Send flowers to the Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick
A florist in Sydney's eastern suburbs makes up the bouquet and brings it to the ward at the Royal on Barker Street. Ring the ward first and keep it small: the Newborn Care Centre takes no flowers and postnatal rooms are compact.
The Royal Hospital for Women is Sydney's specialist public hospital for women and babies. It sits on Barker Street, Randwick NSW 2031, on the Randwick hospitals campus beside the Prince of Wales Hospital and the Sydney Children's Hospital, and is run by the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District. Its history goes back to 1820, when a lying-in hospital was founded under the Benevolent Society with Elizabeth Macquarie chairing the committee; it gained royal patronage in 1904, spent almost a century in Paddington and moved to Randwick in 1997. In December 2023 it delivered Australia's first baby born after a uterus transplant. A florist in the eastern suburbs makes up your flowers and delivers them by hand; we never promise a delivery time to a hospital, but a weekday morning order usually arrives the same day.
The Royal's visiting hours, ward by ward
The hospital publishes its hours, and they shape when a bouquet reaches the bed. Postnatal wards have general visiting from 4pm to 8pm with quiet time from 1pm to 4pm; the other parent may stay later. The antenatal ward and Macquarie Ward, which is gynaecology and gynaecological oncology, are open to visitors from 10am to 8pm. The Close Observation Unit is open 8am to 1pm and 3pm to 8pm. In the Newborn Care Centre parents may visit at any time and other visitors outside rounds and quiet time, two at a time. The florist delivers during the day and leaves the flowers with the ward clerk if the ward is in quiet time, so a new mother may not see them until mid-afternoon.
Where flowers are welcome
The Royal does not publish a flower policy, so ask the midwife or nurse in charge when you ring. In Australian hospitals generally, neonatal units take no flowers, so nothing should be sent to the Newborn Care Centre; gynaecological oncology patients on chemotherapy are often asked to go without; and postnatal wards usually accept a small arrangement, more easily in a single room than in a shared bay. If the answer is no, send to the home in Coogee, Maroubra, Kensington or wherever the family lives, a few days after discharge.
Not the Royal Women's in Melbourne or Brisbane
People searching for "flowers to the Royal Women's" sometimes mean the Royal Women's Hospital in Parkville, Melbourne, or the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in Herston. Each has its own florists and its own wards, so check the city before you order. For Randwick, write "Royal Hospital for Women, Barker Street" with the mother's or patient's full name, the ward and a room number if you have it.
What to send to a postnatal room in Randwick
A posy in a jar or a compact hand-tied bouquet with its own water fits a locker and needs no staff to find a vase. Gerberas, roses in soft colours, ranunculus, tulips in spring and alstroemeria are low on scent and last a week; leave out lilies, hyacinths and heavy perfume near a newborn, and keep potted plants for home. For a gynaecology patient the same rules apply, with a slightly larger bouquet if she has a single room.
Cut-off and cost
Same-day delivery is available Monday to Saturday for orders placed before 2pm on a weekday or 10am on a Saturday, Sydney time, though to a hospital same day is never guaranteed, and there is no Sunday delivery. Postnatal stays are short, so if the baby arrived earlier in the week the home address is safer. Bouquets start at AUD 75; the delivery fee is shown at checkout.
Did you know? The Royal Hospital for Women traces its origins to 1820, moved from Paddington to Randwick in 1997, and in December 2023 delivered Australia's first baby born after a uterus transplant.
Frequently asked questions about flowers to Royal Hospital for Women
Can I send flowers to the Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick?
To the postnatal, antenatal and gynaecology wards usually yes, but the hospital publishes no flower policy, so ring the ward first. Nothing should go to the Newborn Care Centre, and patients on chemotherapy are often asked to go without. Give the mother's full name, the ward and a room number.
When will a new mother at the Royal see her flowers?
Postnatal wards have quiet time from 1pm to 4pm and general visiting from 4pm to 8pm. The florist delivers during the day and leaves the bouquet with the ward clerk if the ward is resting, so a morning order placed before 2pm usually reaches the bed by late afternoon. Same day is never guaranteed to a hospital.
What flowers suit a postnatal room at the Royal?
Something small and low on scent in its own water: a posy of gerberas, soft roses, ranunculus or tulips. Avoid lilies and hyacinths near a newborn and skip potted plants. If the stay is almost over, send a bigger bouquet to the home in the following week instead.