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SA desert garden a tourist drawcard

A trip to a botanic garden often conjures up images of blooming roses, neat hedges and lush leafy flora specimens. But on the outskirts of the most arid major town in the driest state on the driest continent on earth, the harsh realities of the landscape are everywhere.

Jan 04, 2016, updated Jan 04, 2016
A pop of colour in the desert landscape. Photo: Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden

A pop of colour in the desert landscape. Photo: Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden

Sitting at the top of Spencer Gulf, the SA town of Port Augusta is known as the gateway to the outback in central Australia ­- and for its scorching summer heat.

Remote Australia might seem barren and lifeless at first glance but the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden is proof the continent’s heart is home to thousands of highly evolved plants specially adapted to thrive in an environment of extreme temperatures and devastating droughts.

The 250ha garden opened in 1993 and is operated by Port Augusta Council staff and a dedicated group of 30 volunteers.

About 90,000 visitors entered the garden in 2015, easily eclipsing the previous record of 70,000, which was set in 2013.

Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden manager Cherie Gerlach says the park, bordered on one side by the waters of Spencer Gulf, transitions from ocean to mangroves to desert landscape in a matter of metres.

She says plants in the garden have been selected from areas with less than 250mm (10 inches) of annual rainfall in South Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria.

“It showcases the best of Australia’s arid lands plants. There’s a huge range and people are absolutely surprised at how stunning they are in their home environments,” she says.

“To have all those plants in the one collection is quite rare.”

The garden's visitor centre. Photo: Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden

The garden’s visitor centre. Photo: Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden

Gerlach says the park is also home to many reptile species, including large goannas and the odd snake. The arid land bird species in the garden has increased from about 40 to more than 150 since it opened.

“We are really becoming a destination for bird watchers, too … it’s a growing market,” she says.

The free-admission garden, which recently won an ecotourism award, is divided into sections to represent various arid Australian landscapes such as the Flinders Ranges and Great Victorian Desert, or to showcase rare plants.

Gerlach says it is a great place for people, particularly international visitors, to get a taste of central Australian flora and fauna without heading deep into the outback.

Sturt’s desert pea – the floral emblem of South Australia – is a drawcard for many visitors, who want to see it growing in its native habitat.

Sturt's Desert Pea. Photo: Wikipedia Commons

Sturt’s Desert Pea. Photo: Wikipedia Commons

“People often expect the plants in arid areas to be quite spindly and not as beautiful as plants in other areas but when you see them so close in the garden you really can appreciate how stunning they are, the variety of colours, the leaf shapes and the overall beauty of the plants,” Gerlach says.

“Quite often, people who haven’t been before or heard much about it, once they get there they really are stunned to see what we have to offer … then when they get to see a goanna or a lizard of some type, they love that, too.”

This article was first published on The Lead.

 

 

Topics: Port Augusta
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