MOUNT LOFTY BOTANIC GARDEN will be closed Saturday 16 November due to extreme fire danger rating. It will reopen as usual on Sunday 17 November.
Adelaide Botanic Garden has been shrunk down to fun-sized flowers, teensy trees and a petite Palm House for a new ABC TV show, Tiny Oz.
A miniature model of the Garden has been cleverly crafted to depict a scene from the late 1800s when a pioneering hot air balloon flight set to the skies and a pair of brave trapeze artists performed daredevil tricks to cheering crowds in the Garden below.
Presented by comedian, Jimmy Rees, and local cinematographer and craft artist, JoAnne Bouzianis-Sellick, the show delves into a remarkable event in local history.
Tiny picnickers, fountains and a moving hot air balloon are just some of the features in the diorama, which draws people in to see the Garden as it once was.
Model creators also used old photographs and records to re-build the wisteria arbour, as well as the expansive Exhibition Building, which is no longer standing.
The model was created by members of the South Australian Railway Modellers Association (SARMA), and is on view in the State Library of SA foyer until 29 May, after which it will go to the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium where will be displayed as part of a summer family program.
The ABC Series can be seen on ABC iview, with the Adelaide Botanic Garden episode airing on Tuesday 3 May, 2022.
Find out more about this fascinating moment in time in this ABC article.