Every person who joins the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney’s National Tree Day guided walk on 26 July will leave with a young tree to plant in their own garden.
The 90-minute morning walk, starting at 10am from the Foundation & Friends Terrace, explores the ancient Araucariaceae family of conifers whose origins stretch back to the age of dinosaurs. Participants will see bunya pines, hoop pines and Norfolk Island pines, while expert guides explain their evolutionary history, cultural significance and the ecological roles they still play. Tickets cost $55 for adults or $45 for Foundation & Friends members, and bookings are essential as spaces are strictly limited.
According to the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, the walk finishes with each participant receiving a young tree to take home, referencing the proverb about life milestones: “write a book, plant a tree, raise a child.”
National Tree Day, run by environmental charity Planet Ark, falls on the last Sunday of July and is Australia’s largest community tree-planting event. Schools Tree Day runs the Friday before, on 24 July. While the Botanic Garden hosts an expert-led walk, other sites across Sydney — including Upjohn Park Reserve in Dundas and locations in Chatswood West — will hold large-scale community plantings on the same day.
For families and nature enthusiasts wanting a structured educational morning with a guaranteed take-home plant, the Botanic Garden walk is a strong choice. Those keen to get their hands dirty planting dozens of trees in a group setting can join the broader community events. The garden walk does not involve mass planting on site; it is a guided education session with one sapling per participant to plant at home later. Arriving without a prior booking will mean missing out.
Unlike suburban tree-planting days that focus on volume, this event offers expert botanical interpretation amid a living collection of ancient trees, with Sydney Harbour as the backdrop. The garden’s Araucariaceae specimens — some mature and majestic — provide an unmatched indoor-outdoor learning experience.
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Botanic Gardens of Sydney
The organisation managing the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, and Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah. It delivers public events, education, and conservation programs focused on plants and sustainability.
Planet Ark
The Australian environmental charity that organises National Tree Day, the nation’s largest annual community tree-planting event, along with other sustainability campaigns.
Public transport is the easiest way to reach the garden. Catch a train to Circular Quay or Martin Place stations and walk through the Domain. Ferries also stop at Circular Quay. Parking on Mrs Macquaries Road is scarce, particularly on weekends. After the walk, visitors can explore the rest of the Royal Botanic Garden, including the Calyx, the succulent garden, and views across to the Opera House and Mrs Macquarie’s Chair.
The sapling you bring home might one day grow as tall as the bunya pines you walked beneath — a quiet reminder that the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, and the second-best time is a Sunday morning in July.