Small-group Flora and Fauna Tour, from Hobart, incl. the Royal Botanical Gardens

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Inverawe Native Gardens, 1565 Channel Hwy, Margate, Tasmania 7054 Australia

Inverawe is a pioneering garden that sets the scene for Australian gardens of the future. With Australia's hot, dry climate, we can't continue gardening in the European style. We need to grow gardens that sit softly on our fragile landscape. That's Inverawe!

Enjoy strolling through 22 acres of colourful landscaped native gardens, take in the stunning views of North West Bay and listen to the birds. Inverawe is waterwise, sustainable gardening at its best.

On arrival you receive a personal introduction to the garden and a colourful map to guide you. Interpretation signs set the garden in its historical and social context. Poetry, sculpture and whimsy add to your enjoyment. At the end of the visit we will be on hand to answer any questions. Take tea on the terrace and contemplate tranquility.

Wheelchairs: 200 metres of pathway on the top terrace, including the tea terrace, is wheelchair accessible. Enjoy some of the best views in Margate. There is a turning bay at each end of the path!

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, Lower Domain Road Queens Domain, Hobart, Tasmania 7000 Australia

Officially recorded as founded in 1818, the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens is the second oldest Botanical Gardens in Australia – Sydney Botanic gardens were founded two years earlier, also on the site of the young colony’s first farm and produce garden. As Hobart Town grew, the Gardens evolved with it. People came for rest and recreation, with the development of more creative and formative landscaping enhancing the experience.

Collections of plants from throughout the world were exhibited, with productive and commercial plants increasingly produced and distributed amongst the ever expanding colonies. The Botanists researched and the gardeners planted and maintained the many growing collections.

Since 1818 the RTBG has had more than twenty Superintendents of varying capabilities (called Directors since the 1990’s). Influenced by the changes in fashion from the Victorian era onwards each has had some impact on the Gardens’ fabric and design. William Davidson was appointed the first superintendent by Governor Arthur in 1828, with a salary of 100 pounds, rations and a new house. His residence still stands today and currently houses the Gardens administration area. The building was originally made up of two distinct buildings that stood opposite one another, one being for the convict workman the other for the superintendent. The buildings were later joined to make one dwelling.

The Gardens became such a popular place for weekend excursions away from the smells and squalor of the town that in 1832 the then Governor Arthur closed the gardens to the public on Sundays!

Originally the Gardens was managed by a Government Committee before forty years of management under the auspices of the Royal Society of Tasmania. Subsequently in 1950 responsibility reverted to the state Government, the Gardens was then established under law as a statutory body managed by a Board of Trustees under the Botanical Gardens Act. The adjective ‘Botanical ‘ in the title is essentially an historical remnant of the Royal Society era and the appellation ‘Royal’ was bestowed in 1967.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, 593 Briggs Rd, Hobart, Tasmania 7030 Australia

For many of the animals you will meet today Tasmania actually is the last place on Earth. Some of these species have never existed anywhere else. For others, Tasmania is a last refuge. They are the survivors of legions that once spanned a continent but now this little island bobbing on the Southern Ocean is all they have left.

That’s why we are here – to look after Tasmania’s special critters. But we can’t do it on our own. We need you…

You may not know it but just by walking through our gate you become part of something special. Everything we do, we do with your help. You won’t know just how very welcome you are until you have met some of our animals and heard their stories of survival.

Nothing makes us happier than introducing guests to our special animals. Nothing, that is, except seeing them go back to the wild. We operate Tasmania’s largest 24/7 Wildlife Rescue Service and our army of volunteers brings aid to thousands of suffering animals every year.

This service is funded entirely by our entry fees. This means every time we rescue an animal it is because someone like you came through our gate.

Bonorong is not a zoo – our aim is to get healthy animals back to the wild. All of them undergo meticulous assessment to ensure they are happy and healthy in our care, which is something we will never compromise on.

Every single one of our animals has a story to tell. At Bonorong you will meet animals that are extinct everywhere except our island refuge.

Our ever-changing menagerie of survivors includes wombats, devils, quolls, native birds, koalas, lizards, snakes and emus.



Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes