picnic spot in Sydney. Wendy, who transformed this space all by herself, said “Children love this garden. It sparks their imagination and they make up games and find spiders and fairies and things.”

Image Credit: Sydney.com

Auburn Botanic Gardens

Corner of Chisholm and Chiswick Roads, Auburn. Open daily. Adults $4-$5. Children and Auburn residents free entry.

Tucked away in Sydney’s Western suburbs, the Auburn Botanic Gardens are made up of 9 different parks and full of natural beauty. The highlight for the kids is the animals - you’ll see peacocks, swans and if you visit on weekends between 10 am and 2 pm, you can watch the Fauna Keeper feed the Swamp Wallabies, Red-Necked Wallabies, Eastern Grey Kangaroos, Emus and Wombats. It’s most famous for its Japanese Garden, especially when the pink cherry blossoms are in bloom from mid-August to early September.

Image Credit: National Trust

The Chinese Garden of Friendship

Darling Harbour. Open daily from 9.30 am to 5 pm excluding Good Friday and Christmas Day. $6/$3 entry fee.

The Chinese Garden Of Friendship is the perfect place for parents and bubs to relax on a picnic blanket - the peaceful environment really does seem to soothe the little ones. Toddlers, pre-schoolers and older children will love exploring the garden’s twists and turns and discovering hidden waterfalls and ponds full of fish. Have a cup of Jasmine tea at the traditional Teahouse, get a photo taken in traditional Chinese dress, or watch the fish-feeding sessions!

Image Credit: Cockle Bay Wharf

Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens

Bells Line of Road via Bilpin, Mount Tomah. Open every day but Christmas. Free entry.

The Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens is a great place to spend some quality family time away from the distractions of the city, and a sister-garden to the Sydney Botanic Gardens. There are adventures galore for kids here, from self and guided tours to a ramble around the children’s garden, and they all involve nothing but your child’s own imagination! There are different events on during the year with specific gardens blooming in different seasons. Check out Bog Gardens, the unique wetlands habitat, daffodils in the Brunet Meadow, and the interactive Laughing Children’s Garden with sculptures to climb on and learn from.

Image Credit: Australian National Botanic Gardens

Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan

Narrellan Road, Mount Annan. Open every day of the year. Free entry.

With about 2,000 kinds of plants, on over 416 hectares of lakes and rolling hills, the Mount Annan Botanic Gardens is the perfect place for adventure and exploration. Book a picnic shelter, bird watch at Lake Nadungamba, enjoy the playground, eat at the restaurant, bike ride on the 20km of paths, or just lay on your back and enjoy the serenity.

Image Credit: Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan