The Royal Botanic Gardens of Sydney

Volunteer with Botanic Gardens of Sydney

Volunteer and assist with the scientific, horticultural and conservation work of the Gardens.

Guide shows two people plant with orange flowers, Angel Trumpets

Volunteers are an integral part of our organisation, and we greatly value the skills and support that volunteers generously give to the Gardens and the greater community.

Gardens volunteers assist across all three Gardens - the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, and the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah. They help with the scientific, horticultural and conservation work of the Gardens. Volunteers also enhance the visitor experience by providing information and orientation for visitors.

More information

Contact our Volunteer Team to find out how you can help the vital work of the Botanic Gardens of Sydney:

[email protected]

  • volunteer guide in garden, talking and pointing out a plant
    Become a Garden expert and share your knowledge!
  • laughing people touching a water sculpture

Current volunteering opportunities

Volunteer Guides

Volunteer Guides staff our visitor centre, providing information and on-site interpretation to visitors from around the world. Volunteer guides also assist educational programs and work in our Calyx horticultural display centre interpreting our changing plant displays. Volunteer guides, after additional training, lead daily guided tours of the Garden sharing the stories of our living collections, history, horticulture and scientific research. Please note we have finished recruiting for 2024. Our next recruiting window will be the second half of 2025.

Register your interest - Volunteer Guides

Herbarium Specimen Mounting

Volunteers mount pressed and dried plant specimens onto archival board for the National Herbarium of NSW. Volunteers mount a wide range of plant families, from fragile orchids and lichens to bulky banksias. Approximately 80 per cent of the 1.1 million Herbarium collection is now mounted on archival paper. Attention to detail essential. We currently have sufficient volunteers but will be creating a waitlist for interested volunteers to join the program as it expands.

Register your interest - Herbarium Specimen Mounting

Volunteer Guides

Volunteer Guides provide visitors with general orientation and on-site interpretation, enhancing their experience with informative tours of the Garden. They cover topics of science, horticulture and site history in an engaging way. Guides also assist with other educational and administrative activities. Volunteer Guides generate goodwill and increase community support for the Gardens.

Register your interest - Volunteer Guides

Volunteer Guides

Volunteer Guides provide visitors with general orientation and on-site interpretation, enhancing their experience with informative tours of the Garden. They cover topics of science, horticulture and site history in an engaging way. Guides also assist with other educational and administrative activities. Volunteer Guides generate goodwill and increase community support for the Gardens.

Register your interest - Volunteer Guides

More about volunteering

Learn about how else you can volunteer with the Gardens, and meet some of the amazing volunteers who dedicate their time and skills to promoting and protecting plants.

Three smiling women wearing aprons in a nursery

Volunteer with Foundation and Friends

Connect the community to the Gardens, and raise funds to support various projects and initiatives within the Gardens.
Volunteer in yellow high vis vest planting a sapling

Corporate volunteering

Your workplace can volunteer with Gardens’ staff on short term projects.
volunteers group shot, smiling

Meet our volunteers

Volunteering is one of the life bloods of our organisation and has been a part of the way we work for over 40 years.

Become a volunteer guide and share the history and stories behind the Gardens' living collections with visitors.