Blue Mountains News

“We are always on the lookout for Volunteers to lead PlantBank and Garden Walking tours at both the Mount Annan and Tomah gardens,” Volunteer Manager, Julz Strykowski said.

“These public tours run both weekdays and weekends. Training is provided and all that is required of volunteers is a passion for learning and a willingness to talk to visitors.” Strykowski said. “We have volunteers guides of all ages and backgrounds, who relish being part of the plant community”.

Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan is home to large displays of native plants and leading botanical research institutions such as the National Herbarium of New South Wales and Australian PlantBank offers a rich and diverse landscape for people to deliver public facing tours in the South West Sydney area.

Viriginia McDowell, a long -serving volunteer guide at the Australian Botanic Garden, has loved connecting people with plants over her years 10 years of volunteering service.

“As a local with a love of botanical science and native plants I attended the PlantBank opening event over 10 years ago, and I was asked if I wanted to volunteer here. I said yes without hesitation and have never looked back!” McDowell said.

Similarly, at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah, Wilcox Chio, a volunteer guide, was enamoured by the passion of the guides when he first took a guided walk at the Mount Tomah Botanic Garden in 1996.

“I learned a great deal about the history of the garden through my participation in one of the guided walks during my visit. This encouraged me (to) know what it was that nurtured the passion and enthusiasm people had for this place,” Chio said.

Volunteers in 2024 supported the Botanic Gardens of Sydney by delivering over 43,000 hours of their time.

The bloom of corpse flower Putricia at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney in January brought together over 110 volunteers who committed 620 hours of volunteering for the event, welcoming visitors while providing crucial educational information about the corpse flower.

Across both the Botanic Gardens of Sydney and Foundation and Friends, there are more than 550 volunteers who contribute to vital conservation work, many by leading tours and programs; sharing their passion, dedication, expertise, and inspiration with visitors daily.

“One of the extra perks of volunteering is access to exclusive staff lead Behind the Scenes Glasshouse tours, a sneak peek into the National Herbarium and discounts at the Foundation and Friends Growing Friends Plant Sales,” Strykowski said.

Existing volunteers from the Gardens and other cultural organisations in Sydney are enjoying these special walks and tours at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan during National Volunteer Week 2025 to reward and celebrate our dedicated volunteers.

Interested? Join our friendly welcoming community. Contact us and explore the upcoming volunteer guide opportunities at the Botanic Gardens.

More info on volunteering here