Gardens Oval
Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Gardens Oval, Darwin, Australia — opened developed organically as a public sportsground from the 1950s; no single formal opening date is documented, 1 rugby league games hosted, home of Waratah Football Club (Australian rules), particularly since 2001; the ground has no rugby league tenant.
Ground facts
| Opened | developed organically as a public sportsground from the 1950s; no single formal opening date is documented |
| Home club | Waratah Football Club (Australian rules), particularly since 2001; the ground has no rugby league tenant |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 1 |
| Top recorded crowd | 1,400 |
| Capacity | not documented in available sources |
| Floodlights installed | floodlights exist today, though an installation date is not documented and they were likely absent in 1960 |
| Surface | grass |
| Years used | 1960 |
| Location | Darwin, Northern Territory |
Name history
- Botanical Gardens Oval — informal early use
- Gardens Oval — current name
Rugby league history
Sitting within Darwin's Botanic Gardens precinct, this ground has mainly served Australian rules football, cricket and soccer rather than rugby league; a separate, unrelated venue also called The Gardens exists in Newcastle, NSW, and is not connected to this one. Its sole recorded rugby league fixture was a Northern Territory representative match against France's touring national side on 14 May 1960, which France won 42-14 in front of 1,400 spectators. A dedicated overview of rugby league in the Northern Territory does not mention this ground at all, naming Warren Park as Darwin's main rugby league venue instead, reinforcing that this was a one-off use.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
← Rugby League · Champions list · All-time records · Grand Final results · World Cup · All competitions · Teams · Players