Botanic Gardens Apartments, Darwin > Reviews (1)

The Darwin Botanic Gardens are situated about 1.5km out of the CBD.
The Gardens are easily accessed by bus (double check times/bus numbers at the bus station which is just off Smith Street, past Bennett Street if heading toward the waterfront). Nearby (walking distance) there is a golf course, Mindil Beach and the Casino. The museum is also nearby.

The gardens are large (42 hectares in total), and there is a lot of open green space. Due to the tropical nature of the gardens, there is nowhere near as many flowers and flowering plants as there are in other botanic gardens around Australia, but there are still some! There is a tropical plant house which houses flowers - most of which are tropical, for example orchids.Other things to do in the Botanic Gardens include -

1. A rainforest "loop" walk, which has a small man made waterfall
2. A boardwalk through the "rainforest gully"
3. A boardwalk to the NT museum, via the mangroves and beach
4. A childrens playground
5. An information centre, selling drinks

There's plenty of examples of tropical/native plants - palms, baobabs and cycads.
There is also a reconstructed Methodist church - built in 1897 but moved to the Botanic Gardens in 2000 (Gardens Rd entrance).

It's definitely a nice, tranquil place to spend a few hours. There's plenty of seating and little things to look at as you're wandering around. I am into my photography so as I live in Darwin now, I am regularly down there taking photos of various things!

If you are only in Darwin for a short time - e.g. 2 or 3 days, there are better things to go and see though. The gardens, as nice as they are, are just gardens. They can be seen in their natural environment if you are doing a trip to Litchfield National Park or Kakadu National Park (for example). The range of flowering plants is not extensive, and there is nothing out of the ordinary to see. If you are craving a nice grassy area to sit and read a book or something, then it is certainly a desirable place for that if you don't fancy a beach! It is also a nice place to go with a family - lots of little things to keep the kids amused (I there is a maze, but don't quote me - I've never looked for it as I don't have kids!).

One thing to bare in mind is the time of year - at the moment (February 2011), the gardens are closed due to a lot of rain/flooding.
Every wet season the rainforest walk closes (and some other pathways too), because of the rain. If you do happen to be at the gardens and get caught in the rain, there is no where to shelter!

If you are perhaps visiting the museum, and have a bit of spare time before the Mindil beach Markets start, it is well worth having a look for an hour. As I hope I have portrayed - the Botanic Gardens are nice, quiet and everything you want from a botanic garden! However, they are nothing spectacular.

They are free though, and open for the whole day, so if you're at a loose end it is definitely a nice place to relax, with some other attractions in walking distance nearby.