Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Great variety, beautiful plants and wildlife |
| Disadvantages: |
Cold in winter ! |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
At first I only went to the Botanical Gardens in Canberra cos I had nothing else to do on the weekend and I was skint (entry is free!!) It was awesome though, beautiful scenery, great variey of plants and animals and really close to the city centre, even though it feels like miles away. The gardens lie at the bottom of Black Mountain so while you are here it is worth a trip to the top of the mountain and Telstra Tower for a birds eye view over the city. Beware though you can't just go anytime as the gardens are only open 9-5pm (or 8pm in summer).
Check out the Visitor Centre at the entrance of the Gardens next to the carpark (open 9.30 - 4.30) where you can pick up leaflets or books so you actually know what you are looking at and where you are going! Or just join one of the guided tours which are run every weekday at 11am and on weekends at 11am and 2pm. You can ring them on 02 6250 9540.
In the gardens itself, there are heaps of different areas. My favourite was the rainforest section. You go down into this gully on to a boardwalk and as I went down, there was a gorgeous Rosella parrot sat on a branch right in front of me - amazing! And the water features were great too! Also, do not miss the Tasmianian Alpine garden and eucalyptus lawn.
A walk around would take you maybe 2 hours tops but if you take a picnic it's a great place to spend a lazy day in the sun! Otherwise it's easily accessible to Canberra's other attractions (i.e. museum, gallery, war memorial, parliament houses) so just take a quick walk through - it is worth it!
