Nothing about the weather told us this was summer, and we had only packed for the South Australian heat! No, the day was cool – cold even, and the skies were cloudy. Soft rain fell intermittingly as we entered the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. It dampened our heads but not our hearts.
Up the garden path 
First Creek 
There’s something extra special about nature in the rain, cleansing, refreshing. The ambient light makes the grass seem greener and the flowers brighter. The rain also keeps most everyone else at home. So, we practically had the gardens to ourselves as we ventured down the many paths, across the lawns, over the creek, under the wisteria arbours, round the buildings, and hugging a tree or three along the way.
East Lodge 
Australian Native Garden 
East Lodge
From lilyponds, to shade houses, art and architecture the Adelaide Botanic Gardens offers plenty to see, packed into a smallish area. The gardens cover around 50 hectares, which sounds impressive but it’s equivalent to about a half a km2 in metric terms. Making exploring an easy exercise even for the most idle of us.
Simpsons Shade House 
Nelumbo Pond 
Simpsons Shade House
Raindrops on lily pads
There’s a lot of history woven among the botanicals. Development of the gardens got off to a few false starts and about 20 years in the making before the current grounds were open to the public in October 1857. But this is not a history lesson, however, I venture to question . .
. . . this small stone building, charmingly named the Dead House. The deadhouse is a single remnant of the former Adelaide Lunatic Asylum once located on the eastern boundary. The building so named because it had the distinction of being the asylum’s original morgue. Original! And there is my question, why did the place need it’s own morgue and if this was the original, did they need a second?