Self-guided walking trails at Mount Tomah

At 1,000 metres above sea level, this is the highest botanic garden in the southern hemisphere. Located in a UNESCO World Heritage Area, the Garden is a spectacular showcase of local and imported cool climate plants and alpine rainforest. Walk through the stunning breadth the garden has to offer. Explore, experience and enjoy.

From the carpark, to the right of the stunning and ever-evolving Formal Garden, you’ll find a short and accessible walk that leads to lovely, tranquil views.

The Forest Lookout Boardwalk passes through an immersive green corridor with art panels depicting ferns, unfurling the mystery, wonder, and science behind the fern life cycle. The choice to feature ferns links us back to Country—in the Dharug language of this land, "Tomah" means “tree-fern”.

From this unique eastern viewpoint on the mountain you can see the lush wilderness of the Blue Mountains, and the urban views of Parramatta and Sydney in the far distance all at the same time.

If you’re up for more after the short boardwalk, head on down through the Plant Explorer Walk.

This cool shady pathway showcases over 400 species of plants and shares stories of plant ‘discoveries’ in remote pockets of Eastern Asia and the intrepid plant hunters who brought them to prominence in the West.

This walk shines a light on plant diversity, human endurance and stories of how both common and rare garden plants from around the world came to be here for you to experience today.

 

Head on down the stairs at the end of the Plant Explorers Walk and turn left, following the driveway to the charming (and what seems like a secret) gate. Step into the rainforest of the Lady (Nancy) Fairfax Walk.

This peaceful trail offers a mini bushwalk. Beneath the giant tree ferns, trailing vines, and towering sassafras, couchwood, blackbutt and brown barrel trees you’ll feel like you’ve entered a new world.

The fairy ring trees along this walk are a sight not to be missed. These are near-perfect circular formations of trees that grow from the root system of a single fallen or cut parent tree. Step inside and be transported into a space of wonder. 

Head back up towards the carpark and many rewards await you.

The first is the stunning and ever-changing Formal Garden. Originally fashioned as a romantic 17th century-styled European garden, this space was transformed to be a dynamic, evolving celebration of both nature and art. With a new plant or combination becoming the ‘hero’ each time you visit, the moments of discovery you can enjoy here are endless.

Enter the Visitor Centre for sweeping views from the deck of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. From here you can snap that perfect picture of the Garden’s iconic spiral. Wind down through it and appreciate the basalt rock which comes from this place, formed between 14 and 17 million years ago, and responsible for the rich, fertile soil which allows so many amazing plant species to thrive here.  

From here you can enter the largest Rock Garden in the southern hemisphere, fittingly showcasing a vast collection of southern hemisphere plants. Enjoy showstoppers like Australian waratahs, South African proteas, and South American puyas, as well as pools home to aquatic plants and ferns.  

Below the Rock Garden is the Araucaria Lawn. Towering species on display include Bunya Pines, Hoop Pines, and rare pines from New Caledonia, as well as the superstar of the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, the Wollemi Pine. These towering evergreens belong to the ancient conifer family Araucariaceae, a lineage that dates back more than 200 million years. Their ancestors shaded dinosaurs, survived the breakup of Gondwana, and today stand as living reminders of Australia’s deep botanical past.

Alternatively, from the iconic basalt spiral you can head left past the Cascades and waterfall-style water feature, home to a lovely waterlily collection, for a completely different adventure. 

If you’re in search of striking autumnal colours, wander past the Residence Garden with its Japanese maples and the Eurasian Woodland featuring oak, ash, and birch trees. As the weather cools, this area glows with a patchwork of gold, russet and merlot colours. 

Explore a little further to uncover the newest jewel of the Garden—Tsubaki Yama: Camellia Mountain, which showcases a collection of some of the most beautiful and rare camellias in the world. Inspired by Japanese landscape traditions, Tsubaki Yama features Suiseki-style stone placements, Kyoto-sourced tea caddy urns, and basalt columns carved from Mount Tomah’s volcanic rock. It is also home to a Hiroshima Ginkgo seedling grown from a Hibakujumoku, a tree that survived the atomic blast—a quiet symbol of resilience. 

At the bottom of Tsubaki Yama you’ll come out at Heath and Heather Garden where you can have a relaxing break and enjoy the views from the Northern Pavillion, before either continuing on to discover more or heading back up to where you started. The choice is yours—your adventure awaits at Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah.