Extreme Weather Warning

Date posted: 18 November 2019

In the interest of public safety, there will be some closures at the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium on Wednesday 20 November 2019 due to the extreme heat that has been predicted by the Bureau of Meteorology.

Mount Lofty and Wittunga Botanic Gardens

Both Mount Lofty and Wittunga Botanic Gardens will be closed on Wednesday 20 November due to the catastrophic fire rating.

Adelaide Botanic Garden

Adelaide Botanic Garden will be open from 7.15am - 6.30pm on Wednesday 20 November, however the Visitor Information Centre, Santos Museum of Economic Botany and North Lodge will be closed.

Little Sprouts Kitchen Garden sessions for schools have also been cancelled.

Grey-headed Flying-foxes

Please note that extreme heat can affect wildlife, including the resident Grey-headed Flying-foxes in Botanic Park.

Visitors to Botanic Park are being reminded not to handle the flying foxes and be mindful of them, especially around Speakers' Corner.

During high temperatures, heat-stressed flying foxes and their pups may roost on low branches, fly low or fall to the ground. Fauna Rescue work to reduce heat stress by cooling the roosting area and animals with water.

Contact with a flying fox can be very dangerous as they can carry diseases that are transmissible to humans.

The flying foxes must only be handled by appropriately trained and vaccinated animal handlers.

If you come across a flying fox that appears to be dead, injured or in distress, please call Botanic Park's duty officer on 0401 120 913 or Fauna Rescue’s 24-hour hotline: 0475 132 093.

Find out more about the Grey-headed flying foxes.

Please check the website, Twitter or Facebook pages for further updates prior to your visit.