Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah is the cool-climate, mountain-top sibling of Sydney's Royal Botanic Garden — 28 hectares of curated gardens perched 1,000 metres up in a UNESCO World Heritage wilderness. Entry and parking are free, and the mix of rolling lawns, themed garden 'rooms' and ancient-plant trails makes it an easy day trip for families willing to make the drive over Bells Line of Road.

Why We Love It

• The highest botanic garden in the southern hemisphere — at 1,000 metres it sits 5–10°C cooler than the city, a comfortable escape on a scorching summer day when the kids would melt anywhere else.

• Garden 'rooms' that play like a scavenger hunt — the Gondwana Walk is lined with dinosaur-era Wollemi Pines, the Bog Garden has carnivorous plants kids can crouch down to inspect, and the Rock Garden bursts with waratahs and grevilleas.

• Free Jurassic Garden app and Bush Trackers map turn a plant walk into a kid-led quest — download both before you arrive, since mobile reception is patchy up the mountain.

• Natural play instead of plastic — there is no formal playground, but grassy hills to roll down, climbable old trees and wide-open meadows keep little legs busy without a single piece of equipment.

• Year-round seasonal colour — daffodils in late August, waratahs and rhododendrons in spring, fiery foliage through April and May, and camellias all winter at the new Tsubaki Yama section.

• Room to spread out — sunny lawns and shady nooks across 28 hectares mean you will always find a quiet patch for a picnic rug, even on a busy long weekend.

• Bell Bird Café for a warm-up break — the Visitor Centre café serves coffee, cake and a brunch-and-lunch menu (scrambled eggs, toasties, salads, steak sandwiches) daily from 9:30am to 4:30pm, with panoramic windows over the Grose Valley to thaw out cold little hands.