Venue
The George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens are two kilometres north of Darwin city. The gardens cover 42 hectares and are noted for their collections of north Australian and other tropical species.
There are 2 seasonal changes in the gardens; the wet season from October to May and the dry from May to October. There are a large variety of flowers and botanical plants to enjoy, including the desert rose garden, boabs in the Africa Madagascar garden, bromeliads and tropical orchids in the Plant Display House as well as Cycads and approximately 450 species of palms.
There is also a rainforest gully with waterfalls and ponds and a boardwalk loop to view the magnificent trees and shade plants. The gardens are also home to wildlife including the Rufous owl, bush chooks birds, possums, and the occasional snake or spider; this is Australia after all!
There are several self-guided walking tours which showcase different aspects of the gardens including information on the how the local Larrakia people use native plants for traditional purposes. You can download the free Darwin Botanic Gardens app for more information on the walking tours and points of interest in the gardens.
Click here for more information
George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens map (nt.gov.au)
The George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens are about 15 minutes’ drive from the Darwin International airport and 2 km north of Darwin city.
Gilruth Ave &, Gardens Rd, The Gardens NT 0820
Participants who want to explore the local area can also visit the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Crocosaurus Cove, and Aboriginal Bush Traders located in the historic Lyons House along the esplanade. You can also check out the street art (see the app which uses augmented reality to bring the artworks to life available from the App Store (Darwin Street Art on the App Store (apple.com)), the Parap Markets, and the Darwin Festival 8-25 August.
Further afield are Litchfield National Park, a 90 drive from Darwin, the Mary River wetlands, about an hour east of Darwin and a good place to stop on your way to Jabiru and Kakadu National Park.
