This walk begins in the car park and wanders around the Gardens’ buildings, where flowers are plentiful.

1. At the base of the stairs leading to the Visitor Information Centre the bank of Thryptomene saxicola [Section 174] with low arching branches clad with tiny pink flowers is so attractive.
2. A sheoak, Allocasuarina littoralis [Section 174], spreads its branches clad with pine-like leaves, small fruits, and dark red rounded flowers above the path.
3. Just outside the doors to the Visitor Information Centre, Lechenaultia formosa continues to be bright with its red-orange flowers falling over the edge of the pot.
4. There too is a Wollemi Pine, Wollemia nobilis, standing tall in a pot.
   Opposite and close to the wall, Pandorea jasminoides [Section 212] has large dark‑centred pink flowers along its vines.
5. Banks Walk is edged with many flowering plants which include Banksia heliantha [Section 174], an upright shrub with sharp‑edged leaves and terminal heads of rounded yellow flowers.
6. Behind the seat Woollsia pungens [Section 174] is a many‑stemmed plant with terminal white flowers crowded around the stems.
7. Beside this is the Victorian Floral Emblem, Epacris impressa [Section 174], also a scraggly shrub with pink tubular flowers dangling in rows from the branches.  Close by is Epacris longiflora [Section 174], which has longer tubular flowers coloured white.
8. Across the path is a mint bush, Prostanthera phylicifolia [Section 210], which falls down the rock wall.  It is covered in profusion with small mauve flowers.
9. There too is Alyogyne huegelii [Section 210], a yet small upright shrub with large purple hibiscus-like flowers.
10. Around the corner Grevillea ‘Lady O’ [Section 174] is a graceful low open shrub always with a few red flowers.
11. Across the bridge and in front of the offices in the Ellis Rowan Garden, Banksia ‘Stumpy Gold’ [Section 131] is a low dense spreading shrub with upright gold cylindrical flower spikes in profusion.
12. Opposite is a bottlebrush, Callistemon citrinus ‘Splendens’ [Section 240], a large dense shrub with brilliant red bottlebrush-like flowers.
13. Beside is Crowea ‘Cooper’s Hybrid’ [Section 240], a smaller more open shrub pretty with bold pink star-like flowers.
14. At the end of this section is Acacia alata var. biglandulosa [Section 240], a dense shrub of medium size with flattened zig-zag_shaped leaves and cream fluffy flowers.
15. Take the upward road to the left where, below the large branches of Eucalyptus mannifera, Thryptomene saxicola ‘Pink Lace’ [Section 10] forms a low dense group clad with tiny pink flowers.
16. Taking the first turn to the left, at the far end of the road is Grevillea bipinnatifida ‘Jingle Bells’ [Section 124], with the terminal red flower heads on this “standard” plant well worth viewing.

Barbara Daly