The Botanical Garden first appeared as a farm of the first settlers. Later it turned into Colonial Gardens. And today it appears before us in all its splendor, showing 14 collections of plants from different regions of the world. The official opening date is considered to be 1818. It was founded by Lieutenant Governor William Sorell. His successor, the tough and energetic George Arthur, made the 14-hectare site develop in several directions, creating one of the first scientific institutions in Australia.

Initially, the gardens grew on the site of a bushland area where an ex-convict, who was given a piece of land to develop it, grew crops and grazed livestock. John Hangan and his wife turned the site into a productive farm where fruit trees, crops, and other food grew for settlement on the Derwent River. In the state archives of Tasmania, it is mentioned that in 1806 Hangan's wife organized the cultivation of wheat, corn, and barley just two years after the foundation of Hobart and the colonization of Tasmania.

A few years later, Governor Sorell regained ownership of the land from the hang. At the same time, the main area of the colony, known as the Colonial Gardens, was created on fertile soil. It was rich in various cereals, vegetables, and fruits, some of which were new to Australia then. This helped significantly support the growing colony in the first formative decades.

Officially registered in 1818, the Royal Botanical Garden of Tasmania is the second oldest in Australia. The Sydney Garden was established two years earlier, also on the site of the first farm of the young colony. The gardens have evolved with the growth of the city. People came there for recreation and entertainment. Collections of plants from all over the world were already displayed there, while botanists explored and maintained many growing collections.

The gardens became so popular for weekend excursions away from the smells and poverty of the city that in 1832, then-Governor Arthur had to close them to the public on Sundays!