A Guide For The Best Cherry Blossom and Spring Flower Spots At The Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival 2022

With Spring at our doorsteps, Tis the season for floral displays of every colour. One of my favourite spring flowers is the Japanese cherry blossoms. These delicate blossoms only flower for two weeks of the year. Sydney has just the spot for those who want to sample the Japanese Hanami (cherry blossom viewing) experience closer to home. After two years of covid-enforced hiatus, Auburn Botanical Gardens are again celebrating the arrival of their Cherry Blossom blooms with their annual Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival!

The festival will run from Saturday, August 20th to Sunday, August 20th. Across the nine days, visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the fleeting pink floral wonderland and explore the perfectly manicured Japanese Garden. The spectacular scenery comes with a delicious selection of Japanese food trucks featuring cherry-blossom-themed menu items like sakura burgers, waffles, bubble tea, and cakes. Visitors can also participate in activities at the pop-up 9-hole putt putt golf course, Hello Kitty’s garden party, or sit back and relax with a drink from the Sakura Mocktail Bar while enjoying the music and performance lineups on the Flower Power Stage.

The event is super popular, and with covid safety in mind, this year, Cumberland City Council has a limit on the number of visitors. The festival’s star attraction, the Cherry Blossom Trail Garden, will now require pre-booking for visitors who want to explore and take photos in the area. You can skip to full event detail here.

Outside of the pre-booking area, the rest of the garden and its glorious cherry blossom trees are available for visitors to explore at their leisure. For cherry blossom photo enthusiasts, here are the top spots inside Auburn Botanic Gardens to get that Instagram-worthy snap and also some the perfect picnic spots to enjoy your food truck haul outside if the main food stall area.

Area 1 : Cherry Trail Garden – Cherry Blossom

What it’s great for: Getting an iconic photo/video of a cherry blossom tunnel

Imagine a classic Japanese tori gate opening up to a narrow trail with rows of cherry blossom trees arching towards each other to form a whimsical pink tunnel. This trail is where you get the iconic picture on social media and the ads regarding Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival. Located just inside the entrance of Auburn Botanic Gardens and is the most crowded place. This year visitors who want to explore this section of the gardens will have to pre-book online for one of the eight daily 45 minutes viewing sessions. Whilst this will mean there is a limit on the number of people inside this trail, please note you will still rarely get a human-free picture in this session, so take what you can and enjoy basking in the pink tunnel. I would also advise staying alert, so you don’t get elbowed or trampled on by accident.

Tip: For a less crowded session, visit during a weekday with a booking for the very first 45 minute session at 9am. Turn up 10 minutes before and prep your camera while waiting in line so you can be one of the first people to get into the trail.

Area 2: Behind The Zen Garden Area – Cherry Blossom

What it’s great for: Getting close up photos of cherry blossoms, especially for those who are petite in height like me.

As you come out of the Cherry Trail Garden and head down the path to your right, you will eventually come across a well-manicured Japanese Zen Garden. A cluster of cherry blossom trees will be a little further down the track and behind this Zen garden. You should see one or two of the pink trees before arriving at a whole cluster. The outer trees are not corded off, and you can get up close to get shots with the flowers. They are also shorter in height, making them perfect for parents who want to take photos of their children without lifting them, or if you are vertically challenged like me, this is also one of your best options. Some cherry blossom trees are corded off here, so do not climb into the fenced area or pull any flowers off for photos. You will get into trouble with garden management.

Tip: If you want one of those close-up-to-your-face-in-the-flowers shot with some full clusters of the pink trees at the back, stand at one of the first two cherry blossom trees you arrive on with your back facing the rest of the pink trees or go slightly uphill to on of the cord free trees at the back of the cluster.

Area 3: At The Fence of and Just Inside the Zen Garden – Camellias

What it’s great for: Photos/video with a camellia wall as well as a stylised Japanese Zen garden with Camellias

The Zen garden is full of photo viewpoints. From outside the garden entrance at the red wooden panelled wall with camellias, to inside with the waterfall and low bushes, to the single standing camellia tree that catches long strands of pine needles next to a tori gate, all the way to the tea house and the stepping stone path at the lakeside. This place is perfect for those who want their photos’ authentic, compact Japanese garden look.

Area 4: Inner Lake Side Trail – Cherry Blossom

What it’s great for: Photo/video of a small Cherry Blossom lane. The trees grow within lush green bushes and here is a pretty lake view at the end of the trail.

Head out from the Zen garden and follow the path back to the cherry blossoms in area 2. Keep walking around the lake until you get to a crossroad with two paths of cherry blossoms on either side. The lakeside trail is the one closer to the lake. It will give you a glimps of the lake at the end, with both sides filled with straight-standing cherry blossom trees. Catch the right angle to get a pretty peak of the classic red Japanese wooden bridge that crosses a corner of the lake.

Area 5: Just Inside the Chiswick Road Fence Trail – Cherry Blossom

What it’s great for: A very pretty spot for a relaxing picnic

At the same cross path leading to area 4, the other way is the Chiswick Road trail. While this trail is longer than the lakeside trail, it will also, unfortunately, give you a view of the fence. If you want to take a better-looking picture of the long, curvy pink trail, you will need to walk to the end and have your back facing the fence. Whilst this trail isn’t one for photos, it makes a beautiful picnic spot as the cherry blossoms here are all at the bottom edge of a nice grassy hill. There are taller trees a little farther away from the cherry blossoms for those wanting a little more shade.

Area 6: Inside The Small Hill Between the Lake Trail and Chiswick Road Trail – Cherry Blossom

What it’s great for: A pretty layered view of the bushes and the cherry blossoms at the background as well as a small hidden picnic spot

Between the lakeside cherry blossom trail and the Chiswick Road fence, the cherry blossom train is a small hill with lush trimmed bushes. Two cherry blossom trees guard a set of steps leading you to the top of the green mound. Once at the top, you will have a pretty view of different neat layers of bushes with a wall of pink cherry blossoms. The brushes will block most of the people from the photo, making a people-free shot possible. After your photo session, follow the narrow path between the bushes, and you will find a small grass opening encased by the trimmed bushes. This spot is perfect for a picnic with a bit of privacy while enjoying the stunning cherry blossom blooms.

Area 7: The Slightly Muddy Path Next to Chiswick Road Exit – Cherry Blossom

What it’s great for: Tall, whiter cherry blossom trees

Cherry Blossoms are fleeting things. Depending on when in the bloom cycle you’ve picked for your Cherry Blossom Festival tickets and the weather, chances are some of the cherry blossoms will be a bit bare closer to the end of the festival. While tall, these trees tend to bloom slightly later than the shorter pink cherry blossoms. These make for a great vertical photo with no paved trail if you want a more “natural” flooring for your images. It can get a little muddy and wet if there has been rain.

Area 8: Next to the Lake and the Dead-end Near the Stone Arch Entrance Camellias

What it’s great for: The get a photo of a wall of blooming camellias or rest underneath one to take a few quiet floral minutes to yourself.

As you get to the end of the lakeside cherry blossom trail, you will arrive at a curved wall of blooming camellias which will have the perfect lighting for a pretty photo for most of the day. The mini lakeside beach will allow enough space for the photographer to step back to get a great landscape shot. For those looking for a quiet but picturesque corner to enjoy a little sit-down and have some of the delicious Japanese food/drink they bought at the food stalls. Keep walking from your lakeside camellia wall until you see the arched stone entrance that leads to the Cherry Trail Garden, and take a left turn until you get to a dead-end corner of the fence. A wooden bench with camellias hanging above it will appear for you. This spot is perfect not only for relaxation but also makes for a great photo.

Area 9: Just Outside the Main Entrance Of Auburn Botanic Gardens – Camellias

What it’s great for: If you want a shot with a carpet of camellia petals agains a ball of camellias.

This can be your first or last photo stop depending on how rushed you are to get into the Auburn Botanic Garden. You can either stand in between two towering walls of camellias at the corner where the fence meets (if you have good lighting), or if you want an entire wall of the red and white blooms, then along one of the flatter sides of the fence will be your best choice. Either way, the carpet of vibrant camellia petals against that lush green and red wall makes for a stunning photo.

Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival Event Details

Festival Dates:  Saturday 20 August to Sunday 28 August 2022, 9:00 to 17:00
Price: ALL festival attendees MUST PREBOOK tickets ONLINE in advance. General admission fee is $11.75. Free entry for Cumberland City Council residents, child 16 and under, senior card holder and companion card. Tickets can be purchased HERE.
Address: Corner of Chisholm Rd &, Chiswick Rd, Auburn NSW 2144
Parking: Parking near the festival is very limited. There is pop up parking at Tavistock Street, Auburn. It is approximately 10 minute walk along the Duck River to the festival from there. From the parking, there is also a Sushi Express mini train that runs 4 times per hour (capacity 16 people) that will take you to the venue.
Public Transport: There will be free shuttle buses to the event. Auburn Train Station is the closes station. After getting out of the station head to Susan Street Car Park in Auburn town centre and walk 3 minutes to catch the free shuttle bus.