Mount Lofty Botanic Garden

This view overlooking part of the universally-accessible Lakeside Trail shows the various ‘environments’ in the garden, with part of the lake in the foreground and traces of morning mist remaining on the distant hills. 

Why visit?
People come to the Mount Lofty Botanic Garden for many different reasons. Some come to see the plants; others for bird-watching and photography and still others to explore the walking trails that run through the 97-hectare site. These range in difficulty from wheelchair-accessible paved paths to relatively steep climbs.

The maze of paths also offers different horticultural experiences. The Nature Trail shows some of the native flora that would have populated the region before European settlement. (It’s worth noting the iconic Heysen Trail passes through this section.)

The Lakeside Trail, which was officially opened in 2015, was designed to provide access for everybody, from young families with prams to the elderly with limited mobility. It also caters for people with limited understanding of English and people with disabilities, their families and carers. Dotted along the one-kilometre loop around Main Lake are eight artworks, each with a different message about people, plants and the environment.

The Fern Gully boasts one of Australia’s richest fern collections and includes tall tree ferns as well as vines and shrubs from Australia and New Zealand in a rainforest environment, while the South East Asian Gully boasts a display of vibrant camellias and other plants that originate in Southeast Asia, Japan and the Korean Peninsula. In contrast, the South American Gully focuses on plants with shared origins from the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana.

There are also sheltered meeting places, spreading lawns for picnics and play areas and panoramic viewpoints over the surrounding valleys and hills. Many of these places are used as settings by family and wedding photographers.

Seating is provided along the trails in places that allow panoramic views over the landscape.

The Garden is home to a wide variety of birds and animals that come to feed on the Gardens’ flora. Nectar-eating birds can be found among both the native and introduced plants, while it’s common to see water birds and tortoises in the ponds. Flying foxes may also be seen resting in the trees at certain times of the year. Visitors are asked not to feed the wildlife as it can have detrimental effects on animals’ behaviour and survival strategies.

When to go

The Mount Lofty Botanic Garden is open year-round between 7:15 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. from December to March, closing at 9:00 p.m. from Thursday to Sunday and on public holidays during this period.  From April to November the opening time on weekends starts at 9:00 a.m. During this period, closing times are 5-5:30 p.m.

Visitors can expect something interesting to see and photograph during every season. Spring is popular for the mass displays of magnolias, rhododendrons and camellias, particularly in Magnolia Gully.  Autumn provides panoramic displays of scarlets, yellows and bronzes among the non-indigenous deciduous trees and shrubs.

In autumn the deciduous trees and shrubs are richly coloured, providing opportunities for close-ups like this, even with simple equipment.

Massed plantings of annuals provide flowers that attract birds and insects, even in the cooler weather. They also make attractive subjects for photographers.

In winter the Garden is often shrouded in mist and fog, but the stark, leafless branches can create attractive photographs when contrasted with the softer ferns and grasses. Birds are often easier to photograph during this time.

Many Adelaide residents come to the Garden in summer to escape the heat. One of the coolest spots is Fern Gully, which contains one of the richest fern collections in Australia. It’s a great spot for shots of tall tree ferns and taking close-ups of curling tendrils and mosses.

Getting there and getting around

The Garden is roughly 25 minutes’ drive from Adelaide’s CBD and reached by following the Princes Highway and National Highway M1to the Crafers exit. From there, you can take the Summit Road to reach the upper car park, or Piccadilly Road/Lampert Road for the lower car park. A bus service is available from Currie Street in Adelaide; details are available at www.adelaidemetro.com.au.

There are four wheelchair-accessible parking spots in the lower car park and three in the upper car park. The Lakeside Trail, which offers universal access, is reached via the lower car park. Funds collected from ticketed parking directly support the garden’s world-class botanical collections, and education and conservation programs.

On popular days, both car parks will fill up quickly, so visitors are encouraged to arrive early to get a spot. Ticketed car parking is available using coin-operated ticket machines, some of which accept credit and debit cards. Bus parking is also provided for tour groups.

What gear to take

The gear you take will depend on your photographic expectations and what you plan to do as well as the prevailing weather conditions. Weather resistant cameras and lenses will be needed when it’s wet and/or foggy and can be useful if you plan to go for longer walks if conditions are changeable.

Lens choices will depend on what you want to photograph. Longer lenses (at least 200mm) will be needed for photographing birds but standard zooms will be fine for snapshots of the kangaroos and reptiles, which are usually accustomed to people.

Wider angles of view (24-28mm) will be best for capturing panoramic views over the valleys and in the gullies and rainforest areas. You may also want lenses with ‘macro’ capabilities for shooting close-ups of flowers, leaves and insects.

A tripod will be necessary for time-lapse photography but otherwise non-essential since most modern cameras and lenses have good enough stabilisation to allow hand-held shooting in most of the situations you’re likely to encounter. Be aware that tripods can get in people’s way if they’re set up on paths – particularly during busy times and when there are mobility-compromised people using the area.

Flash should be avoided when photographing birds as it can startle them and cause them to fly off. The very bright light emission can also disrupt their vision. However, it’s fine to use flash as a fill-in light in dim conditions when photographing people and plants in the rainforest areas.

In quieter periods, photographers often make use of the Gardens as backgrounds for portraits. (The portable lighting seen here should only be used when there are few people using the path.)

Shooting tips

To make the most of the scenic potential of the area you should try to visit when there aren’t too many people. Early morning is a good time, especially in the warmer weather, as the light is at a lower angle and, therefore, softer and easier to deal with.

Be aware of the potential for blown-out highlights and blocked-up shadows on bright, cloudless days and take precautions to deal with them. Check the histogram and adjust exposures to make as much of the scene’s brightness range fit within the graph.

Don’t stay home if it looks like being wet; there will still be plenty of potential for close-ups, including of birds. The lighting is often gentler when it’s overcast, providing plenty of scope for editing your images and videos.

An Eastern Spinebill photographed in the bushes, using a 100mm focal length lens. Many birds are accustomed to human activity, making them relatively easy to photograph.

Whatever the weather, it’s wise to capture raw files and/or try out your camera’s HDR settings. Experiment with the dynamic range adjustments your camera provides if normal settings aren’t producing the result you want.

Take lots of photos – and be aware of what’s going on around you; sometimes the people are as interesting as the scenery. Be prepared to interact with other visitors; many people (photographers in particular) will welcome a chat and an exchange of ideas.

One of the sculptures alongside the Lakeside Trail. This one is titled ‘The Sun’ and its message in print and Braille reads: ‘Life on Earth is only possible because of stars. Almost every element on earth was made inside a star. We feed off the energy provided by our star, the sun. And one distant day we will be consumed by it.’

Article by Margaret Brown (Excerpt from Photo Review Issue 95)

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