Australian Garden Show Sydney
Centennial Park, 5-8 September 2013
NSW flower shows, open gardens and events not to be missed
Stretching from the heart of Sydney to the farthest reaches of regional NSW, there's an inspiring parade of lush green and colourful blossoms, with open gardens, floral and garden events bursting into bloom state-wide throughout spring. Inspired by the Australian Garden Show Sydney, explore Sydney's green spaces and floral delights, then meander further afield through the many beautiful gardens of regional NSW. Discover garden shows, where you can see inspiring displays and meet experts to grow your knowledge of all things green.
Sydney's open gardens
From the expansive green of Centennial Parklands to the harbourside splendour of the Royal Botanic Gardens; the manicured flowerbeds of Hyde Park to enchanting secret gardens dotted across the city, Sydney is a wonderland of buds, blossoms and beauty. Discover these treasures, open to all:
The Bible Garden, Palm Beach: This serene garden in one of Sydney's most glamorous northern beachside suburbs is a series of gently descending, intimate grassed terraces leading down to a viewing area with spectacular panoramas across Palm Beach and Pittwater. There's a pond and a plaque explaining the garden's Christian origins and six decades of history. It's loved by locals for picnics, quiet contemplation and picture-perfect weddings.
Centennial Parklands: This 360-hectare expanse of undulating parkland and woods in Sydney's inner east is the city's greatest green space. It encompasses Centennial Park, Queens Park and Moore Park, and contains heritage buildings, extensive native flora and fauna, a restaurant, cafe, kiosk, and visitor centre. In these three interlinked parks you can enjoy multiple outdoor activities including horse riding at the Equestrian Centre, cycling, rollerblading, football, cricket – or just long, rambling strolls in spots where you can't see a single piece of city skyline and you feel as if you're in open sydney.com visitnsw.com nswevents.com
country. The Park also contains two main areas of the Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub endangered ecological community.
Hyde Park: Hyde Park is the city's central open green space and began life in the 19th century as a racecourse and sports ground. Today, it's a perfectly manicured urban oasis with a grand tiled, tree-lined central pathway, the Archibald Fountain and the 1934 art deco War Memorial and Pool of Remembrance. On any day of the week you'll find a chess game in progress on the park's giant-sized board and the lawns make an excellent spot to take a breather from the bustling metropolis just metres away.
Royal Botanic Gardens: This oasis of 30 hectares in the heart of the city occupies one of Sydney's most spectacular positions: winding along the harbour's edge around Farm Cove, with direct, up-close views of the Opera House. Established in 1816, it is the oldest scientific institution in the country and is home to an outstanding collection of plants from Australia and overseas. From the rare and threatened, to a romantic rose garden, the themed areas show nature's diversity. Special features include: Cadi Jam Ora - First Encounters, a display acknowledging the Cadigal - the original inhabitants of Sydney's city centre.
Chinese Garden of Friendship: Darling Harbour houses one of the only Chinese gardens outside Asia. Initiated by the local Chinese community to share their rich cultural heritage and celebrate Australia's 1988 Bicentenary, the Chinese Garden is a lovely walled paradise which transports you into another place and time. The Garden was designed and built by Chinese landscape architects and gardeners, and is governed by the Taoist principles of 'Yin-Yang' and the five opposite elements - earth, fire, water, metal and wood. Explore a stunning landscape featuring waterfalls, lakes, exotic plants and hidden stone pathways, then unwind in the garden Teahouse with a drink and some Chinese delicacies.
Lex and Ruby Graham Gardens, Cremorne Point: This beautiful garden is also a living love story. The stunning patchwork of winding paths, plant beds and secret corners on the steep slopes of the Cremorne Point Foreshore was first planted with a single Elephant's Ear bulb found floating in the rockpool down below in 1959, by local Lex Graham. With his new bride Ruby, he cleared decades of rubbish from the area, which had been used as a tip. The Grahams continued to tend the garden and it flourished over 50 years into a National Trust-listed showpiece. Although the Grahams have both sydney.com visitnsw.com nswevents.com
passed away, their peaceful oasis is maintained by the local council and is a permanent reminder of this kindly, outdoors-loving couple.
Lillian Fraser Garden, Pennant Hills: This 3,426 sq metre woodland garden in north-west Sydney once surrounded the home of Dr Lilian Fraser, Australia's third qualified female biologist, born in 1908. During a career spanning 33 years, Dr Fraser travelled extensively in Australia and overseas, spending her holidays exploring bushland for new plant and disease specimens. Among the wide range of plants in her garden are some very special for their size or rarity, and displays include natives, davidia and dogwoods. Dr Fraser died in 1987 without family, so she bequeathed her garden to Hornsby Shire Council so it could be enjoyed as a public garden and park.
Lisgar Gardens, Hornsby: If you love camellias, take a stroll through these delightful 2.6 hectares of sandstone terraced gardens in Hornsby, in Sydney's north. The garden was begun in 1917 by Dr Max Cotton and by 1950 was planted with rhododendrons, azaleas, gardenias and other exotics in harmony with native trees and ferns, highlighting the eighty varieties of camellias. Some of the original camellias remain among the current ninety- plus varieties, and are now over sixty years old. The gardens also boast mass plantings of annuals, a pavilion, fish ponds, a gazebo, three waterfalls, picnic tables and a rainforest walk.
Swain Gardens, Killara: Almost a secret, this secluded bushland garden is regarded by many as the most beautiful 3.4 hectares on Sydney's north shore. It was created by Arthur (Mick) Newling Swain on land behind his home, and when he died in 1973 it passed to Ku-ring-gai Council, which now maintains it. Features include meandering paths, flowering fruit trees, a rhododendrum walk , a giant metasequoia tree and a bridge made from sandstone from the Tank Stream, excavated from underneath Swain's bookshop in Pitt St.
Koshigaya-tei Japanese Garden, Campbelltown: This Japanese teahouse and garden adjacent to Campbelltown Arts Centre was a Bicentennial gift to Campbelltown from Japanese sister city Koshigaya. Behind the centre is the Sculpture Garden, which presents a series of changing exhibitions including the annual Sculpture by the Sea.
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Paddington Reservoir Gardens: Alongside Paddington's boutique retail strip, Oxford Street, you'll find an award-winning venue that's been completely transformed from its former life as a 19th century reservoir supplying water for Sydney's population and then a garage and petrol station. It is now State heritage-listed and reborn as a stunning Romanesque sunken garden with a lake of contemplation at its centre and a hanging garden canopy around the perimeter. Hailed as a blend of the ancient Baths of Caracalla in Rome and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Paddington Reservoir Gardens even incorporates the site's original graffiti art in this unique transformation which won the Australian Award for Urban Design in 2009.
Gardens of regional NSW
If you relish a diversity of native plants and animals, or beautiful seasonal gardens in stunning natural locations, you’ll find plenty of botanic gardens, nature reserves and eco-friendly gardens to tempt you all over NSW.
Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens, Mt Tomah: This stunning cool-climate garden is Australia's highest botanic garden. The 252 hectare garden is on a basalt-capped peak 1,000 metres above sea level, with sweeping mountain vistas and more than 40,000 native, exotic and rare cool climate plants. You'll see an extraordinary variety of landscapes here, from immaculate European- style gardens to pristine pockets of ancient rainforest.
The Australian Botanic Garden, Mt Annan: Just 45 minutes drive from Sydney's CBD you'll find Australia's largest botanic garden. The Australian Botanic Garden displays over 4000 extraordinary native plants across 416 hectares of hills and lakes. The Garden features outdoor sculptures, free gas barbecues, a restaurant and a gift shop which sells plants.
Corbett Gardens, Bowral: The Southern Highlands are famous for gardens, where the area's distinct seasons make for vivid autumn colours and bright, beautiful spring blooms. Corbett Park, at the centre of Bowral, is one of the finest and oldest. It dates back to 1911 and now boasts a huge array of tulips and colourful springtime bulbs, shrubs and trees. Corbett Gardens is the centrepiece of the annual Tulip Time Festival with over 100,000 massed tulips on display and 20,000 annuals.
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Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens: Situated on a 42 hectare forest site five kilometres south of Batemans Bay on the NSW South Coast, this park is the only botanic garden in the world to grow exclusively species native to its region. There's no shortage of variety though; the area is home to 2,000 species of plants, trees and shrubs – and most can be seen in this park. There are also kangaroos, wallabies, bandicoots, possums, echidnas, snakes, lizards, frogs and many birds. The different sections, linked by walking tracks, give you a wonderful idea of the horticultural diversity of this part of the south coast.
Hunter Valley Gardens: This amazing outdoor space in the heart of NSW's main wine region is a glorious 25 acres of themed gardens and magnificent displays of topiary, mass plantings, statuary, waterfalls, a tranquil lake, eight kilometres of walking paths and 10 permanent, themed feature gardens with thousands of flowers, trees and shrubs. Admission: adults $25, children 4-15 $15
Hunter Region Botanic Gardens, Raymond Terrace: These 140 hectares near Newcastle are nearly all preserved as natural bushland. The Botanical Collections, which are predominantly Australian flora, are arranged into a number of Theme Gardens including acacias, Australian plants for the home garden, succulents, banksias, hakeas and grevillias, plants of the Hunter Region, conifers, cycads and ferns. Walking tracks up to 6km in length provide an opportunity to see local plants and wildlife including numerous birds, goannas, possums, wallabies and koalas.
Cowra Japanese Garden: Opened in 1979, the multi award-winning Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre is a monument to peace and reconciliation. Ken Nakajima created the Kaiyushiki (strolling) garden, to symbolise the Japanese landscape. The rocky hillside, manicured hedges, waterfalls, streams and the two lakes provide a serene and secure environment for a myriad of local birdlife. Take time to explore the 5 hectares of garden along special walkways and enjoy its beauty and tranquillity.
North Coast Regional Botanic Garden, Coffs Harbour: On the north coast of NSW, this major botanic garden covers 20 hectares of Crown Land and is bounded on three sides by Coffs Creek, a wide mangrove-lined, tidal estuary. The Garden features natural forest, rare and endangered Australian species, and exotic plants from other sub-tropical regions of the world. There's a sydney.com visitnsw.com nswevents.com
Japanese Garden featuring a lake, arched bridge and teahouse and five kilometres of paths and boardwalks for exploring.
Booderee Botanic Gardens, Jervis Bay: These 80 spectacular hectares within Booderee National Park on the south coast of NSW are the only Aboriginal owned botanic gardens in Australia. The Gardens include a unique setting of cultivated areas surrounded by natural bushland, where you can learn about bush tucker and medicinal uses of plants and the long association of Indigenous people with this land. Follow nature trails through rainforest, heath and forest, where 200 species of birds reside.
Burrendong Botanic Garden and Arboretum, Wellington: This enchanting park covers approximately 167 hectares in the Central West region of NSW. It is dedicated to the preservation and conservation of Australia's unique flora, and offers a total sensory experience; you can see spectacular and rare flowers, vibrantly coloured bark, the intriguing shapes of buds and fruit as well as kangaroos, echidnas, goannas and even emus. One of the highlights of the Arboretum is Fern Gully, a man-made rainforest beneath an enormous suspended, thatched canopy, with a trickling creek lined with palms, tree ferns and rainforest trees.
Everglades, Blue Mountains: Everglades is one of Australia’s foremost heritage gardens and is now owned by the National Trust. This treasure from the 1930s sits in twelve and a half acres of European-style gardens and native Australian bush with breathtaking views over the Jamison Valley in the World Heritage listed Blue Mountains. Here you can see the outstanding work of Danish landscape architect Paul Sorenson, who established the garden's modernist design and art deco influences. Entry is free to National Trust members, otherwise $10 admission.
The Foxglove Spires Garden, Tilba Tilba: The Foxglove Spires Garden nestles beneath Gulaga (Mt Dromedary) at Tilba Tilba on the NSW south coast. The 25 year-old garden was lovingly built from scratch by Peter and Sue Southam, who found that the black soil and position suited English plants much better than Australian natives. Now in spring you can walk beneath rose-covered arbours, along secluded forest paths underplanted with hellebores and daphnes and through grassy grottos bordered with camellias sydney.com visitnsw.com nswevents.com
and azaleas. The pear-covered driveway leads to shaded ponds, lush plantings of perennials and cool corners to sit and contemplate the beauty. Admission: Adults $9; children 2-12 $5
Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve, Coffs Harbour: A nature lover's paradise, this reserve provides an up-close glimpse of the life cycle of one of Australia's most interesting migratory birds. Wedge-tailed shearwaters, commonly known as muttonbirds, are one of the eight shearwater species found in New South Wales and this is the most significant muttonbird site in the state. The seabird rookery is surrounded by breathtaking coastal views.
The Living Desert Sanctuary, Broken Hill: The Living Desert Reserve nestles among the Barrier Ranges, 9km from the City of Broken Hill. Its 2400 hectares of breathtaking topography, scenery and views can be explored through numerous walking trails. Within the reserve is the 180 hectare Living Desert Flora and Fauna Sanctuary. Bordered by a predator-proof fence, the sanctuary allows close access to outback plants and animals, while illustrating the region's Aboriginal heritage. The Living Desert also houses the Sculpture Site, where 12 sandstone sculptures along a 1km walkway highlight the skyline, all with a story to tell.
Barren Grounds Nature Reserve, Jamberoo: Almost completely encircled in rocky cliffs at the top of Jamberoo Pass in the Southern Highlands, a short drive from Wollongong, this pristine natural habitat has a wealth of birdlife and unique plant species. The heathland wildflowers burst with colour during spring. Barren Grounds is a birdwatcher’s paradise, with around 180 different species of birds including honeyeaters, southern emu wrens, crimson rosellas, cockatoos and grey currawongs. You might even spot a threatened ground parrot or eastern bristlebird.
Wild Valley Art Park is a sustainable garden and retreat, where nature and art combine, at Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains. The magnificent 17 acre property houses an Eco Arts Centre, Sculpture Garden and Artist Retreat. Once the headquarters of Planet Ark and originally built as a sustainable village project by Mission Australia, Wild Valley Art Park is a unique, self-sufficient, beautifully presented bushland oasis. Open to the public Saturdays and Sundays. sydney.com visitnsw.com nswevents.com
Events not to miss
Spring Festival of Flowers, 1-30 September: The Spring Festival of Flowers at Hunter Valley Gardens is an unforgettable visual and sensory experience. You can see over 250,000 annuals as well as demonstrations, entertainment and displays throughout the festival as well as listening to garden talks. The 2013 Festival has an Asian theme.
Draw on the Mountain, Blue Mountains, 20-29 September: You're invited to pick up a sketchbook and capture the beauty of the Blue Mountains national terrain in this inaugural celebration of art and bushland hosted by Wild Valley Art Park at Wentworth Falls. The self-guided 'sketchbook trail' includes Wentworth Falls Lake and Lookout, Lawsons bushwalks and waterfalls, Scenic World and the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre.
Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival, Cowra, 21-29 September: Sakura Matsuri is a much loved event in the Cowra cultural calendar, combining the beauty of cherry blossoms in full bloom with the centuries old traditions of Japan. Now in its 24th year at the Cowra Japanese Garden, Sakura Matsuri has developed into a showcase of Japanese arts, crafts and cultural activities.
Tulip Time, 24 September to 7 October: This Southern Highlands spring garden festival is one of Australia's oldest, largest and best-loved floral events. Bowral's Corbett Gardens bursts into bloom with 60,000 specially planted tulips and 25,000 other annuals, with 40,000 more flowers planted in neighbouring Mittagong and Moss Vale. Exquisite private gardens, some containing trees and plantings over 100 years old, also open their doors to the public.
Leura Gardens Festival, 5-13 October: A highlight of the Blue Mountains annual calendar, this festival opens 10 beautiful gardens to the public. These include the National Trust Property Everglades; Shenstone, a wonderful sydney.com visitnsw.com nswevents.com
historic property; and Waldorf Gardens, part of the Waldorf Leura Gardens B&B Resort. The 49-year-old festival is a charity event with art, music and craft and food stalls in the mix.
Berry Garden Festival, 17-20 October: Berry is known as 'The Town of Trees,' and this springtime celebration is the perfect time to experience this beautiful part of the south coast Shoalhaven. Enjoy access to eight beautiful gardens in and around Berry as they open their doors for this annual occasion.
Galston Open Gardens Weekend, 18-20 October: Just 36km north-west of the Sydney CBD, about eight outstanding large gardens will be open each day during the 2013 Galston Open Gardens Weekend. This is a great chance to have a relaxing and uplifting day wandering around some of the most beautiful gardens in outer Sydney.
Griffith Festival of Gardens, 18-21 October: Springtime in Griffith is a magic time of year and this wonderful Burley Griffin city has become an established destination for garden lovers from all over Australia. Each year up to 12 private gardens are open to the public, ranging from small cottage gardens to stunning large acreage creations.
Batlow Apple Blossom Festival, 19 October: Celebrate the arrival of spring in Australia's most renowned apple growing area, in the South West Slopes region of NSW. Food, market stalls, live music, art and wonderful old fashioned apple games bring the apple town of Batlow to life annually on the third weekend in October.
Grafton Jacaranda Festival, 19 October to 3 November: The annual Jacaranda Festival in Grafton, Northern Rivers NSW, was the first of Australia's folk festivals and inaugurated in 1934. It celebrates the magnificent spectacle of the hundreds of lilac-blossomed trees lining Grafton's broad avenues and kicks off with the fabulous Jacaranda Ball.
Bathurst Spring Garden Spectacular, 26-27 October: This is a chance to visit 11 spring gardens in and around Bathurst, from formal town gardens to historic and large country gardens. Open gardens include the enchanting Miss Traill's House and Garden, the elegant house of a Victorian socialite who planted her gardens with beautiful cooler-climate shrubs, flowers and herbs.
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Bundanoon Garden Ramble, 26 - 27 October: Enjoy an array of lovely Southern Highlands private village gardens opened specially for this weekend, featuring an abundance of spring flowering, cold climate plants. Browse the Garden Market and the craft and textile exhibition, see the scarecrows throughout the town, a lovely floral display and a working display of old farm engines.
Millthorpe Garden Ramble, 2-3 November: The gardeners of pretty Millthorpe and surrounds in Central NSW open their gardens to the public, while galleries, craft, music and plenty of good food and wine enhance the green experience.
Truffle Festival, in the Canberra region from 21 June through to early August, celebrates the harvest of these exotic fungi grown in NSW's cooler climate areas. The festival features truffle hunts with local growers, including Blue Frog Truffles in Sutton and Terra Preta in Braidwood.
For more information on the Australian Garden Show Sydney and to purchase event tickets go to www.australiangardenshowsydney.com.au
For more information on things to see and do in Sydney including exploring the city’s parks and green spaces visit www.sydney.com. For a full list of garden shows happening across regional NSW go to www.visitnsw.com.
Media contact:
Marsha Rodrom Destination Publicist Destination NSW D: +61 2 9931 1407 M: +61 (0) 450 947 508 [email protected]
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