Prior to the establishment of the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan in 1988, the land was part of rural holdings taken up by settlers in the early 1800s. Today the 416 acres of land has a variety of breathtaking landscapes of woodlands, grasslands and horticultural displays made up entirely of native Australian plants.
There are walking paths that take visitors through Cumberland Plain Woodland and primitive rainforests, gorgeous lakes and beautiful places to see wildlife including wild kangaroos.
The Garden celebrates unique Australian flora and also provides future opportunities for plant biodiversity and regeneration throughout New South Wales, the Southern Hemisphere and beyond. But who takes care of the living collection?
The heartbeat of the Garden
From the manicured lawns to endangered ecological communities, horticulturists are the heartbeat of the Garden. They nurture seedlings for science, prune delicate paper daisies, clear invasive vegetation that shade out native plants, rejuvenate grasslands so wallaroo habitats can thrive and so much more.
The Garden’s horticulturists cultivate plants threatened in the wild and work with researchers and scientists at the Australian PlantBank and around the world. We do all of this so that future generations can enjoy nature and become champions for conservation too.
History and horticulture
The Garden is rich with history and some stories quirkier than others. Have you heard about the canal that is the unsung hero of Sydney's West? Or that the Garden was officially opened by the Duke and Duchess of York 30 years ago?
Or take an audio adventure with me and Graham Ross to learn more about the Garden by clicking play on the Branch Out episode below.