Without a doubt, the highlight of the Australian Botanic Gardens in Mount Annan, Sydney during the spring months is the stunning annual display of Western Australian paper daisies!
Located just an hour away from Sydney’s CBD, this magical daisy field is an ideal place to visit on a sunny spring day if you want to escape the city and see some floral blooms – plus it’s free to visit! Here’s all you need to know!
Where To See The Paper Daisies In Sydney?
Head to The Connections Gardens at The Australian Botanical Gardens located in Mount Annan, 60km south-west of Sydney CBD.
This is where you will see the vibrant sea of colour of paper daisies, also known as everlasting daisies.
What Time Of Year Can You See The Paper Daisies In Bloom At The Australian Botanical Garden In Sydney?
The peak season to witness the paper daisies in full bloom at The Australian Botanical Gardens is during the spring months of September and October.
Every year during these two months, The Connections Garden in the Botanical Garden transforms, with over one million native Western Australian paper daisies springing up in an area almost 2,000 square metres big (that’s similar to the size of 1 and a half Olympic-sized swimming pools!).
These dainty yet hardy flowers bloom into different shades of white, pink, and yellow, creating a truly stunning blanket of flowers which signals the beginning of spring. It’s truly a beautiful sight!
The flowers are at their best just for these couple of months, so make sure you visit before the end of October if you wish to see the paper daisies in their full glory!
Do You Have To Pay To See The Paper Daisies At The Australian Botanical Gardens?
Entry to The Australian Botanic Gardens and the paper daisy display is completely free. Parking in the Botanical Gardens is also free as well.
However, always check the official website of The Australian Botanical Gardens for any updated information or special events.
Opening Times For Australian Botanical Gardens
The Australian Botanical Gardens are open from 8 am until 5 pm every day.
How To Get To The Australian Botanical Gardens In Mount Annan
The Australian Botanic Gardens’ is located roughly a 1 drive from the heart of Sydney in Mount Annan, an outer Sydney suburb south-west of the city.
If you’re coming from Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs or North Shore, it does seem so far away, but it’s such a beautiful display it’s worth the drive!
The Australian Botanical Gardens at Mount Annan are quite big, so if you are driving, set ‘Connections Garden’ as your destination.
There is a car park right opposite the paper daisies in the Connections Gardens, so you won’t have to walk far if you can get a spot in this car park. If this car park is full, there are overflow ones nearby.
Arriving by public transport to The Australian Botanical Gardens from Sydney CBD takes twice as long compared to driving.
You’ll need to get the train from Central to Macarthur Station (duration of 1 hour), then the bus from Macarthur Station to Narellan Road after Mount Annan Drive.
From there it is a 35-minute (2.5km) walk through the Botanic Gardens to reach the paper daisies at The Connections Gardens.
How To Get Photos Of The Paper Daisies at The Australian Botanical Gardens In Mount Annan, Sydney
Thanks to social media, the paper daisies at The Australian Botanical Gardens have become a very popular place to visit and take Instagrammable photographs in Sydney.
They are the most popular attraction in the Botanical Gardens during the spring, with hundreds of people visiting, and therefore it does get busy – especially on weekends!
I arrived at 8.15 am on a Sunday morning and the car park was already getting full!
By the time I left the gardens at 9 a.m., people were even parking outside of the Botanic Gardens on Mount Annan Drive as all the parking in the gardens was full.
Therefore if you want to avoid the crowds it’s definitely best to either visit on a weekday, or first thing in the morning like I did.
Not only so you can get a parking spot in the nearby car park and don’t have to walk as far to get to the paper daisies, but also so there will be fewer people around so it will be a more relaxing experience!
If you’re after an Instagrammable photo of yourself and the paper daisies without other people in your picture, it’s best to arrive either first thing when the Gardens open, or just before they close, as these are the times when it’s more likely to be quieter.
It’s very important not to stand or sit on the paper daisies under any circumstances, and there are plenty of signs around to remind you.
There is a little rope surrounding the daisies, and the rangers will fine you $500 if they see you go over the rope.
It’s easy to get beautiful photos of you with the paper daisies without having to get inside the flower bed, so there is no need to disturb the daisies.
There are actually concrete paths that go through the display – it isn’t a daisy field, more like a few giant flower beds. Having these paths actually makes it easier to get photos of you with the daisies!
I found the best way was if you stand behind a row of daisies and get someone to go in front of the row of daisies and take the photo for you.
Even if you walk between the two rows of daisies, with special angling of the camera and cropping, it can look like you’re right in the middle of a daisy field!
When I was there, there were too many people around to do that, so I just settled for the photo of me behind one row of paper daisies, which still turned out well!
Make sure to also get some nice close-up pictures of the paper daisies so you can see the intricate details of the beautiful flowers. If you’ll be bringing a professional camera, bring a macro lens to get the best details.
You may also want to bring a tripod if you want to get pictures of yourself without having to ask someone else to help you. This will also ensure your photographs are sharp and clear.
As the Botanical Gardens are closed at sunrise and sunset, it’s not possible to get pictures of the paper daisies during dawn or dusk!
However, if you want to get photos when the light is softer and more golden than the harsh light during the middle of the day, then visiting first thing in the morning once the gardens open gives you a chance to see the paper daisies bathed in the soft morning light.
Alternatively, if you visit in the late afternoon before the Botanical Gardens close, you’ll be able to see them glowing beneath the warm hues of late afternoon sun, which will also make nice photos!
It’s best to visit the paper daisies on a sunny day so the flowers will be completely open. As paper daisies thrive in full sun, try to avoid going on a rainy day as the paper daisies close up a little when they aren’t exposed to light!
Do Not Damage The Daisies!
As mentioned above, it’s very important not to pick the daisies.
It takes months of preparation to create the display at the Australian Botanical Gardens, with over a million paper daisy seeds planted in April or May every year to create the vibrant flower bed.
Throughout the following months, the ground is carefully tended to, in preparation for the daisies to flower at the start of spring.
If you’re wondering why they are called paper daisies, it’s because their petals are paper thin – and feel like paper!
Paper daisies are native to Western Australia, so it’s pretty rare and a bit of a treat to be able to see them outside of WA and over here on the East Coast of Australia!
Other Things To Do At The Australian Botanical Gardens In Mount Annan
While the Connections Garden and the Paper Daisies are undeniably the stars of the show when you visit during spring, the Australian Botanic Gardens offer an array of other things to experience.
If you have time after seeing the paper daisies, make sure to stick around for a bit – the Gardens have many scenic walking trails and bike trails throughout its 416 hectares for you to explore, and lots of native flora gardens.
In fact, this is the largest Botanical Garden in the whole of Australia!
Enjoy a nice picnic next to one of the beautiful lakes, look out for wildlife or admire the outdoor sculptures and Stonehenge-type sundial.
Opposite the paper daisies is The Gardens Cafe where you can go for a coffee and snack, plus there’s a children’s playground next to it, so the kids will be entertained!
There are also public toilets and the Visitor Centre right next to the car park opposite the paper daisies.
The Gardens also frequently hosts educational programs, guided walks, and engaging workshops. You can check their official website for upcoming events.
Getting out and seeing the spring blossoms is a great way to say goodbye to winter and embrace the warmer spring weather.
So if you’re looking for some more spring flowers in Sydney to see, definitely check out the famous Jacaranda street in Kirribilli, North Sydney, or alternatively head to the Auburn Botanic Gardens for the Japanese Cherry Blossoms.