Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens part 3
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
Parks and gardens are usually very relaxing places to visit. We are fortunate living in South Australia because we have many beautiful and well kept parks and gardens. Foremost amongst those are the various sections of the historic Adelaide Botanic Gardens. Featured in the photos here, however, are sections of the Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens, an easy half hour drive from the CBD.
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
On a visit last October we walked through the upper section of the gardens. We particularly enjoyed looking at the vast collection of rhododendrons in flower. They made a spectacular display on that magnificent spring day. In January of this year I had the delight of walking through naturally occurring rhododendron forests on my trek in the Everest region of Nepal. Unfortunately it was winter in Nepal, so I didn’t get to see them flowering.
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
To read my journal written on my trek in the Himalayas go the Archives section of this blog.
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens part 2
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
A beautiful part of the Adelaide Hills near the capital city of South Australia is the Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens. On several recent visits I have taken quite a few photos which I am featuring here on my travel bog.
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
This garden is a part of the very historic Adelaide Botanic Gardens which are within ten minutes easy walk from the Adelaide CBD. A third section of the gardens is at Wittunga in another section of the Adelaide Hills.
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
To see more photos of this park and other places I have been visit my photo gallery here.
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
5 Comments »3rd July, 2006; Category: Adelaide Hills, Botanic Gardens, Parks and Gardens, South Australia
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
The parks and gardens of Adelaide are a delight to visit. We have, over the years, visited quite a number of them. One of our favourites would have to be the Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens. These gardens are under the care of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens which are right next to the CBD in Adelaide. The Mt Lofty section is in the wonderful Adelaide Hills, about a half hour very pleasant drive from the CBD.
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
Steep Climb
The gardens have been established on the sides of Mt Lofty, the highest mountain near our state capital, Adelaide. There are two car parks, one at the top and another at the bottom. So the less fit will arrange to go with friends, leave one car at the lower level, drive to the top in the other car and walk down to the lower level. One then only has to walk downhill before repeating the process with the car shuffle in the reverse order.
Photos
Over coming days I plan to post more photos taken in these beautiful gardens.
Related articles:
The Adelaide Hills
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
One of the delights of living where we do is the close proximity of the Adelaide Hills. This is a fuzzy region to define and is generally regarded as the part of the Mt Lofty Ranges in South Australia which overlooks our capital city Adelaide.
Beautiful Drives
There are many beautiful drives that one can take through the Adelaide Hills and other parts of the Mt. Lofty Ranges. The hills are home to numerous small villages and towns, some of them quaint and peaceful, set as they are amongst the rolling hills all around. There are numerous vineyards and fruit orchards set among the dairy and sheep farms. Everywhere are the towering Eucalypt trees, so evocative of the typical Australian rural landscape.
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
Parks and Gardens
Adelaide is also renowned for its parks and gardens. These are scattered throughout the metropolitan area as well as in the Adelaide Hills. The above photos show just one such park, the Mt Lofty section of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. This is delightful at any time of the year but particularly so in spring time. On our last visit a few months ago it was so peaceful with bright sunshine and a gentle breeze. Picture perfect and so relaxing.
Adelaide Parklands
Today we travelled to Adelaide on business. Not very exciting stuff, really, except for lunch time. We took some sandwiches with us as well as a thermos of hot water for a cuppa and some fresh fruit. It worked out that we could have lunch in Botanic Park next door to the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. It was a perfect autumn day – we’ve had a few of these wonderful days recently. The bright sunshine, a gentle breeze, a temperature of about 18 degrees and a lovely spot for lunch ensured a peaceful lunch.
This park, with its expanse of brilliant green grass and towering exotic and native trees, is a favourite with the locals. In addition to the Botanic Gardens on one side there is the Adelaide Zoological Gardens on the other side. Near where we parked are the added attractions of the Adelaide International Rose Garden and the Bicentennial Conservatory. This is a huge tropical glasshouse featuring many Australian plants from the more tropical areas of Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and the Pacific Islands. Many locals and visitors alike come here to have a relaxing picnic lunch before entering one or more of the venues I have mentioned.