The Auburn Botanic Gardens are an oasis of both natural and man-made beauty in the middle of suburban Sydney. Featuring an array of unique landscapes and experiences there are plenty of good reasons to visit this attractive garden.
Discover an oasis in suburban Sydney
This stunning garden features traditional Japanese landscaping and includes a large lake with waterfall and Koi carp, beautiful decorative bridges, ornamental trees and flowers. When it is not too crowded this garden is so serene that you can feel yourself relax in the tranquil surroundings.
Beautiful and tranquil - the Japanese Garden
In the Japanese Garden, you can explore numerous paths around the central lake, cross the bright red bridges or take the more adventurous route across the stepping stones in the water. Ducks, geese and peacocks wander freely around.
An adventurous route across the lake
Young children will enjoy taking a peek through the windows of the traditional tea house for a unique perspective of the lake. Visitors can enjoy the beautiful ornamental trees and flowering azaleas and from mid-August to early September the cherry blossoms make a rare appearance and the gardens hold their annual Cherry Blossom Festival.
Beautiful cherry blossoms make an appearance mid-late August each year
Get up close to some Australian native fauna such as kangaroos, wallabies, emus and wombats. The Auburn Fauna Reserve is a small area located within the Botanic Gardens. It features elevated boardwalks which allow for easy viewing of the animals as well as pram and wheelchair access.
Easy viewing in the Fauna Reserve
I saw a number of kangaroos, wallabies and some very curious emus on my visit. There is also a wombat enclosure, however, the wombat did not make an appearance while I was there. There are also numerous peacocks wandering throughout the fauna reserve. The Fauna Reserve is open from 9am - 4pm and on the weekends you can see the animals being fed at 10am and 2pm.
Take a walk through the Australian Rainforest
Take a stroll around the billabong
Located behind the Fauna Reserve and amphitheatre is the Billabong and Australian Rainforest area. This area features native plants and trees around a scenic billabong. There are paved paths and a few bush tracks to discover as you walk around and a grassed area near the billabong to relax on.
On the rainforest walk
Enjoy a birds-eye view of the garden
Within the Botanic Gardens, you will see many animals wandering around the paths and in the garden beds such as Peacocks, Cape Barren Geese, Domestic Geese and Ducks. You will probably also see native birds within the gardens.
See what's new in the Street Library
Find something new to read at the Street Library
Located at the entrance to the Fauna Reserve is a community Street Library. Anyone is welcome and encouraged to take a book and leave a book and share the joy of reading.
Explore the Playground
Plenty of fun for young children in the playground
For younger children, there is an Equal Access Playground located at the end of the Avenue of Remembrance. It contains swings, slippery dips, footbridges, tunnels and a small maze. There is also a liberty swing that can be used by children in a wheelchair.
Photo Opportunities
There are so many fantastic photo opportunities right here in the one location - unique landscapes, flowers, plants and animals - to practice your photography skills on.
Plenty of inspiration for the budding photographer here
The Auburn Botanic Gardens host a number of events throughout the year including the popular Cherry Blossom Festival in mid to late August. Check the
Facebook page for further details.
There are also a number of other features worth a look such as the Scented Garden, Rose Garden (best during October and November) and the Reflection Pool.
Entry to Auburn Botanic Gardens is free for Auburn residents and children under 16 years of age. For non-residents, it is free on weekdays (during school terms) and only $4 on the weekend or during the school holidays. During Festival periods the cost of entry is $5.
To view a map of the Auburn Botanic Gardens please
click here.
The Auburn Botanic Gardens are located on the corner of Chiswick and Chisholm Roads, Auburn. For further information about the gardens check on the
website here or
Facebook page here.
