Where to see the Best Autumn Foliage in Sydney
Autumn Delights! A Family-Friendly Guide to the Best Autumn Foliage
Where to see the gorgeous Autumn Leaves in Sydney and beyond
Noticed the mornings getting cooler and the days shorter? March marks the start of Autumn and, for some, when Sydney is at its best. Say goodbye to the humidity and hello to crisp, clear days. The start of Autumn is also the perfect time to start planning where to enjoy the Autumn Foliage. A bit like Jacaranda Fever in Spring but less hectic, March to May is the best time to enjoy the red, gold and orange hues as deciduous trees burst into colour.
So whether you’re planning an Easter escape, looking for some child-friendly day trip ideas, or love celebrating the changing seasons, read on to find some of the best family-approved destinations where you can spot Autumn’s golden hues with your gang.
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🍁 Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Think you have to travel further than your own backyard for a dose of Autumn colour? Think again. Whilst Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens are best known for their harbour views and abundance of native flora, you’ll find gorgeous gingko trees turning gold this month, whilst maples transform from soft green to fiery orange tipped with red. Over at the HSBC Oriental Garden, groves of acers (that’s maple trees to those less horticulturally inclined) will be turning shades of mustard, umber and burgundy. There are also guided walks through the grounds daily at 10am, ghostly evening tours, an Aboriginal Bush Tucker tour and more – so plan your visit, and you’ll learn more about the gardens than you ever imagined.
🍁 Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, Mount Tomah – 90 minutes+ drive
Like its sister garden, the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney, the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden in Mount Tomah will be bursting with colour this Autumn. But at 1,000 metres above sea-level, this 28-hectare public garden boasts the type of cool climate plants that you’ll rarely find in Sydney. Don’t know your Cedar from your Cypress? Learn more by taking a free self-guided ‘tree trail’ walk where you’ll get up close to a Jurassic-era Wollemi Pine, marvel at 20 metre high Himalayan Cedars and see groves of elegant Silver Birch.
Want more? Head to the historic Everglades House & Gardens in Leura for a touch of Gatsby-esque Art Deco charm. Designed by Australia’s ‘Master Gardener’, Paul Sorensen, for businessman Henri Ven de Velde at Everglades you’ll find five hectares of orchards, scenic walks, a secret water fall and grotto (a fave with little ones) and Autumnal tulips and blooms. Not to mention the 1930s Van de Velde House with its elegant sweeping staircase and Art Deco architecture.
🍁 Breenhold Gardens, Mount Wilson, Blue Mountains – 90 minutes+ drive
Did you know Breenhold Gardens in Mount Wilson was founded by an Inner Westie? Created in the late 1960s by Leichhardt born Thomas Breen, whose construction company supplied the sand used in the concrete for the Opera House, Breenhold Gardens is today one of the most extensive privately owned gardens in Australia boasting 45 hectares of gardens, parkland and native bush. Only open to the public during Autumn and Spring each year, the gardens are a popular wedding destination – not to mention a great day trip for spotting some Autumn foliage. At these gardens you’ll find Northern hemisphere deciduous trees like Japanese and Red maples, Golden Elms, Silver Birch and Copper Beech which put on the most spectacular display of fall leaves – all red, gold and orange. And with multiple gardens within Breenhold, there’s something for everyone. Explore the walled garden inspired a town plan for the perfect city, admire the sweeping views of the Blue Mountains National Park at the Promontory Lookout, enjoy some quiet contemplation at the Socrates Garden (well this might be a tough ask with toddlers in tow but you get the drift), to name a few.
Breenhold Gardens will re-open on Good Friday xx March
🍁 Auburn Botanic Gardens, Auburn – 40 minutes drive
Short on time but still eager to experience autumn’s beauty? Head to Auburn Botanic Gardens, just a 40-minute drive from Sydney. The Japanese Gardens (read more about them here in our Cherry Blossom Festival article), come alive with hues of red and gold during the fall season as the Japanese maples change colour. Take a stroll across the ornamental lakes, where reflections of the changing leaves create a ‘gram worthy scene. Let the kids run wild in the playground or wander past the Fauna Reserve and bird aviary where you’re bound to run into a resident peacock or two.
Tip: Pack a few snags and burgers in the Esky for a DIY lunch – these gardens have public BBQs where you can cook up a hot meal for the family.
🍁 Camellia Gardens, Caringbah – 45 minutes drive
Love the Autumn leaves but flowers more your thing? For a local escape south of Sydney, make your way to Camellia Gardens in Caringbah. Less than an hour’s drive from Sydney and overlooking Yowie Bay, these 50-year-old gardens are home to more than 400 cultivars and species of camellias. And Autumn is the perfect time to see them when many are at their blooming peak. There’s also kids play areas, a pond filled with ducks for little ones to feed and a cute teahouse serving up traditional Devonshire and High Teas that would make gran proud. Don’t have time for tea? Grab one of their Picnic Box Takeaways and indulge in scones and mixed sandwiches to go as you wander through the gardens – these takeaway boxes are also perfect for little ones to share.
🍁 Centennial Park, East Sydney
This sprawling park in Sydney’s East – boasting 189 hectares of park and leisure areas – transforms into a haven of autumnal beauty during the fall season. Best of all, it’s just a short drive from the Inner West so pack a picnic and make a day of it. For Autumn foliage spotting, take a leisurely stroll along the Grand Drive where the towering trees lining the path burst into a riot of reds, oranges and yellows. The crunch of fallen leaves beneath your feet provides a sensory delight, inviting little ones to play and enjoy the changing of the season. Unroll your picnic blanket near the duck pond (if you’re early you might snag one of the picnic tables), or head to the historic Rose Garden where the cooler weather means those gorgeous roses will be in bloom. Kids not into the Autumn leaves? Try your luck at the sandstone labyrinth, enjoy the nature-play delights of the Ian Potter WILD PLAY Garden or hire a bike or pedal car at Centennial Park Cycles and take the kids for a spin.
🐣 Planning to visit the Parklands during Easter and the School Holidays? Be sure to check their website for School Holiday activities. This Autumn the kids can enjoy a Camping 101 Experience, an Alice in Easterland performance and a Mad Mappers and Treasure Hunters school holiday activity.
🍁 Hunter Valley Gardens, Pokolbin – 2 hours drive
Fancy some cheeky wine tasting thrown in with your Autumn foliage spotting? Head to the Hunter Valley Gardens for the best of both. At these gardens you’ll find eight kilometres of walking paths (most child and pram friendly) winding through 14 hectares of gardens. There are 10 individually themed gardens, all of which will be bursting with colour over Autumn. For little ones, don’t go past the Storybook Garden which features nursery rhyme characters including Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill and Alice in Wonderland at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
Want more? Be sure to check out the annual Hunter Valley Harvest Festival. Kicking off in March, this three-month celebration of food, wine, arts and music promises more than 50 individual events every day of the festival period – perfect for couples and families wanting to soak up the Hunter Valley atmosphere during the Autumn season.
🍁 Southern Highlands, 90 minute drive
Love quaint antique stores, chic homeware shops and gourmet cafes? The Southern Highlands brings together all that’s best of Sydney’s regional hubs – all within a 90-minute drive from the CBD. Throw in some gorgeous gardens where you can enjoy red Oaks, golden Elms and copper Beech trees (note to non-green thumbs, these trees are some of the most striking for Autumn foliage), and you have a family day trip or weekend destination sorted. Make a beeline for the Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens in Bowral this Autumn to see the landscape come alive with colour. Love plants? If you’re there in April, pop by the Oldbury Farm Estate – one of the Southern Highland’s oldest properties – for the 2024 Plant Fair where you can snag a shrub from one of the local nurseries for a bargain.
Want to make a weekend of it? Experience the Southern Highlands in style at country-luxe lodge Milton Park. This grand turn of the twentieth century mansion boasts an Edwardian style garden with three giant Weeping Beeches – the oldest in Australia and 30 years older than similar specimens in Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens. Book in for High Tea and you can indulge in gourmet treats whilst overlooking Milton’s expansive grounds and scenic views of the Highlands.
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