The frustrations of travel at Easter time
Long weekends are nothing but trouble for travellers. I think this is so all over the world. I wrote yesterday that we took our daughter to the Adelaide Airport to catch her flight to Ireland with sixteen of her students. Lucky girl. Lucky to be going to Ireland that is, not lucky to have so much baggage going with her. Well, actually, it might just be a lot of fun. They seemed like a nice bunch of kids – as teenagers go.
We had no trouble getting to the airport as we had to be there quite early – before the traffic had built up. Adelaide’s traffic rarely gets into gridlock anyway, even on Easter Sunday. The start and finish of the holiday weekends can be bedlam on some roads. After leaving her at the airport we had a picnic lunch at Henley Beach in Adelaide’s western suburbs. Lovely spot. Not too crowded despite the warm spell late in the season.
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
On our way home we decided to visit the Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens for afternoon tea. It is a lovely spot we’ve been to several times in the last few years. The trees would be turning to their colourful autumn hues I thought as we drove through the hills. I anticipated being able to get some great photos. Approaching the entrance gate I knew instantly that this was a mistake. Not only were the car parks full, but the entrance roads were blocked by parked cars for quite a distance.
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens in winter
At least we got to drive through the car park before leaving again.
The photos on this page are from previous visits, one in the summer and one in the winter.
Related articles:
- Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens – part 4 (with links to the first three parts)
Wittunga Botanic Gardens Part 4
On our recent visit to the Wittunga Botanic Gardens in the Adelaide Hills, I was torn between photographing flowers and watching out for the birdlife. My wife is more interested in the plants because that is where her interests are strongest. She has a small nursery growing plants native to Australia.
My attention was diverted from taking a few shots of the Anigoznathos family (common name Kangaroo Paw) when I heard a disturbance in a nearby eucalypt tree. Looking up I could see an Australian Magpie being quite upset with the presence of a koala in the branches of the same tree. Despite much raucous calling, a a few dive bombing attempts by a Noisy Miner (a honeyeater), the koala just kept on snoozing. For more details, and a photo, go to my birding blog (click here)
Wittunga Botanic Gardens
Despite being in the middle of a very dry winter, we were delighted with the variety of plants that were flowering. This garden, like so many South Australian parks and gardens, will become a kaleidoscope of colour come spring time.
Wittunga Botanic Gardens Part 3
The Wittunga Botanic Gardens near the suburb of Blackwood in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia is an annex of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. Wittunga was once a private garden.
Wittunga Botanic Garden
Wittunga Botanic Garden at Blackwood dates back from 1901, but first opened to the public in 1975. The Garden is of interest all year round however its displays of Australian and southern African plants are especially dazzling in Spring. Species of ericas, proteas, leucadendrons, banksias and hakeas are featured, as are good collections of bulbous and cormose species. Two lakes and a sandplain garden make your visit memorable, whether as a botanist or casual visitor.
Protea flower at Wittunga Botanic Gardens
It had been quite a few years since our last visit to these gardens, but they did not disappoint. Despite being in a busy residential part of the city and hills, there is a wonderful peace, an almost tangible tranquillity in a garden like this.
And this peacefulness is apparent despite the noisy, garrulous screeching of the Rainbow Lorikeets as they feed in the eucalypt trees that abound in the gardens.
Wittunga Botanic Gardens Part 1
Last week we had to travel to our capital city Adelaide, about an hour’s drive from home. On our way home we took a slight detour and visited the Wittunga Botanic Gardens near Blackwood in the Adelaide Hills. It had been quite a few yars since our last visit.
Wittunga Botanic Gardens
While this garden is set in the Adelaide Hills, it is now surrounded by suburbia, with houses on two sides, a transport corridor on another (complete with passenger trains every few minutes) and a large school on the other side. The main access is by means of a busy four lane highway. Despite being hemmed in on all sides, the park is surprisingly peaceful. The gardens have been established for many years and have been planted around existing old growth eucalypts. In the middle an artificial lake provides a beautiful water feature.
Related Articles:
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens part 4
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
The lower part of the Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens features a large artificial lake as shown in the above photo. Around this lake many people enjoy picnics and barbecues when they come to visit. A feature of this lake is the abundant bird life, especially the water birds.
Black Swan, Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
These beautiful gardens are a very pleasant half hour drive from the Adelaide CBD. It is worth visiting at different times of the year. Not everything flowers in the spring and summer months. In autumn the deciduous trees put on a magnificent display.
Related posts:
- The Adelaide Hills
- Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
- Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens part 2
- Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens part 3
Butterfly in the Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens