We will focus again on wattles in bloom. The car park provides a variety of species to enjoy.

1. Turn left as you exit the Visitor Information Centre, then left down the hill to see on your right Acacia obliquinervia [Section 225]. This small open-crowned tree has pale grey-green phyllodes contrasting attractively with bright yellow balls of flowers. It is native to southern New South Wales and Victoria
2. On your left is Acacia pycnantha [Section 224], or Golden Wattle, the floral emblem of Australia (pictured above). This small tree has green phyllodes with large yellow balls of flowers and is native to southeastern Australia.
3. Further on your left is a clump of Acacia dawsonii [Section 224], or Poverty Wattle, medium-sized bushes with grey-green foliage covered in small yellow balls of flowers. This plant is native to New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Go down the steps.
4. At the top of the steps on your right is the groundcover Acacia cultriformis ‘Cascade’ [Section 226], dropping over the wall in a fall of triangular green foliage and yellow balls of flowers.
5. Bear right across the carpark to see on your left Acacia cardiophylla [Section 227], with divided feathery foliage and masses of small yellow flower balls. It is native to central and southern New South Wales.
6. Also on your left is a prostrate form of Acacia baileyana [Section 227], or Cootamundra Wattle, with fringed grey-green foliage and yellow racemes of flowers.
7. Further on your left is Acacia havilandiorum [Section 227], a small bush with grey-green needle foliage and gold ball flowers. It is native to New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
8. Bear left with care down the road to see on your right Acacia buxifolia [Section 225], or Box-leaf Wattle, an open bush with red stems, small grey-green foliage and golden flowers. It is native to eastern Australia.
9. Turn left into the carpark to see on your right Acacia williamsonii [Section 228], with yellow-green linear foliage and yellow balls of flowers. Whirrakee Wattle is native to southern New South Wales and Victoria.
10. Further on your right is Acacia hakeoides [Section 228], or Hakea Wattle, a small tree with linear green foliage, reddish stems, and clusters of large yellow flower balls. It is native to southern Australia.
11. Go down the steps, turn right along the footpath, and cross the car park to see in the far right-hand corner Acacia decurrens [Section 116], a tree with finely-divided green foliage and yellow balls of flowers. It has naturalised widely elsewhere in Australia, but is native to eastern New South Wales.
12. Further on your right is Acacia subulata [Section 116], or Awl-leaf Wattle, a small tree with dark-green needle foliage and drooping clusters of pale yellow flower balls which open sequentially towards the tip. This wattle is endemic to New South Wales.
13. Also on your right is Acacia buxifolia subsp. buxifolia [Section 116], a small bush with grey-green foliage and gold ball flowers.
14. Bear left across the car park to the steps and take the pedestrian crossing into the grassland garden. On your right is Acacia genistifolia [Section 175], with spiky dark-green foliage and masses of cream ball flowers. It is native to eastern New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.
15. Bear right along the boardwalk and left around the corner to see across the road Acacia filicifolia [Section 169], or Fern-leaf Wattle. This large tree has dark-green ferny foliage and pale yellow ball flowers. It occurs naturally in southern Queensland and New South Wales.

Rosalind Walcott