Priceless Protea  

Astonishing to think that the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden at Mount Tomah was formerly land used for cattle and dairy resting paddocks — and sawmills. That’s until the French horticulturist Alfred Brunet and his Australian wife Effie bought the property and operated it as a flower farm to supply the florists in Sydney. In 1972, they presented the land to the Royal Batonic Garden in Sydney to form a new annex. Now, it’s renowned for its camellias, crocuses, narcissus and those stunning huge pink King Protea.