Parking
Free general parking is available to the right of the driveway.
Two accessible parking bays are located next to the Community Nursery.
Drop off points are at the Natural Resource Centre and parking spaces for buses and caravans are also available.
Entry and Exit Points
We have five separate entry/exit points. Vehicle access is via Research Road only. Four walking entrances connect the gardens with Coulthard Reserve.
Vehicle Access
This is the only vehicle access to the Barossa Bushgardens. The entrance is 6m wide. The driveway is unsealed.
An information sign is located on the right, 14m after entering the site. A speed limit of 10km/h keeps visitors and volunteers safe.
Southern Para Gate 1
Southern Para Gate 1
All walking entrances are connected with Coulthard Reserve. The Southern Para Gate is the most direct connection to the Bush Chapel and Caravan Park. The clearance of the gate is 2m.
Para Gate 2
Northern Para Gate 4
Southern Para Gate 1
Para Gate 2 has a clearance of 1.3m. Enter here for the Barossa Plant Collection and The Sanctuary.
Para Gate 3
Northern Para Gate 4
Northern Para Gate 4
Para Gate 3 has a clearance of 1.1m. Enter here to walk through the Acacia Garden towards the Nature Play Area and Nature Trail.
Northern Para Gate 4
Northern Para Gate 4
Northern Para Gate 4
The clearance at the Northern Para Gate entrance is 1.8m. Entering via this gate will lead to the Labyrinth and Queens Jubilee plantings.
Natural Resource Centre/Volunteer Centre
The Natural Resource Centre/Volunteer Centre provides:
- Visitor information
- Tour bookings
- Toilets
- Wheelchair/walker hire
- Seating
Opening hours of the Community Nursery and NRC/Volunteer Centre:
Monday: by appointment
Tuesday: 9am - 4.30pm
Wednesday: 9am - 12.30pm
Thursday: 9am-4:30pm
Friday: by appointment
Saturday/Sunday: closed
Entry to the Volunteer Centre is through a manual glass door.
Seating is available outside of the building and can be made available inside. Please let staff or volunteers know if that is required.
Sensory Guide:
Feel: Shared personal space, Weather
Sounds: Birds, People
Sights: Birds, Glare, Vehicles, People
Smells: Nature, Food/Drink
Toilets
We have two toilets outside the NRC/Volunteer Centre, which are open to the public during daylight hours.
Left toilet includes:
- Unisex, accessible toilet with artificial lighting when dark
- Manual door opening inward. Door clearance 86cm
- Cubicle size 2.96m deep x 2.07m wide
- Grab bars to the left and behind toilet
- Toilet height 46cm AFFL with left-hand transfer
- Sink height 80cm AFFL with lever tap at 100cm AFFL
- Baby change table in this toilet, limiting the space in this bathroom
Right toilet includes:
- Unisex, accessible toilet with artificial lighting when dark
- Manual door opening inward. Door clearance 86cm
- Cubicle size 2.96m deep x 2.07m wide
- Grab bars to the right and behind toilet
- Toilet height 46cm AFFL with right-hand transfer
- Sink height 80cm AFFL with lever tap at 100cm AFFL
Sensory Guide:
Feel: Weather
Sounds: People, Toilet flushing, Water running
Sights: Mirror, Reflection
Smells: Bathroom smells
Education Programs
Education activities are guided by a Barossa Bushgardens staff member or volunteer. Timeframes for activities vary, but generally take 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Students need to be dressed appropriately for outdoor activities. This includes long-sleeved pants and shirts, enclosed shoes, a hat and sunscreen during warm weather and wet weather clothing in cooler times of the year. Activities will generally only be cancelled in severe weather or strong rain or wind conditions.
When staying for recess or lunch breaks, we ask students to bring nude food (waste free packed snack/lunch) and a water bottle. Please refrain from feeding our wildlife as human food can harm birds and other animals.
On arrival, students will disembark the bus and meet with one of our educators outside the NRC/Volunteer Centre. The educator will welcome the group and organise storage of lunch/drink bottles. A visit to the toilet, which is located next to the centre can be made before starting the activity.
Activities may include stories, guided walks, visiting the gardens, workshop and information sessions. Throughout guided walks, an educator will be at the front of the group. There are opportunities for students to take a calming break if necessary. Programs can be adapted to suit individual class and visitor needs.
For further information contact Barossa Bushgardens staff at 8563 8330 or email bushgardens@barossa.sa.gov.au.
Things to see and do in the Barossa Bushgardens
Things to see and do in the Barossa Bushgardens
Things to see and do in the Barossa Bushgardens
Visitors are welcome to enjoy a variety of activities:
- Walk or ride on your bike through the gardens and discover over 20 display gardens
- Bring a blanket and enjoy a picnic
- Have a rest at one of our wheelchair-friendly table settings
- Book a guided tour with one of our knowledgeable guides
The Old Gum Tree
Things to see and do in the Barossa Bushgardens
Things to see and do in the Barossa Bushgardens
The Old Gum Tree towers over the gardens with a height of around 35 meters. The only tree on site when the gardens started, it now provides a great space to enjoy a picnic on a grassy area nearby. Close to the NRC/Volunteer Centre where toilets can be found.
Sensory Garden
Things to see and do in the Barossa Bushgardens
Dementia Friendly Community Garden
One of the few gardens containing plants not just local to the Barossa region, this garden contains a selection of plants with sensory attributes like smell, sound and texture. A plan is currently being developed to make the garden more accessible. The Sensory Garden can be found approximately 100m south of the Volunteer Center, on the left of The Old Gum Tree.
Dementia Friendly Community Garden
Dementia Friendly Community Garden
Dementia Friendly Community Garden
Next to the Sensory Garden, the Dementia Friendly Community Garden was developed in collaboration with Carers and Disability Link, to provide a safe space for people living with dementia and their carers or support workers. The garden has a shelter and wheelchair-friendly table setting and is a great spot to have a break.
Food for the Soul Community Garden
Dementia Friendly Community Garden
Food for the Soul Community Garden
Developed with the help of five local disability and mental health support groups, this garden provides accessible wicking beds for the community. Chemical free vegetables are grown by people with disability or dementia, families with children and volunteers. Visitors can harvest fresh produce that is healthy and supports wellbeing.
Barossa Community Labyrinth
Dementia Friendly Community Garden
Food for the Soul Community Garden
The labyrinth represents a journey to our own center. While walking, people can reflect on values, experiences, emotions that guide our lives, before traveling back out again into the world.
Nature Play
Located in the centre of the southern part of the gardens, the nature play area welcomes children and families of all ages. There is plenty to explore including climbing logs, tipis, sand pit, muddy puddle and mud kitchen, sensory path, maze and a partially wheelchair-accessible Nature Trail.
The area is wheelchair accessible in dry weather and pram-friendly. A shelter provides cover.
Water is only available during Bush Playgroup, Nature Play Festival or other staff/volunteer supervised events.
Bush Playgroup runs fortnightly during school term (weeks 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9) from 10am to 12pm and encourages nature based free play.
Sensory Guide:
Feel: Shared personal space, Splashing water and/or mud (only under supervision of staff/volunteers), Uneven ground, Weather
Sounds: Birds, Children playing, Running water, Rustling leaves, Wind
Sights: Birds, Flying insects, Glare
Smells: Eucalypt, Flowers, People, Pollen, Sunscreen
Accessibility
- Accessible parking is located a convenient distance from the NRC/Volunteer Centre and Community Nursery.
- Protection from weather is available in the Volunteer Centre and shelters throughout.
- Free public Wi-Fi is available at the Volunteer Centre, ask staff for access code.
- There is direct access to accessible toilets next to the Volunteer Centre.
- Main pathways offer wide walkways of up to 3 metres, there is only a slight slope throughout the site and no stairs.
- A non-motorised wheelchair and walker are available for hire at the Volunteer Centre.
- Garden maps are available at entry gates.
- A pen and paper for exchanging information is available at the Volunteer Centre.
- Seating with backrests available throughout the Gardens.
- Dogs are permitted but must remain on a leash at all times. Any person in control of a dog in the Gardens must pick up and remove from the Gardens any faeces deposited by the dog.
- Assistance animals welcome but must remain on designated paths and restrained by a harness or leash.
Safety
- Varied terrain including fines, gravel and grass surfaces.
- Some secondary pathways can be narrow with overhanging branches.
- No use of barriers on bodies of water.
- Motorised wheelchairs can access lawn areas but care needs to be taken, particularly after wet weather or watering.
- Children must be appropriately supervised at all times.
- All visitor guides and educators have Working with Children Checks.
- Drinking fountain available near The Old Gum Tree.
- When standing or sitting near trees, please be aware of the unpredictable way in which branches may fall and land.
- Please do not gather or consume any mushrooms found in the Barossa Bushgardens.
- Please take all rubbish home or dispose of in bins provided.
- If first aid is required please see staff or volunteers throughout the Gardens, at the Volunteer Centre or phone 8563 8330.
- A defibrillator is located in the Volunteer Centre straight ahead after entering the building.
- The emergency phone number is 8563 8444 during business hours (9am – 4:30pm Tuesday and Thursday and 9am – 12:30pm on Wednesday. After hours, please call 000.
- During business hours, staff will help and direct visitors in the event of an emergency. If there is to be an evacuation, visitors will be directed to the nearest exit and designated assembly area. Please note no electronic visual alerts for emergencies is available. After hours, please call 000 in the event of an emergency.