Sydney’s Botanic Gardens welcomed record numbers over summer, with close to four million visitors across all three Gardens and The Domain and more than 10 million visits this financial year.
The blooming numbers at Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah saw both record their biggest summers ever, while Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan and The Domain achieved their second highest summer visitation on record.
The results highlight the growing importance Australians place on nature, time spent outdoors and public spaces, said Botanic Gardens of Sydney Acting Chief Executive, Gabrielle Collins.
“The extraordinary visitation we’ve seen this summer shows how strongly people are connecting with our message that plants sit at the heart of a thriving world,” said Ms Collins.
“These numbers make us one of the most visited cultural and scientific institutions in the country and one of the most powerful platforms for connecting people with nature.
“10 million visits mean 10 million moments of people learning, celebrating and reconnecting with nature.”
Every visit plays a vital role in supporting critical conservation work, including seed banking, genetic research, species recovery as well as community programs and caring for Botanic Gardens’ vast living collection.
“These record visitation numbers reflect the world class quality of our Botanic Gardens and show just how deeply the community values having access to great public open spaces,” said Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully.
“Every person who walks through the gates is supporting world leading science and conservation, helping protect the plants and ecosystems that sustain life across our state.
“Hopefully these strong visitation numbers will continue as the weather cools off because no matter the season the gardens are great places to visit which are also free.”
