The garden is part of a substantial area of contiguous Crown Land that extends east from the Todd River on the southern edge of Alice Springs' central business district.

Prior to 1956, the land was unoccupied and grazed variously by feral goat, rabbit, and cattle populations, such that the vegetation on the floodplain was substantially modified and devoid of tree and shrub cover when Pink took up occupancy there in 1956.

Pink, with her Warlpiri assistant gardeners, spent the next two decades battling drought conditions and almost non-existent operational funding to develop her vision for the reserve.

During the next decade networks of walking tracks were put in place, the visitor centre built, extensive plantings of mulga, red gums and various other tree species established, a waterhole and sand dune habitat created, and an interpretive display installed.

Olive Pink Botanic Garden was listed on the Register of the National Estate on 30 May 1995,[3] and on the Northern Territory Heritage Register on 18 March 2009,[4] because of its strong links to Miss Olive Pink, anthropologist, campaigner for Aboriginal social justice, artist and visionary gardener.