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The city of Sydney, founded by Governor Phillip and the First Fleet on the shores of Sydney Harbour in 1788, has grown from a convict settlement to a city of nearly three million people. It has expanded to cover the country around Botany Bay.

Remarkably some areas of natural bushland have survived, mainly where the rocky foreshores were set aside for defence purposes in the 19th century, or were too difficult to access for suburban housing. Two hundred years after Banks and Solander first saw them, you can still see the descendants of many of those plant species in the small bushland reserves around the Bay, though others have disappeared as their habitat has been destroyed by Sydney's continuing urban and industrial expansion.

We have highlighted the main natural areas of Botany Bay and their connections with its botanical exploration. For those who wish to explore the botany of Botany Bay through the natural landscape and its plants, these areas are worth a visit. Most are now part of Botany Bay National Park.

See the Botany Bay National Park website for more information about visiting the area.

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Botanic Gardens Trust, Sydney, Australia

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