A haven for wildlife

As you enter Wittunga Botanic Garden, you’ll instantly notice the calls of the amazing birds that call Wittunga home. Spend time spotting native birds, which are attracted by the sweet nectar and fruit produced by native Australian plants found in the Bird Garden. Eastern spinebills, New Holland honeyeaters and wattlebirds can be seen collecting nectar. In doing so they pollinate Australian Banksias, Hakeas and Grevilleas, as well as some South African Proteas.

The Butterfly Garden is a beautiful demonstration of the two types of plants required to attract butterflies – sweet nectar plants that provide butterflies with the energy they need to fly and food plants that provide a place where the female butterfly will lay her eggs and provide food for caterpillars. In return butterflies act as important pollinators. Image: "Monarch In May" by Kenneth Dwain Harrelson

The Billabong features Australian wetland plants, including Forest Oak (Allocasuarina torulosa). The Billabong is the perfect place for families to visit, with a large lawn area, plenty of shade and plenty to see. Watch the purple swamphen, wood duck and black duck splashing and diving in the water and try to spot the honeyeaters, rosellas, lorikeets and other parrots that nest in the nearby eucalyptus collection.

The Grey Box Woodland is the main, naturally-found ecosystem in this part of the Adelaide Hills and now occupies less than 3%of the area it once did before European settlement due to urban development. The Grey Box Woodland provides important natural habitat for native animals and if you are lucky, you might spot a koala or two.