Situated just outside Singleton in the Hunter Valley, Dale Frank’s Botanic Gardens opened in November 2020. These gardens are an unexpected and fun place to visit because of the unusual and interesting plants on display. For opening times, check out their Facebook page.
These beautifully laid out gardens are the work of Dale Frank, an internationally renowned artist based in Singleton. With many of the trees being mature specimens, the area already has the look and feel of an established garden. This has been achieved by saving trees from developers in Sydney and transporting them to Singleton. They have survived the transition because of the attention given to them by Dale and his team.
Plants range from palm tree and boabs to cactus and succulents, with the settings varying as you walk around.
A great place to visit for a relaxing walk around if you are in the area.
One of the Displays at the GardensBoab Tree Cactus GardenMature Palm TreesMature Palm Trees
To see what else there is to do in the Hunter Valley, please see some of our other stories.
Established in 1816, the Royal Botanic Garden covers 30 hectares and has over 27,000 plants, right in the middle of Sydney’s CBD. With landmarks like Sydney Harbor and the Opera House as its neighbours, it is in the perfect setting.
Getting there is easy, with Circular Quay only a five-minute walk away with its buses, ferries and trains, making the Gardens are very accessible.
Walking through the gardens, you come across numerous plants and trees, all labelled with their names. Changed seasonally, the gardens are a constantly renewing landscape.
Scattered throughout, are statues and sculptures, all of which add to the fun of the walk. One of the highlights, is the koala sculptures, complete with glasses.
Giant Floral Koala
Giant Floral Bee
The Satyr
Lewis Wolfe Levy Fountain
Don’t miss a visit to the Calyx, as its current display of carnivorous plants is amazing. We spent a long time looking around at all the different species on display. Take a look at their website for opening-times and what the current display is.
The Calyx
Pitcher Plants The Calyx
Pitcher Plants The Calyx
The Royal Botanic Gardens are surrounded by 34 hectares of manicured gardens in the Domain. This encompasses Mrs Macquarie’s Chair with magnificent views over Sydney Harbour.
Mrs Macquarie’s Chair
What Did We Think?
The Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney is a great place to visit and wander through, as its ever changing landscape always has something new to offer. Its amazing location on Sydney Harbour with the Opera House and Bridge nearby, give is a great backdrop. The Garden is worth visiting, for a relaxing walk in the centre of Sydney.
We used the train to get to Milsons Point Train Station because it is an easy walk to Lady Gowrie Lookout in Kirribilli and Milsons Point. From here we walked along the harbour foreshore to Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden, taking in the sights along the way.
Lady Gowrie Lookout in Kirribilli
Lady Gowrie Lookout has excellent views over Sydney Harbour and is a relaxing place as a first stop on your walk. The path down to the harbour is steep and the steps are uneven in places, so be careful of your footing. At the bottom, you can see the water entrance into Kirribilli House.
Next to the lookout are Kirribilli (home to Australia’s Prime Minister) and Admiralty (home to Australia’s Governor General )Houses. These are not usually open to the public, but can be seen through the security gates as you pass by.
Water Entrance to Kirribilli House
Lady Gowrie Lookout
Bradfield Park
Bradfield Park is a beautiful location to view the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the city of Sydney. On your walk from Lady Gowrie Lookout, there are several good places to stop and admire the views. Beulah Street Wharf was the first we came across, followed by the Sydney Harbour Bridge Sunset Lookout and Copes Lookout. Of course almost anywhere along the harbour foreshore will give amazing views.
At Bradfield park, there are several brick shelters, which are great for framing the city and Opera House a little differently. Bradfield Park extends under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, making it possible to photograph its underside.
The bow section of the first Australian warship called HMAS Sydney is preserved under the shadow of the bridge, in honour to those who served aboard her.
Sydney Opera House From Milsons Point
Sydney Opera House From Milsons Point
The Bow of HMAS Sydney (I)
North Sydney Olympic Pool
Next to Bradfield Park is the North Sydney Olympic Pool. A heritage listed building there are some wonderful decorations on the wall near the harbour. From inside, the view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge is amazing along with the view of the harbour. We sat in the stands watching the boat traffic on the water before enjoying a quick swim in this beautiful pool.
The pool is due for renovation works sometime in 2020 so check to see if it is open before visiting.
North Sydney Olympic Pool
North Sydney Olympic Pool and Bridge
Peter Kingston Walkway
Walking on From the Olympic Pool, you walk along Peter Kingston Walkway.. This goes along the Harbour, past Luna Park and towards the Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden. There are some great views here, of the harbour and city because it looks over the water at all times. There are boats in the marinas and several small snady coves to look at.
Once past Luna Park, there are around a dozen statues and artworks, mostly of May Gibbs characters hidden in the gardens and bushes. This makes the walk interesting because you are trying to see where the next one is hidden.
Kookaburra Statue
Peter Kingston Walkway
Luna Park
We didn’t go into Luna Park, but if you have children, this would be a great place to keep them entertained for a few hours.
Luna Park Entrance
Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden
Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden is a fantastic oasis in North Sydney next to Luna Park. Paths wind through the garden allowing hours of exploring as you discover new areas. There are many places to stop and relax on park benches or picnic tables. Most of the paths are narrow adding to the enclosed feeling of being far away from the surrounding city and in tranquil place. This is really a great place to visit, as it offers so much more than just looking at pretty scenery.
Steps up to the Gardens
Pathway Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden
Pathway Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden
Walkway in the Gardens
Rusty Wheel Barrow
Getting back to Sydney
We chose to take the ferry back to Circular Quay because the wharf was closer than the train station for the return journey. The Milsons Point Wharf is outside the Olympic Pool, making it easy to find.
What Did We Think?
We really enjoyed our walk along the harbour from Kirribilli to Milsons Point as the view is amazing. The Wendy Whiteley Secret Gardens were beautiful giving us a relaxing end to the walk. The Olympic Pool was unusual with its setting by the bridge and harbour and we enjoyed a snack there at the kiosk which was refreshing.
