Macquarie Precinct - a gateway, visitor centre and tree-top walkway

A visionary entrance into the Royal Botanic Gardens - where the community celebrates life

Significance of the Macquarie Precinct Project

Visitors will appreciate the sense of arrival, being drawn into the beauty and wonders of the Gardens, vistas to the Harbour and the ability to easily navigate new ways to effectively explore the Gardens.

Australia’s oldest scientific institution and internationally loved Royal Botanic Gardens celebrates its Bicentenary in 2016. To commemorate this achievement, it is planned to remodel the Macquarie Precinct - the area near the intersection of Macquarie and Bent Streets opposite the State Library - to facilitate visitor access into the Gardens and improve facilities and the visitor experience.

New landscaping in the Macquarie Precinct will open up vistas within the Gardens; provide better views and site lines to key features e.g. Pioneers Garden, Phillip Fountain, Tropical Centre, Sydney Harbour, Palace Rose Garden; enhance existing natural and built features; and better connect the Gardens to the City and the Domain.

We will seek design, landscaping and planting ideas from leading Australian architects and artists through a competition.

Key Features

The style of the gate will be ‘sympathetic’ to the existing fabric of the Gardens landscapes and adjacent buildings (both heritage and modern) and be a statement for the future. Remodelling of the Precinct would most likely involve new features integrated with key existing heritage features eg gates, fountains, pathways, theme gardens and view of and through the Royal Botanic Gardens.

The entrance will ideally provide strong linkages to the City of Sydney, to adjacent civic buildings on Macquarie Street and the north-west part of the Domain Phillip Precinct and Shakespeare Place.

Development of heritage is a cultural obligation as well as part of our commitment to excellence. This project is only possible with external funding. The NSW Government provides 60% of the Trust budget and support via the Foundation is critical to such new acquisitions.

Users

All residents and visitors to Sydney entering the Royal Botanic Gardens from the city.

Benefactors are valued and recognised

Benefactors will be recognised on local signage, in Foundation Fellowship listing and publications, Trust website and other documentation. The Botanic Gardens may consider naming rights should an appropriate donation be made.

Philanthropy

We are seeking $97,000 to undertake the design competition and will then seek significant further support to deliver the winning concept.

gate

Gates

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