Collins Avenue, Edge Hill. Sunbus stops right outside Flecker Garden.
Directions in Google MapsA tropical garden you can wander for free
The Cairns Botanic Gardens in Edge Hill are free to visit, and council calls them one of the best exhibitions of tropical plants in Australia.
The heart is Flecker Garden, open 7:30am to 5:30pm every day, with the Watkins Munro Martin Conservatory inside. The rest, including the Freshwater and Saltwater Lakes of Centenary Lakes, is open around the clock.
Volunteers run free guided walks on weekday mornings and a bird walk every Tuesday at 7:30am.
Opening hours and getting there
- Flecker Garden and the Conservatory: 7:30am to 5:30pm daily, weather permitting.
- All other garden areas: open around the clock.
- Visitor Centre: 8:30am to 4pm weekdays, 9:30am to 2pm weekends and public holidays.
The gardens are on Collins Avenue, Edge Hill, with on-street parking along Collins Avenue and Greenslopes Street. The Sunbus stops directly outside Flecker Garden. The Freshwater and Saltwater Lakes are reached from Greenslopes Street.
Highlights of the gardens
- Watkins Munro Martin Conservatory: built in 2015 and shaped like the licuala palm, home to aroids including the amorphophallus collection, bromeliads, carnivorous plants, orchids and ferns.
- Freshwater Lake: water-lilies, frogs and turtles, and birds like magpie geese and black-necked storks, with picnic shelters, free BBQs and a playground.
- Rainforest Boardwalk: a glimpse of the coastal forest that once covered Cairns.
- Nature Playground: dinosaur bones, a fairy garden and rope climbs.
- Zhanjiang Friendship Garden and the First Peoples Plant Use Garden.
Free guided walks
- Guided tours: 10am Monday to Friday, most weeks, 60 to 90 minutes. Meet outside Friends House in Flecker Garden. No booking.
- Bird walk: Tuesdays 7:30am, about 2 hours. Bring binoculars.
- Heritage tour of the gardens and Tanks precinct: Thursdays 10am from the Visitor Centre.
Botanic Gardens: good to know
Free entry
Every part of the gardens is free.
No animals
Registered assistance animals only.
Don't feed the birds
Human food makes them sick.
Accessibility
Some Flecker paths aren't suited to wheelchairs. Centenary Lakes is fully accessible.
The gardens in pictures
Swipe or use the arrows. Tap a photo to see it bigger.
Where the Botanic Gardens are
Collins Avenue, Edge Hill
A few minutes from the city. On-street parking on Collins Avenue and Greenslopes Street, or take the Sunbus.
Open in Google MapsMore green in Edge Hill
The Red and Blue Arrow walks start on the same street, and the Tanks Arts Centre is next door.
Red Arrow Walk
A one-hour rainforest climb with a city view, starting at the Botanic Gardens.
See the guide →Tanks Markets
Art, vintage and live music around old WWII fuel tanks, last Sunday of the month.
See the guide →Blue Arrow Walk
The serious Mount Whitfield circuit: 6 km of steep rainforest and a lookout over the city.
See the guide →Kuranda Skyrail & Scenic Rail
Up by train, down by cableway, with time in Kuranda village in between.
Daintree & Cape Tribulation
Mossman Gorge, the Daintree River and Cape Trib in one day.
Cairns Botanic Gardens FAQs
Are the Cairns Botanic Gardens free?
Yes, admission is free.
What are the Cairns Botanic Gardens opening hours?
Flecker Garden and the Conservatory are open 7:30am to 5:30pm daily. Other garden areas are open around the clock.
Are there free tours at the Cairns Botanic Gardens?
Yes. Guided walks run at 10am Monday to Friday, most weeks, plus a bird walk on Tuesdays at 7:30am.
Can you take dogs to the Cairns Botanic Gardens?
No animals are allowed in any part of the gardens, including Centenary Lakes. Registered assistance animals are accepted.
How do you get to the Cairns Botanic Gardens?
They're on Collins Avenue, Edge Hill. The Sunbus stops directly outside Flecker Garden.