Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney

The Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney is located between Mrs Macquaries Point and Bennelong Point (Sydney Opera House). At its southern end it joins the Domain and Hyde park, producing a green strip of park land running from the harbor to almost the center of the city.

The Royal Botanic Gardens was originally the land of Cadigal Aboriginal people. In the late 1700's Governor Phillip used the land as his personal farm, thus the aptly named cove - between Mrs Macquaries Point and Bennelong Poit - Farm Cove. 

 

Walking into the Botanic Gardens from Sydney, one immediately notices the change in sound from the street noise, to the birds. Everywhere there are birds; and their calls are as hard to escape as car honks and crowds of the bordering metropolis.  Some of the endemic Australian birds at the garden include the White Ibis, Sulfur-crested Cockatoos and the Grey-headed Flying Foxes. 

White Ibis

Sulfur-crested Cockatoos

Grey-headed Flying Foxes

 The Grey-headed Flying Foxes are in fact bats. They sleep during the day, hanging in their coffin-like wings from the gum trees in the Garden. At dusk they awake from their slumber in a mass migration across the city and into to the coming night. I've seen this a few times, it's pretty cool. The Flying Foxes are found nowhere other than Australia. They are a threatened species of less than 50,000. 

My favorite of the birds at the garden are also the loudest. The Sulfur-crested Cockatoos amass here, bickering and squabbling amongst themselves, fighting over bits of food left by tourists. They are also the friendliest of the Garden animals. Give them a few crumbs and they'll crawl all over you for more! 

Besides the awesome Aussie Wildlife, the views are second great thing about the Royal Botanic Gardens. Walking along farm Cove to Mrs Macquaries Point, you get the best views of the Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge. Now I know where those sneaky post-card photographers get their good angles from! 

 But this spot was prized long before the post-card photographers found it, even before the opera House and the Harbor Bridge were even built. Back in 1810 a bench shaped seat was carved out of limestone here by convicts for Elizabeth, the wife of Governor Macquarie. Supposedly, she liked to sit here, waiting for the ships from England to enter the harbor. I had to try it myself. Unfortunately, no nineteenth-century English ships were to be seen, but I was entertained with a nice view of the harbor.