Visitor Information

Hours

Mount Lofty Botanic Garden is open every day of the year, including public holidays.

Fire Danger

Mount Lofty Botanic Garden is closed on days when the fire danger rating is severe, extreme or catastrophic. Please check the ratings prior to visiting during the fire season.

Admission

Free entry.

Location and Map

There are two entrances to the garden:

Upper entrance and car park: Mount Lofty Summit Rd, Crafers

Lower entrance and car park: Lampert Rd, off Piccadilly Rd, Crafers. The Main Lake and accessible lakeside trail is most easily accessed from this entrance.

South Australia, 5152, Australia.

Download the Mount Lofty Botanic Garden map.

Getting there

From Adelaide, Mount Lofty Botanic Garden is barely a 25-minute drive from Adelaide’s CBD, following the Princes Highway and National Highway M1, taking the Crafers exit.

From there, either following Summit Road to reach the Upper Carpark, or Piccadilly Road/Lampert Road for the Lower Carpark.

Check Adelaide Metro for public transport services into the Garden.

Parking

There is an upper car park (accessed via Mawson Drive) and a lower car park (accessed via Lampert Road).

On popular days, both car parks can fill up quickly. If the car parks are full, we encourage visitors to consider moving on to an alternative nature spot, and returning to the garden another day.

Ticketed car parking is available in both car parks using coin-operated ticket machines. Some machines also accept credit and debit cards.

There are accessible car parks in both car parks (four in the lower car park and three in the upper car park).

Funds collected from ticketed parking directly support the garden’s world-class botanical collections, and education and conservation programs.

Find out more about parking.

Please note:

All large coaches can only access Mount Lofty Botanic Garden via the Lower Car Park off Lampert Road.

Parking during the autumn season

Autumnis a very popular time in the Garden and you may have difficulty finding a car park on weekends and public holidays. Where possible, we encourage you to visit during the week instead of weekends.

Plans are in place to create a new, permanent car park next to the Garden but in the meantime, there will be limited additional car parking options on-site on Sundays and public holidays in 2022 on the following dates:

Easter long weekend (Friday 15 - Monday 18 April)
Anzac Day weekend (Sunday 25 and Monday 26 April only)
Mid-autumn (Sunday 1 May)
Mother's Day (Sunday 8 May)
June long weekend (Sunday 12 - Monday 13 June)

Please follow instructions from the parking support officers on those days. Please consider other visitors and make safe parking choices during your visit.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Accessibility

There are disabled facilities at Mount Lofty Botanic Garden and the Lakeside Trail offers universal access. This scenic sculpture-dotted route is accessible to everyone.

Each piece of the interpretation has been translated and embossed in braille for people with vision impairments, and an audio trail has also been developed to complement the trail (available through the MyParx app).This trail is accessed via the lower car park.

Visitors are advised that the garden is very hilly in some parts, particularly the gullies. Steep inclines and descents make it challenging for people using wheelchairs or prams/strollers.

Refreshments

Get your coffee and nature fix all in one!

Well-known local chocolatier Bracegirdle’s will park their refreshment bus at Mount Lofty Botanic Garden on weekends and public holidays from 26 February to 13 June 2022. They will then return again in September for your springtime walks.

From 9am-4pm, Bracegirdle’s will be offering a selection of hot and cold drinks, savoury and sweet snacks including almond croissants, vegan raspberry croissants, brownies, sausage rolls, toasted sandwiches and more.

So make a day of it; bring a picnic rug and relax on the lawns with a tasty morning tea, lunch or afternoon tea from the Bracegirdle’s menu, specifically designed for Mount Lofty Botanic Garden visitors.

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
• You must not fly drones in or above the Garden (under CASA guidelines. Learn more at our Filming and Photography page)
• You must not ride bikes / bicycles, scooters, skateboards or rollerblades
• You must not bring alcohol into the Garden
• You must not use BBQs and portable gas cookers into the Garden
• You must not smoke in the Garden
• You must not drive vehicles into the Garden
• You must not damage or remove plants
• You must not enter garden beds
• You must not play ball or throwing games.

Wildlife

The Botanic Gardens of South Australia are home to a huge variety of bird and animal life that are attracted to the Gardens’ flora. We do, however, ask that you do not feed the wildlife. Find out more about animal welfare and the Botanic Gardens of South Australia.