A Brief History
In its 187 years the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens has had twenty Superintendents of varying capabilities (called Directors since the nineteen nineties). Influenced by the changes in fashion from the Victorian era onwards each has had some impact on the Gardens' fabric and design. This reflects the history of many other colonial botanic gardens.

Originally the Gardens was managed by a Government Committee before forty years of management under the auspices of the Royal Society of Tasmania. Subsequently responsibility reverted to the Government, then in 1950 the Gardens became a statutory body managed by a Board of Trustees under the Botanical Gardens Act. The adjective 'Botanical' in the title is essentially an historical remnant of the Royal Society era and the appellation 'Royal' was bestowed in 1967.