WE DRIVE PAST, IT IS POSSIBLE TO WALK TO THE GARDENS FROM THE CRUISE TERMINAL

Sprawling across 14 hectares of the Queens Domain, the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens are among Australia’s oldest. They were established in 1818, just two years after Sydney’s botanic gardens, and feature many trees dating back to the 19th century. The site was originally used by local Indigenous tribes, with shell middens and stone artifacts dating back more than 5,000 years discovered here. 

Today, the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens are notable for their native plantings and as home to the only Subantarctic Plant House in the world. Here, visitors can get up close to plants from subantarctic islands within an environment that recreates their naturally chilly climate. Also of note is The Patch, a working fruit and vegetable garden that regularly appears on the ABC TV series Gardening Australia.