To be celebrating the 200th anniversary this year of the Royal Botanic Gardens is quite astounding. Just 28 years after the establishment of the colony on Port Jackson, Governor Lachlan Macquarie was sufficiently forward looking to create the first scientific institution in the country. Certainly its creation was encouraged at the highest level in London by Queen Charlotte, consort of George III. The Queen, having been a driving force behind the establishment of Kew Gardens, was encouraged in her enthusiasm for the colony by Sir Joseph Banks who had brought back from Cook’s Endeavour voyage wonderful specimens and pictures, now celebrated in the Banks Florilegium.

Botanic art is as enduring in its importance as in its popularity. During this year of anniversary celebrations, the Gardens Trust has a packed program of events which includes several art exhibitions. The next is On Reflection, a joint exhibition from 31May in the Palm House by three friends – JoAnne Fuller, Githa Pilbrow and Miriam Kin-Yee – drawing on their constant awareness of the world around them. As part of the Biennale, a fascinatingly different exhibit now available in the Gardens until June 5, is Home Away From Home by Archie Moore. On Bennelong Lawn, Moore has created a replica of the structure that Governor Phillip built in 1790 for Bennelong. The interior presents a reflection on Moore’s own family. This is a great year to visit a treasured part of Sydney.