Gardens and gullies

No matter if you’re a botanical novice or a plant expert, you’ll be fascinated and intrigued by the amazing floral diversity and dramatic hillside setting of Mount Lofty Botanic Garden.

  • ATCO Heritage Rose Garden

    Discover the fascinating story of how roses have changed through centuries of selection, cross breeding and cultivation. Uncover the key chapters in the history of the rose, which spans East and West, science and culture. Read more

  • Magnolia Gully

    Featuring stunning flowers and some rare species, this iconic and much-loved Mount Lofty trail shows the Magnolia family in all its glory. See tree varieties prized for their timber and shrubs used in Chinese medicine.

  • Woodland Garden

    Listen to the gentle flowing of the streams and waterfalls in the gully below while you enjoy the shade and tranquillity provided by dozens of Northern Hemisphere tree species. Paths through Woodland Garden weave around the hillside, connecting the upper and lower gardens and overlooking the Main Lake.

  • Fern Gully

    Explore one of Australia’s richest fern collections, with tall tree ferns extending out of the gully as you climb among the vines and shrubs. High-rainfall plants from Australia and New Zealand create a temperate rainforest that’s cool and inviting year-round.

  • Rhododendron Gully

    One of the most extensive and impressive gullies of the Garden, this is one of Australia’s best Rhododendron collections. The Gully extends from near the upper carpark to the Duck Pond below, and it’s a sea of vibrant colour from August to October.

  • South American Gully

    Imagine where dinosaurs roamed the earth – a time of Gondwana, the ancient supercontinent that later spawned Antarctica, Africa, South America, India, Australia and New Zealand. South American and surrounding gullies have been planted with a Gondwanan theme, so you can compare plants from these now far-flung parts of the globe, looking for clues of their shared origins.

  • Spring Gully

    A glimpse into the 19th and 20th Century history of the Piccadilly Valley, the permanent spring in this area was once used by local market gardeners as their main water supply. Keep an eye out for an old well and other remnant structures, as well as the endangered King Fern and rare Indigenous Coral Ferns that have survived.

  • South East Asian Gully

    Vibrant Camellias are the dominant feature of this gully, while a wide variety of other species from South East Asia, Japan and the Korean Peninsula are displayed here.

  • West Asian Gully

    A winding hillside gully filled with Asian and Indian flora, West Asian Gully features an impressive collection of Viburnum species. Viburnum shrubs are renowned for their colourful berries and flowers.

  • Dwarf Conifer Lawn

    Walk tall like a giant and discover the miniature world of the Dwarf Conifer Lawn. This magical site offers spectacular views, and the compact and slow-growing dwarf-conifers are perfect inspiration for your home garden.