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Daily 7am-sunset; free. Guided tours daily 10.30am, 1hr-1hr 30min. Circular Quay or Martin Place CityRail. The Royal Botanic Gardens , established in 1816, occupy a huge waterfront area between The Domain and the Opera House, around the headland on Farm Cove where the first white settlers struggled to grow vegetables for the hungry colony. Today's gardeners are much more successful, judging by the well-tended flower beds. Duckponds, a romantic rose garden and fragrant herb garden strike a very English air, but as dusk falls fruit bats fly overhead and nocturnal possums begin to stir (you can also see hundreds of the giant bats hanging by day in the Palm Grove area near the restaurant). There are examples of trees and plants from all over the world, although it's the huge, gnarled native Moreton Bay figs that stand out. The gardens provide some of the most stunning views of Sydney Harbour and are always crowded with workers at lunch time, picnickers on fine weekends, and lovers entwined beneath the trees. Many paths run through the gardens. A popular and speedy route is to start at the northern gates near the Opera House and stroll along the waterfront path to the gates which separate it from The Domain, through here and up the Fleet Steps to Mrs Macquaries Chair . In the north of the park, you can visit the original residence of the governor of NSW, and listen to lunchtime recitals at the nearby Conservatorium. Below the music school, the remaining southern area of the gardens has a Herb Garden, a cooling Palm Grove established in the 1860s, a popular cafe/restaurant by the duckponds, and the Sydney Tropical Centre (daily 10am-4pm; $2.20 ) - a striking glass pyramid and adjacent glass arc respectively housing native tropical plants and exotics. At the southeast entrance, off Mrs Macquarie's Road, free guided tours of the gardens commence from the visitors centre (daily 9.30am-4.30pm). A trackless train picks up from here and near the Opera House, and runs through the gardens daily (9am-5pm, summer until 6pm; every 20min; all-day hop-on hop-off service $10, child $5).
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