Last week, I decided to get out the house on a sunny day to visit Auburn Botanic Gardens. They are located in the western Sydney suburb of Auburn. I went about eight years ago and decided that it was time for a return visit.

Some general information

These gardens are run by the local council. Cumberland City Council residents can enter for free of charge whenever the gardens are open. Anyone who doesn’t live within this council area can enter for free on weekdays. For weekends and special events, like the Cherry Blossom Festival, there is a charge for non-residents. As of March 2026, they are as follows:

• Over 16 AU$7.50
• Kids 5-16 AU$3.30
• Family of 2 adults and 2 kids AU$19.40
• Companion card holders and carers can enter for free when they are visiting with their clients

The history of the gardens

All the way back in February 1968, the local council decided to dedicate 9.2 hectares of land, located along one bank of the Duck River, to the formation of a new botanic garden. The new gardens were designed by the council’s head engineer/town planner Mr. E. W. Black.

Construction started the following year with a Japanese lake getting dug out. The construction took eight years and opened in September 1977. There have been improvements and additions since then, including picnic areas, the Avenue of Remembrance and a fauna reserve.

In September 2015, the National Trust of NSW recognised these gardens as a place of significance. This is for several reasons, including its social, historic and aesthetic value to the residents local to the gardens, as well as people living further afield, like me.

My visit

On walking through the gate, I came across this large but lovely example of this pine tree. As I’ve got older, I have started to enjoy seeing trees like this one.

These very well clipped hedges are on the edge of the Japanese garden. I can appreciate the work involved to keep hedges looking like this more when I don’t have to do it myself!

Next up on my walk through the gardens was the lake, mainly because it was a really nice view.

This is the bridge over the stream that drains into the lake above. I can’t say that I know much about Japanese gardens, but I do like the bridges used within them, this one included.

The plant is lilyturf, or Liriope muscari. I like the leaves and purple flowers together.

There was a bed of three different bamboo species within the gardens. This species is ghost bamboo, or Dendrocalamus minor var. amoenus.

This is the pool of reflection.

This pretty little ground cover is the maidenhair vine, or Muehlenbeckia complexa. I don’t really know much about the maidenhair vine so I will do some further reading to learn more.

Salvias are always a nice feature in any garden. This one is mealy up sage, or Salvia farinacea. I love purple flowers a lot at the moment.

Yellow flowers, like this lemon daylily (Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus) flower, are growing on me, mainly because they are so cheerful.

This plant is completely new to me. It’s called Madagascar jasmine, or Stephanotis floribunda. There were certainly lots of flowers, which ar followed by rather large fruit.

These delightful little plants are rain lilies, also known as Zephranthes candida. I think that they are such pretty little plants. This is also a new plant species to me, so there is even more reading to do!

Camellia season is upon us, as these flower buds show. This is really exciting as I love camellias over autumn and winter in Sydney.

As this tree shows, autumn is her. Many deciduous trees seem to be turning a little earlier this year, possibly because it has been such a hot summer.

These trees are in the middle of another lake within the gardens. They are broad-leaved paperbarks, or Melaleuca quinquenervia, which do like damp areas. You can read more about these trees https://flat-cap-gardener.com/2026/02/03/broad-leaved-paperbark-melaleuca-quinquenervia/.

I have to say that I really enjoyed my visit to these gardens. They are small, but they are a tranquil spot in what is a very busy part of Sydney as a whole.

Each year, they have a spring cherry blossom festival that I have decided that I am going to try and go to, if I can get tickets!

If you ever find yourself with a spare bit of time, and you are in the area, the gardens are well worth a visit.