Initially admired from the deck of the Visitor Centre, the Rock Garden – the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere – clings to a natural hillside, zigzagged by steps and pathways along stone-walled terraces.
Sculpted from limestone and basalt, this structure showcases depictions of rocky and alpine plant communities found worldwide. It captures the essence of flora from various regions, such as South and North America, Africa, Australia, Eurasia, and New Zealand.
The Rock Garden also has a significant collection of Proteaceae, a family of plants found exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere, featuring Australian waratahs (such as the Telopea speciosissima, the floral emblem of New South Wales), grevilleas, banksias, and South African proteas.
The Proteaceae is a diverse and adaptable species that takes its name from the Greek god Proteus, who could change his form at will, like the 1,600 species in the family that have adapted to thrive in different habitats in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly in Australia and South Africa.
At the base of the Rock Garden, you’ll find one of our most impressive and surprising showstoppers – the South American puyas. Of the 10 species of puya in our Garden, the hero puya species, Puya alpestris subsp. Zeolneri blooms with alien-like turquoise flowers atop two-metre-tall spikes. Hailing from the Patagonian region of Chile, these ‘Sapphire Towers’, can take from 7 to 10 years to bloom and attract a plethora of birdlife such as honeyeaters and spinebills when at their dazzling peak in early summer.
