Keeping you safe in the Gardens during the COVID-19 pandemic.

20 November 2020

Date posted: 02 December 2020

Adelaide, Mount Lofty and Wittunga Botanic Gardens are open.

When visiting, please be sure to adhere to the state government’s up-to-date guidelines, which are available at https://www.covid-19.sa.gov.au. Please also ensure you maintain social distancing and stay home if you are at all unwell.

Visitor information

If you are feeling unwell, please stay home and do not come to a botanic garden or public space.

Please follow safe practice when at a botanic garden by:

  • Complying with capacity restrictions for indoor spaces
  • Maintaining a safe distance (at least 1.5 metres) from other visitors and staff.
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue if you cough or sneeze, and discard used tissues in a bin.
  • If you do not have tissue, please cough/sneeze into your elbow.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water frequently for at least 20 seconds.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

Refreshments

The Simpson Kiosk at Adelaide Botanic Garden is open every day from 9am - 3pm.

Botanic Gardens Restaurant at Adelaide Botanic Garden is open for lunch Thursday-Sunday, and dinner Thursday-Saturday.

Café Fibonacci is currently open every day from 9am - 2pm.

A pop up food truck by Bracegirdles at Mount Lofty Botanic Garden is open every weekend from 10am-3pm.

There are no refreshments available at Wittunga.


Shop

The Diggers shop at Adelaide Botanic Garden is open every day from 10am - 5pm.

Buildings

Our indoor botanical collection spaces are currently open every day. This includes the Bicentennial Conservatory, the Palm House, the Amazon Waterlily Pavilion.

The Santos Museum of Economic Botany is open every Wednesday - Sunday from 10am - 4pm.

Visitors will be asked to provide their contact details upon entry to the Museum. This information will only be used for the purpose of contact tracing in relation to COVID-19.

As part of our COVID-safe plan, the number of people allowed in each venue will be restricted to allow for the government social distancing requirement of 1 person per 2 square metres. For everyone's safety, please respect the capacity limits, which will be displayed on the outside of each building.

The Visitor Information Centre in the Schomburgk Pavilion and North Lodge (by the Friends' Gate) are currently closed.

The Simpson Shade House remains closed for repair until further notice.

Public programs

The Schools Education Program is now accepting bookings for 2021!

Workshops are taking place as scheduled.

Volunteer-related activities including the free guided walks have been temporarily put on hold, however, Self-guided walks are available for each garden.

Additional cleaning

We have put in place additional cleaning of public toilets and visitor facilities throughout each of the gardens.

Some toilets will remain open, with the exception of those in the Tram Barn opposite the Little Sprouts Kitchen Garden and the those in the Schomburgk Pavilion at Adelaide Botanic Garden.

Garden regulations

Botanic Gardens are different from public parks in that they're living museums, filled with valuable living collections. For this reason some activities - such as allowing dogs to roam the Garden - have the potential to damage or destroy valuable plants.

Botanic Gardens are also internationally-regarded as places for visitors to seek peace beauty and tranquillity, so activities that impede this (such as the use of drones) are also discouraged. You must not:

  • Bring dogs or other pets into the garden
  • Fly drones in or above the garden (under CASA guidelines. Learn more at our Filming and Photography page)
  • Ride bikes / bicycles, scooters, skateboards or rollerblades
  • Drive vehicles into the garden
  • Damage or remove plants
  • Do not pick mushrooms
  • Enter garden beds
  • Bring alcohol into the garden
  • Play ball or throwing games
  • Bring BBQs into the garden

Thank you for contributing to the safety of our community.

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More information on COVID-19

The most recent update from SA Health can be found here.

If you would like to find out more about COVID-19, please visit sahealth.sa.gov.au/covid2019 or call the Australian Government Department of Health Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080.

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