Heritage

The early days of settlement

The current site of the Botanical Gardens began as a rough bush block that a couple named John and Jane Hangan turned into a productive farm with fruit trees, cereal crops and vegetable plots, supplying food to the settlement on the River Derwent. There is a reference in the Tasmanian Archives to the Hangans establishing wheat, corn and barley crops in 1806 – only two years after the establishment of Hobart and the colonisation of Tasmania.

A number of years later, Governor Sorell reclaimed ownership of the land from the Hangans and established the colony's main food production area known as the Colonial Gardens. It was cultivated extensively with crops, vegetables, and fruit trees – a number of them new to Australia at that time. This helped significantly to support the growing colony in its formative years.

Officially recorded as founded in 1818, the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens is the second oldest botanical gardens in Australia – Royal Botanic Garden Sydney was founded two years earlier. As Hobart grew, the Gardens evolved with it. People came for rest and recreation, with the development of more creative landscaping enhancing the experience.

Collections of plants from around the world were exhibited and researched. And demand from the ever-expanding colonies led to the increasing propagation and distribution of productive plants.

Since 1818, the Gardens has had more than twenty superintendents (called directors since the 1990s). Influenced by changes in fashion from the Victorian era onwards, each has had some impact on the Gardens' layout and design.