For something more visually dramatic!
Autumn is the best time to visit
Mount Wilson in the Blue Mountains for some spectacular autumn hues. Mt Wilson is like a secret fairy-tale garden village hidden in a far away land, but in reality, it is only a 2 hours drive from Sydney.
We are approaching towards the end of Autumn and very soon the cold blistering Winter will hit Sydney. The weather looked unbelievable sunny and I thought it was a glorious day to do a little drive into the Blue Mountains and see some Autumn colours. My family did not need too much enticement and very quickly we packed a light picnic basket and hit the road.
Mt Wilson - The Avenue
Along the way, I was keenly on a look out for bright hues of red and yellow maple trees at this time of the year. Unfortunately, the drive itself had little to offer in the way of rich colours with evergreen natives being the predominant tree of choice. I was worried if this was a wasted trip as the leaves were still green when we were inside the Blue Mountains!
Perhaps the colour of the leaves hadn't fully developed yet? My worries evaporated when the car took a turn into the famed Avenue drive. The dull greenly scenery suddenly changed into a striking natural show of fiery red, vermillion, gold, bronze and yellow! It was a breathtaking sight and one not normally seen here in Australia.
The Avenue in Fall was undoubtedly a photographer's delight and I was ready to explore all the nooks and corners. Parking was chaotic because there was a huge influx of visitors, I suspected this is one of the peak times for Mt Wilson.
The autumn colours certainly gave Mt Wilson a warm and peaceful feeling. This tiny, English heritage style village consists of about 200 citizens and it has magnificent natural bushland and rainforest, as well as historic houses and grand exotic gardens, some of which are open to the public.
We stopped in front of Breenhold Graden because all the visitors were queuing to purchase a ticket. A lady at the information booth was very helpful and gave us a brief guide about this 45 hectares heritage listed garden estate. The admission fee to the garden was $10 per adult and $5 for children under 5; there was no concession for student and senior.
The garden was beautifully curated and well-maintained and it offered incredible Autumn colours with many different types of Japanese maples and it was a photographer's dream location.
There were several thousand exotic and indigenous trees and flowering shrubs, for a brief moment, I thought I was somewhere in a European village garden.
We spent our day strolling through the garden, walking under the red canopies and having a picnic on the bed of fallen leaves. It was really peaceful and serene.
Flashes of Red
After lots of photos, especially next to the Maples, we left very content. It was a really lovely an ideal retreat spot for nature lovers and an easy day trip from Sydney.
Be sure to pack a light snack and take a winter jacket with you, because it may be sunny and warm during the day, but you certainly will feel the mountain chill from 4pm.
Looking for fairies
The Autumn Avenue
