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Adelaide Hills has a 97-hectare botanic garden with 6 nature trails

Kassia Byrnes Kassia Byrnes
Wander your way through Mount Lofty Botanic Garden with these six walks.

There’s never a better time to visit Adelaide Hills’ Mount Lofty Botanic Garden than in spring. Take in 97 hectares blooming to life, changing the land with vibrant colours and scenting the air with sweet fragrances. And these six Mount Lofty Botanic Garden walking trails will help you make the most of it.

1. Rhododendron Trail

women on Rhododendron Gully Mount Lofty Botanic Garden walking trails
See all the Rhododendron colours. (Image: Paula McManus)

Distance: 700 metres

Love the pink and purple hues of this flower, hailing from eastern Asia and the Himalayas? Take the short (but somewhat steep) walk through some of the most spectacular Rhododendron displays. Enter from either the upper car park or past the duck pond and wander through gorgeous woodland with a carpet of colourful petals at your feet.

Just try to time this walk for early spring or late winter, when the flowers will be at their blooming best.

2. Lakeside Loop

Lakeside Loop, Mount Lofty Botanic Garden walking trails
Stop to hug a tree. (Image: SATC)

Distance: 1 kilometre

Short on time and energy, or in need of an accessible option? Get a short but sweet taste of Mount Lofty on this Lakeside Loop, taking walkers around the central lake. Starting from the lower car park where the seasonal display garden bed lies, continue past soft meadows of moss, through strikingly shaped trees and a rainforest canopy featuring plenty of ferns. Stop to look at a collection of sculptures along the way.

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3. Lower Loop

Distance: 1.2 kilometres

This easy walk certainly isn’t short on views. Start at the duck pond and follow the path along gardens featuring plant life from around the world. Take a seat on a bench in the forest to soak in the sights and smells around you, before heading into the South America gardens, with gorgeous views over the lake and treetops.

Along the walk, you’ll spot everything from exotic flora from China to monkey trees that are usually found thriving in the Andes Mountains of Chile and Argentina.

4. Central Walk

aerial of mount lofty botanic garden
Mount Lofty comes alive with colour in spring. (Image: Jake Wundersitz)

Distance: 2 kilometres

This is the first walk with an incline, but it’s only medium. Starting from the lower car park again, head uphill past the Central Gazebo before heading down to the quiet Woodland Garden. Continue on to spot waterfalls, California redwood trunks and a stunning view over Piccadilly Valley.

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5. Boundary Loop

Mount Lofty Botanic Garden walking trails
Explore Boundary Loop. (Image: SATC)

Distance: 2 kilometres

Now we’re getting into steeper incline territory, but it’s an absolute showstopper come spring. Head uphill, through pin oak canopies, the Heritage Rose Gardens and the Cherry Tree Collection (brought over from Adelaide’s Japanese sister city, Okayama). Be rewarded with panoramic views of the Adelaide Hills and the  Rhododendron Gully from above. Once you’ve had your fill, continue on through the Southeast Asian Gully and Magnolia Gully – where 36 different magnolia species come to life in spring.

6. Heysen Trail

people walking in Cleland Conservation Park
Walk through stringybarks at Cleland National Park. (Image: SATC)

Distance: 7.5 kilometres

Want to get off the beaten path? This trail takes you to the untamed side of Mount Lofty Botanic Garden, and you’ll have to return the way you came. The paths won’t always be sealed, and the inclines can be steep, but you’ll get a wonderful mix of all the sights mentioned on the walks above. Plus, you’ll get a panoramic view from the summit of Mt Lofty, the small farms of Piccadilly Valley and the stringybark forests of Cleland National Park. Start at the car park at the entrance to Mt Lofty Summit.

The garden is open daily with free entry every day, and free parking on Sundays (thought it’s still very cheap during the week at $4.40 a day). Discover more beautiful walks around Adelaide.

Kassia Byrnes
Kassia Byrnes is the Native Content Editor for Australian Traveller and International Traveller. She's come a long way since writing in her diary about family trips to Grandma's. After graduating a BA of Communication from University of Technology Sydney, she has been writing about her travels (and more) professionally for over 10 years for titles like AWOL, News.com.au, Pedestrian.TV, Body + Soul and Punkee. She's addicted to travel but has a terrible sense of direction, so you can usually find her getting lost somewhere new around the world. Luckily, she loves to explore and have new adventures – whether that’s exploring the backstreets, bungee jumping off a bridge or hiking for days. You can follow her adventures on Instagram @probably_kassia.
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The iconic Victorian beach where true Aussie surf culture was born

    Craig Tansley Craig Tansley
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    Torquay’s Bells Beach is considered one of the best surf beaches in the world.

    It’d be easy to think Australian surf culture was born around the right-hand point breaks of the Gold Coast and Byron Bay. These regions seem the epitome of how the world views Aussie surfers – bronzed (or burnt), languishing in warm water and sunshine. The reality is a lot different.

    The rise of surf culture along Victoria’s coastline

    surfers at Bells Beach in Australia
    Surfers stand on the shore at Bells Beach, where the country’s biggest surfing competition is held each year. (Image: Getty/Filed Image)

    True Aussie surf culture was born on the chilly waves of Victoria’s winters, when huge swells from the Great Southern Ocean hit cliff-lined beaches along the Great Ocean Road . These beaches were the ultimate proving ground – surfers from all over Australia arrived in panel vans and VWs to do battle with the biggest waves they could find.

    huge swells from the Great Southern Ocean at Bells Beach
    Surfers take advantage of the huge swells from the Great Southern Ocean at Bells Beach. (Image: Tourism Australia/Cameron Murray)

    There are surf breaks all along this very picturesque coast – but those around Torquay were most revered. The ultimate test of a surfer’s ability – and durability – however, was Bells Beach: Australia’s answer to Hawai‘i’s Pipeline. Just beyond, the breaks at Jan Juc and Winkipop beckoned.

    an aerial view of surfers at Bells Beach
    Hit the waves along the picturesque coast. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Torquay became surfing’s Silicon Valley: HQ for the entire Australian surf culture revolution. Four young locals worked out of their backyards in Torquay to create two of the world’s biggest surf labels – Rip Curl and Quiksilver , which soon became the region’s biggest employers.

    surfers out at Bells Beach
    Surfers out at Bells Beach, Victoria’s most famous beach. (Image: Tourism Australia/Cameron Murray)

    Rip Curl started sponsoring the Bells Beach Pro in 1973 – and have done ever since. It’s been going since 1962 – making it the world’s longest continually run surfing contest. Held every Easter, it’s part of the world surfing tour. Spectators line its 30-metre-high cliffs to watch the world’s best take on enormous waves – it’s the ultimate coliseum for the sport and has inspired generations of Aussie surfers to join the list of heroes whose names are on its iconic bell.

    Follow the waves through Victoria’s surfing heartland

    Australian National Surfing Museum, Torquay
    The Australian National Surfing Museum in Torquay. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Just behind Torquay’s main drag, you can see all that history on display at the world’s best surf museum – the Australian National Surfing Museum . Here you can take your time absorbing the 100-year-or-so history of Australian surfing and check out the 150-strong surfboard collection.

    surfboards on display at Australian National Surfing Museum
    The museum holds surfing memorabilia, including a room dedicated to the history of boards. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    But classic Aussie surf culture can be observed in everyday life all over the Great Ocean Road and Torquay. Surfing dictates life here; no work is done until the big swells have come and gone. Just being here provides a window into 60-odd years of rebellion against convention; for no-one likes nine-to-five living on the Great Ocean Road.

    surfing memorabilia at Australian National Surfing Museum
    The varied displays celebrate the Bells Beach competition, surfing legends and Aussie surf culture. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    There’s less panel vans and VW Beetles these days, but surf culture still rules life. Surfers run this coast; you’re better off keeping out of their way when they’re running down past you to face the biggest swells – then hear them swap stories at cafes, restaurants and bars all around you.

    surfing at Bells Beach
    The beach near Torquay is Australia’s answer to Hawai‘i’s Pipeline. (Image: Visit Victoria/William Watt)