Volunteer Guides

Volunteer guides provide valuable support. They lead walks in all three Gardens, every day of the week. Their guided walks provide a personal, structured and informative experience, enhancing visitors’ enjoyment of the three Gardens, generating goodwill and increasing community support.

Volunteer Guides also provide general orientation, on-site interpretation and administrative support in the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Our Volunteer Guides also develop new walks. At the Royal Botanic Gardens our Guides have developed a whole range of special theme walks over the years - including seasonal walks, heritage walks, rainforest walks, Shakespeare walks and a plants of the Bible walk.

Join the team

We have over a hundred Volunteer Guides at our three Gardens (approximately 85 at the Royal Botanic Gardens, 15 at Mount Tomah Botanic Garden and 10 at Mount Annan Botanic Garden).

If you are interested in becoming a Volunteer Guide please ring our Public Programs section on 9231 8134.

We are looking for people with a background in plants and with good communication skills, who enjoy walking in the three Gardens and working with people in a voluntary capacity.

The training program is intensive. Guides meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month, and training walks are conducted on the third Thursday of the month. Guides work with mentors and have to prepare a general walk and progress from helping at our Information Booth, to on-site interpretation, to conducting guided tours. Special training programs are held from time to time.

The Botanic Gardens Trust has a wide range of volunteer positions available. Find out about other types of volunteers: scientific, nursery/horticulture, bush regeneration, and Friends' volunteers.

Register your interest

Recruitment for specific programs occurs at different times of the year and any vacancies will be listed on this website as they arise. In the meantime we suggest you consider registering your interest with the Friends of The Gardens, our volunteer support organisation that is always looking for helpers.

We also invite you to consider volunteering at Macarthur Centre for Sustainable Living. Go to www.mcsl.org.au and click on 'Get Involved' it will take you directly to volunteering opportunities.