Botanic Park, Adelaide, South Australia part 2
Botanic Park, Adelaide, South Australia
Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, has been deliberately planned with parks and gardens surrounding the CBD. Botanic Park is one such park and is located between Adelaide Zoo and Adelaide Botanic Gardens. The Bicentennial Conservatory is just a five minute walk from where I took these photos.
Links:
Botanic Park, Adelaide, South Australia
Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens
Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens
Sydney Trip June 2011
On our way home from visiting family in Sydney earlier this year we stopped for a short break in the Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens, just a short detour from the main road through the city. We only stayed long enough to have a quick bite to eat, a refreshing cuppa and to have a brief look at some of the flowers blooming in the gardens. Yesterday I showed some of the photos I took; today I add a few more, including some beautiful grevilleas.
Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens
Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens
Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens
Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens
Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens
Sydney Trip June 2011
On our way home from visiting family in Sydney last June our route took us through the provincial city of Wagga Wagga. Except for one occasion we have generally driven straight through the city on our way to Sydney, or on our way home. On one occasion we did stay over one night but didn’t see much of the city. We must rectify that someday and really investigate this wonderful place.
Several times we have stopped for a meal or a short break, usually heading for the botanic gardens which are a short two minute drive from the main route through the CBD. On this occasion it was getting late in the afternoon and was very cold, but we decoded to stop for a cuppa anyway. we also needed a toilet break, and to change drivers.
Despite the late hour I was able to get a few quick photos of some of the plants and flowers in bloom. despite it being mid-winter there were some highlights which I will show today and tomorrow.
Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens
Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens
Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens
Wittunga Botanic Gardens, Blackwood, South Australia
Wittunga Botanic Gardens, Blackwood, South Australia
On my visit to the Wittunga Botanic Gardens late last year I enjoyed strolling around the various paths taking photos of the garden beds, the plants that were flowering and looking for birds to photograph. Sadly I didn’t see many birds; this is usually a good birding spot.
Never mind. I really enjoyed the wonderful spring day with a gentle breeze. Look back over recent days where I shared more photos, and stay tuned for more in the coming days.
Information:
Fore more information about the gardens – location, opening times, facilities – click here.
Wittunga Botanic Gardens, Blackwood, South Australia
Wittunga Botanic Gardens, Blackwood, South Australia
Bendigo Botanic Gardens
Bendigo Botanic Gardens
On my last visit to Bendigo I had a brief visit to the Bendigo Botanic Gardens. We had on previous occasions stopped here for either morning tea or lunch. Some years ago this was a very pleasant, well mantained park with a pleasing collection of native and exotic plants.
Bendigo Botanic Gardens - Swamp Wallaby enclosure
A feature of the gardens was the large pond – a small lake really – filled regularly by the nearby Bendigo Creek. This lake was home to a wide range of native and introduced water birds, adding to the attractiveness of the park. On this visit however, the lake was completely dry, with no birds.
Centrally located were also several large aviaries containing a range of native and exotic birds. By stretching one’s imagination and generosity of spirit, one could consider calling this a very small zoo. A more accurate description would have been to call it a small fauna park.
Bendigo Botanic Gardens - Swamp Wallabies
On this latest visit I was very disappointed at the poor state of the whole gardens, and the deplorable state of the animal collection. Either you have animals and birds on display in an attractive way – or you have none at all. The sad, run-down condition of the wallaby enclosure spoke volumes. Whoever is in charge either has no interest in the display or no budget to improve things – probably both.
Bendigo Botanic Gardens - Bird aviary
The large ugly looking aviary in the photo above shows the cockatoo enclosure. It was once a monkey cage. at least that would be mildly interesting. The poor parrots in it were quite bored and most of the species represented could easily be seen outside in the natural environment by any amateur birder.
Bendigo Botanic Gardens - Bird aviary
To be fair to the local authorities, the region has been undergoing severe drought conditions over the last decade. The drastic water restrictions meant that the lake could not be filled, nor could the exgtensive lawns be watered much. Many of the exotic plants were showing signs of stress.
Bendigo Botanic Gardens - Sulphur-crested cockatoos
Since my visit the local city council has announced a total revamp, extension and upgrading of the botanic gardens. This is long overdue. The plans can be seen here.
Further reading:
- White Hills Botanic Gardens Bendigo – plenty of background information and photos of the gardens.
- A visit to Bendigo – article on my birding blog