Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens

Where is it?: The gardens of 97 hectares are on the eastern slopes below Mount Lofty overlooking the Piccadilly Valley. The upper car park is accessed from Mawson Drive, off Mount Lofty Summit Road and the bottom car park from Lampert Road, off Piccadilly Road and Sprigg Road.

Owner: Department for Environment and Water.

Habitat: There are extensive plantings of cool temperate plants from around the world with large expanses of open grassy areas and an artificial lake. At the turn of the century, this whole valley was clear-felled with the exception of a few individual trees, and the timber was harvested for use in the copper mines at Kanmantoo to the east, and as firewood in the factories in Adelaide. The regenerated areas are mainly Messmate Stringybark (Eucalyptus obliqua). The understorey includes Myrtle Wattle (Acacia myrtifolia), Large-leaved Bush-pea (Pultenaea daphnoides), Common Flat-pea (Platylobium obtusangulum) and Bracken (Pteridium esculentum). In the wetter gullies there is Swamp Wattle (Acacia retinodes), Coral Fern (Gleichenia microphylla) and water-ferns (Blechnum sp.).

More information: Department for Environment and Water.MLBG

Total Species Recorded to Date: 75 (non-passerines 39, passerines 36)

Common Species: Eurasian Coot, Adelaide Rosella, White-throated Treecreeper, Superb Fairywren, Eastern Spinebill, Little Raven

Less Common Species: Little Black Cormorant, Brush Bronzewing, White-naped Honeyeater, Buff-rumped Thornbill, Willie Wagtail, Bassian Thrush

Updated: 26/07/2021