Put your winter woolies on, and pack a picnic after seven weeks of closure due to COVID-19 restrictions, Mount Lofty Botanic Garden is open again for everyone to enjoy.

Visitors can stroll through the garden from today, Friday 15 May, to catch the end of the autumn colours and continue to visit the garden as it changes through all the seasons.

The Board of the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium Chair, Judy Potter, said “We are thrilled to welcome South Australians back to Mount Lofty Botanic Garden.

“This garden plays such an important role in our community, supporting the mental, physical and emotional well-being of many thousands of people.

“As the weather cools and the autumn colours fade, the garden will remain a serene place to connect with nature either individually, or in small groups of no more than 10 people.”

The autumn season brings more than 200,000 visitors to the garden and the decision to close the popular Adelaide Hills destination was not taken lightly.

Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium Director, Dr Lucy Sutherland, said “We know the community have really missed visiting the garden so we are delighted to welcome people back. We do ask that everyone continues to look after each other by following social distancing and hygiene requirements, and staying at home if they are feeling unwell”.

There will be additional cleaning of the facilities in the garden, and traffic management will be in place over the weekends to redirect visitors when the lower car park is full.

Dr Sutherland continued “We understand how important it is to enjoy the great outdoors, but we advise visitors to move on to an alternative nature spot in the wonderful Adelaide Hills if the car park is full. It’s worth remembering that Mount Lofty Botanic Garden is open 365 days a year, and is beautiful all year round.

“We have been pleased to be able to keep both Adelaide and Wittunga Botanic Gardens open during the restrictions and they have been important places of respite for local visitors, with double the usual number of people visiting Wittunga Botanic Garden for their daily exercise and outing.

“As the restrictions are eased, we hope more South Australians will visit one or more of our botanic gardens to enjoy a diverse range of plants, garden landscapes and nature, all while nurturing their health and well-being.”

Mount Lofty Botanic Garden opening times:

Monday – Friday: 8:30am – 4pm

Weekends and public holidays: 10am – 5pm

Find out more about botanic gardens at botanicgardens.sa.gov.au