Self-guided Walks

There are seven self-guided walks at Olive Pink Botanic Garden. The Wattle Walk introduces you to 20 different Central Australian wattles planted in the Garden; the Mallee Walk profiles 12 different mallee eucalypts; the Hill Walk describes 15 local native tree, shrub and grass species growing on Annie Myers Hill; the Medicinal Plants Walk which introduces you to some of the plants of significance to local Arrernte people; the Rare and Threatened Plant Walk; the Desert Plant Adaptation Walk which showcases some of the physical adaptations local desert plants have made to survive drought and salinity; and Miss Pink's Garden Walk which explores sites of significance for the Garden's founder, Olive Pink. Each walk takes 20-40 minutes to complete, and while most are relatively flat, the Hill Walk winds up to the top of Annie Myers Hill.

Plants on the Mallee, Wattle, Hill and Medicinal Plants Walks are marked with a number, and a leaflet is available at the start of each walk to help you learn more about the plants profiled. The other three walks follow a route described within the walk guide, and are fairly easy to follow. Click to open PDF versions of the Mallee Walk, Wattle Walk, Hill Walk, Medicinal Plants Walk; Miss Pink's Garden Walk; Rare and Threatened Plants Walk; and, the Desert Plants Adaptations Walk.

We also run guided walks for groups of 4 or more people during the cooler months. Cost for these walks is $10 per person for a 45 minute guided walk. The walks can be tailored to the needs and interest of specific groups. Please contact the curator for more information.

Mallee red gum (Eucalyptus gillenii), one of the species on the Mallee Walk was named for Frances Gillen, Postmaster of Alice Springs and assistant to anthropologist and natural historian, Baldwin Spencer	Striped mint-bush (Prostanthera striatiflora) is one of the naturally occuring shrubs described in the Hill Walk. This species can revive from dead-looking branches after good rains