Review Arid Lands Botanic Garden Cafe - Port Augusta

I visited three days in a row so that gives you an idea of how much there is to cover. On day 1 we visited the cafe, let our kids play in the nature playground and checked out the regional gardens, demo gardens and children's trail. That took a whole day. On day 2 we visited in the afternoon to eat the pie of the day and do the red cliff walk. We saw a few kangaroos too. On day 3 we visited in the morning and did the guided tour, which I highly recommend. We had cake and bought souvenirs also. The eco building was so warm on the sunny side that I could sit there in winter in a T-shirt.

A must see garden. I highly recommend visiting it, and please ask for the tour as you will learn interesting facts about Australia native plants. Mrs. Chris Nayda author of Plants if the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Gardens will tour you around herself and she's lovely.

A unique, beautiful place and it’s free! Donations can be made at the gift store. The cafe has a simple but tasty menu.

Great spot for a few hours walking , sightseeing and eating. Can highly recommend Nyrtle pancakes with Quondong ice cream. Very reasonable price and huge serving.

Beautiful garden and conservation areas. The landscaping lets you see all layers at once, the grasses, shrubs and trees. The main paths are set as intersecting concentric circles, connected by narrow winding paths. There is lots of seating, some in shade some in sun. The central area is well signed. The signs further out are set in a way that I could not get a photo of the plant with it's name.

Great place to visit if in Port Augusta. Free entry to a unique garden full of all Australian natives classified by the areas they grow. Lovely walk trails and fantastic views of the ranges from the the lookout. Great cafe. Well worth the visit.

Beautiful place and good food love their ice cream flavours.

Loved the place! Stunning views, interesting gardens, and the Cafe was great. Staff were super friendly and helpful. Why not 5 stars? There are nasty roof supports at an angle, making them easy to bang your head on. Ouch!

Port Augusta's hidden treasure. Fantastic for the native plant enthusiast or anyone interested in plants at all. You can grab a bargain and plant it at your place. You can all enjoy morning tea and/or a lovely lunch. Highly recommended.

What a great surprise this place is. There should be more like it in Outback Australia to celebrate the uniqueness of the desert flora and fauna. The cafe and gift shop were lovely too.

One of Port Augusta's treasures. A gorgeous place to enjoy an early Sunday morning walk in natures beauty & relax with a cuppa when the visitors cafe opens at 10am. The nursery has a small but certainly one of the most healthy lush species of native plants I've ever seen available for sale. Well done to all those who have contributed to making the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden such a pleasure to visit and a special thank you to the women in the cafe & gift shop welcomed visitors with courtesy and friendly service. I'll definately be back !

Had a yummy morning tea at Aridlands today. Nat from the gift shop was very helpful ....photocopying colouring in sheets for the kids and accommodating us so the kids could run around without upsetting other customers. Food was delicious as usual! Great place to catch up! Lovely staff & service! ☀️

A visit to the Arid Land Botanic Garden always gives Excellent Food & Service & great visual experience walking around the gardens in a very relaxing environment. Would recommend to everyone - it is a must do!!

The Arid Gardens are well worth a look - definitely worth pausing for on your way through Port Augusta. Beautiful plants, art, wildlife and great food. It was interesting to see the variety of plants and how to use them yourself.

Such a special place and such an opportunity to make into a national treasure, but the funding doesn't seem to be there. Staff do an amazing job with what they have got. A must-do stop-over when in the area.

An amazing place to visit, spent two days visiting there. Gardens are beautiful and cafe is very nice

This place is simply stunning. That's it. I now have to find another forty two characters before they will allow me to post this review, so let me repeat myself and say... This place is simply stunning :)

Had a great lunch, bought some lovely gifts in the gift shop and enjoyed walking around the gardens. Well done Port Augusta!

What a fantastic spot. Great work has been done here! I guess a lot of volunteer work has gone into getting this special garden to the way it is. Would have loved to do more walking, but couldn't! Very enjoyable and informative!

Hubby and I visited today and loved checking out all the plants, and of course we brought a box full � And I love the Sturts Desert Pea metal sculpture. A beautiful place to visit

What a little known place. Excellent place to visit, eat, and support a local business. Need to drive through Port Augusta and head on the Stuart highway a short distance to enter. Impressive, modern, clean. Cafe served good cafe style food, and the bush ice cream a treat on a 44 degree day. Friendly helpful staff. A longer walk around the plants and sculptures would have been great if we had allowed more time and the temperature a bit cooler. Great you can see a native bush and it tells you if you can buy a seedling in their nursery. We will revisit. Recommend.

Bit disappointed in the arid gardens but the cafe and gift shop made up for it. All the staff were friendly and helpful.

Fabulous gardens and well maintained and no charge to have a squid!! Great sandwiches and icecream too in your cafe Best ham cheese mustard and pineapple sandwich ever!!

Highly recommend. So informative and lots to learn about conservation of Australian flora. Beautiful place.

Amazing collection - loved the layout and the spaciousness. Signage very good. Magical place

The meals were lovely. The staff very helpful and friendly. The walking tracks were full of interesting birds and plants. We thoroughly enjoyed it and will be sure to visit again.