Joseph Banks Native Plants Reserve

Nice little nature area , easy parking, toilet facilities and picnic spots. It’s not a flower garden, so best to brush up on native species. The pathways are not really suited for the elderly without assistance. All Free.

Joseph Banks Native Plants Reserve is an amazing place of beauty, tranquility and serenity. It has an incredible collection of native plants from all over Australia, collected over many years, and arranged into themed areas from sunny ridgetop to rainforest shade, winding across 2.2 ha. It includes everything from aquatic plants to native lawn to bushland. There are abundant birds, skinks, blue tongue lizards, butterflies, dragonflies, native bees. There is a car park (entry off Manooka Pl), toilets, wheelchair and pram friendly paths, bbqs, picnic and seating areas. The bitumen path winds in a 4km loop right around the reserve, with additional bush tracks and staired paths. The reserve is managed and maintained by Sutherland Shire Council with very active assistance from Bushcare and Australian Plants Society (APS) volunteers. Various tours and activities are held in the reserve including ethnobotanical, bird and fauna spotting, yarning circle, school holiday Scamper In the Jungle and many more. Contact Council or APS Sutherland branch for more information. You can drop in any day between 9am and 5pm.

Located at 149 Garnet Riad , Kareela, New South Wales, Australia 🇦🇺 (Access is off Manooka Place, no access off Bates Drive) A beautiful place to explore, the range of Australian Native Flora and Fauna is spectacular. It’s a truly great place to wander along the walkways and admire the views and gardens. The gardens are immaculate and very well maintained by volunteers at Maintainance workdays twice a month. There’s plenty of parking 🅿️ available also. There’s great BBQ facilities (2 Electric hot plates) and seating available (5 picnic tables). There are toilets (including accessible toilets) available next to the car park 🅿️ . There is an accessible path at the main entrance at Manooka Place to the largest BBQ facilities in the upper part of the reserve. Most of the lower part of the reserve is not accessible due to the terrain. It’s a wonderful place to have a family picnic or gathering. There’s plenty of shade and protection from the sun ☀️. I really love coming here. It’s a pleasure to come here. The Reserve is one of only a few gardens in Sydney devoted entirely to Australian Native Plants 🌱. The gardens attract a lot of birdlife also. There’s over 4 kilometres of sealed walkways to explore. There’s also themed gardens which include Aboriginal food and medicinal plants. The reserve was established in 1969 as a tribute to Sir Joseph Banks. It’s open 7 days a week from 9.00am until 5.00pm. In Daylight Savings it’s open 7 days a week from 9.00am until 7.00pm. Closed Good Friday and Christmas Day. Would definitely recommend. Thumbs Up! 👍👍👍

Lovely place where one can learn a lot about local plants, threes and more.

Nice little bushland reserve with informative signage about native flora. Road noise from Bates drive detracts from the ambiance.