Tranquility in the City – Adelaide Himeji Garden on South Terrace
The Adelaide Himeji Garden is a little hidden oasis on the South side of the city, just near Hutt Street. It is as peaceful as it is perfect. Completely free to enter all year round, it’s a must visit experience for locals and visitors to Adelaide.
The Garden represents an important example of contemporary Japanese garden design and is meticulously maintained and beautifully presented. Established in 1985 in celebration of Adelaide’s sister city partnership with the ancient city of Himeji in Japan, the Garden blends two classic styles: the ‘senzui’ style that displays the beauty of lakes and mountains, and the ‘kare senzui’ style that uses rocks to evoke the presence of water and oceans.
Natural elements coincide with numerous features seen in nature and the Garden provokes a feeling of peace and serenity. The path follows a loop around the Garden, starting at the gatehouse entrance and taking you to each of the thirteen elements. You can pick up a brochure on your way in which explains each element in detail.
Take a walk with us through the garden via our reel below:
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The Garden’s entrance gate is modeled on a temple and just as you enter you’ll see a water bowl. The idea behind the ‘Chozubachi’ is so visitors may purify themselves by washing their hands and mouth. Kneeling to use the bowl adopts a humble attitude, important in Japanese culture.
At the heart of the Garden is a calm, tranquil lake, full of impressive waterlilies and surrounded by plants, trees and rocks. Water flows into the lake from a small waterfall. It’s a lovely spot to sit and relax, however it is not fenced so keep this in mind when visiting with young children.
A timber and thatch Teahouse features at the rear of the Garden, designed to be elegant, yet plain and simple. The design is styled on an open pavilion, representing the porch of a Zen temple.
The Sea of Sand in front of the Teahouse consists of rocks and raked sand – 2 billion grains of sand in the Himeji Garden are raked each year.
The stones of the Garden path are made from precast concrete and placed so that visitors walk slowly to admire the Garden. Important viewing points are marked by larger overlapping stones.
Adelaide Himeji Garden is a must visit destination for visitors to Adelaide, as well as local residents who haven’t yet discovered this tranquil paradise. Stop and take time out to sit quietly, relax and enjoy the peaceful scene that surrounds you from each corner of the Garden.
OPENING HOURS
Open from 8am 7 days a week
Non-daylight Saving Closing Time: 5.30pm everyday
Daylight Savings Closing Times:
- October: 7.30pm
- November: 8pm
- December: 8.30pm
- January: 8.30pm
- February: 8pm
- March to end of Daylight Saving: 7.30pm
Except Sundays which will always be at 7.30pm.
Discover Six secrets of Adelaide Himeji Garden.
The garden is wheelchair accessible and pram friendly. Be sure to keep little ones close as the water areas are not fenced.
The closest public toilets are just across the road in the Pityarilla Activity Hub (next to Marshmallow Playground).
LOCATION:
South Terrace, Adelaide
ENTRY IS FREE
There is free parking along South Terrace (2 hr limit)
For more information and all enquiries please visit the City of Adelaide website.
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
As per all our Play & Go reviews, this is not a sponsored post and our review is done completely independently. All photos are by Play & Go (unless specified).
Photos by Play & Go Adelaide 2017 & 2024
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