Spring School Holidays FAQs

Spring School Holidays runs from Saturday 26^th September to Sunday 11^th October 2026.

Gardens open at 9am till 5pm – Last entry at 4pm
Please check the schedule for the Spring activities.
Garden Nursery daily from 9am to 2pm.
Rides from 10am to 2pm – Ride ticket sales close at 1:30pm. Last ride 1:45pm.
Ride ticket booth hours: 10am to 1:30pm

Amphitheatre Aviary, Face Painting, Wood Painting, History of the Gardens Guided Tour, Koi Fish Feeding Talk, Bonsai Display and Workshop, Lantern Making, Baby Lambs, Daisy Chain Making, Model Sail Boats, Beehive Display, Bee Stall, Rolled Bees Wax Candle Worshop, Pop-up HVG Nursery where you can purchase your own plant, Henna Tattoo and more! Please note not all activities are available every day, please check the times and days for all Spring activities.

All workshops and displays are included in the entry price. All rides are user pay, these include Superslide, Swing Chair, Carousel, Ferris Wheel and Tea Cups. Rides are $6 per person, per ride, or you can purchase a bonus 6 ticket pass for $30, tickets can only be purchased at the rides booth. Height and age restrictions apply.

The Spring School Holidays activities and workshops operate on a first-in/first-served basis with capped numbers, which vary according to activity. We recommend arriving early to the activity you are interested in. Workshops run from 10am, with a maximum of 20 people per workshop at any one time.

Workshops run from 10am, with a maximum of 20 people per workshop at any one time.

Butterfly House - Every day during the Spring School Holidays from 10am-2pm in the Amphitheatre.
Butterfly Roving Character – Weekends from 10am-2pm.
Face Painting – Every day during the Spring School Holidays from 10am-2pm in the Rose Garden.
Wood Painting – Every day during the Spring School Holidays from 10am-2pm in the Rose Garden.
History of the Gardens Guided Tour – Every day during the Spring School Holidays at 12:30pm in the Rose Garden.
Lantern Making – Every day during the Spring School Holidays from 10am-2pm in the Oriental Garden.
Koi Feeding Talks – Every day during the Spring School Holidays at 11am in the Oriental Garden.
Bonsai Display - Every day during the Spring School Holidays from 10am-2pm in the Oriental Garden.
Bonsai Educational Talks - Weekdays at 12pm in the Oriental Garden.
Bonsai Workshop - Weekends from 10am-2pm in the Oriental Garden.

Bonsai Workshop weekends session times
10am – 11am First workshop
11:30am – 12:30pm Second workshop
1pm – 2pm Final workshop

Baby Lambs – Every day during the Spring School Holidays from 10am-2pm in the Lakes Walk.
Daisy Chain Making – Every day during the Spring School Holidays from 9am-2pm in the Lakes Walk.
Model Sail Boats – 3 and 4 October from 10am-2pm in the Lakes Walk.
Live Bee Demonstrations and Display Case - Weekends from 11am-2pm in the Lakes Walk.
Bee Stall (local honey and bee related products) - Weekends from 11am-2pm in the Lakes Walk.
Rolled Bees Wax Candles Workshop - Weekends from 11am-2pm in the Lakes Walk.
Hunter Valley Gardens Nursery Stall – Every day during the Spring School Holidays from 9am-2pm in the Rose Garden.
Henna Tattoo – Weekends from 10am-2pm in the Indian Mosaic Garden.
Indian Mosaic Talk/walk – Every day during the Spring School Holidays at 10am in the Indian Mosaic Garden.

All of our display gardens are open during the event, the Spring School Holiday activities are taking place across the whole site, it is still possible to view the Gardens while these activities are taking place. Only Spring School Holidays tickets can be redeemed between 26 September - 11 October.

Yes, pass outs are allowed providing you leave and return the same day the ticket is dated. See Garden Entry, your tickets will be stamped and required as proof of payment when re-entering the Gardens.

Updates about weather changes or any other event announcements will be posted on our Facebook page. www.facebook.com/huntervalleygardens

Tickets can be purchased online at hvg.com.au. Spring School Holidays tickets are for single use only and are only valid for the date booked.

Spring School Holidays – Gardens open at 9am till 5pm – Last entry at 4pm.

Adult 16+ $42
Children 4-15 years $31
Children 3yrs and under FREE (must still have a ticket for entry)
Family 2 adults 2 children $128
Family 2 adults 1 child $104
Family 1 adult 2 children $97
Extra Child (4-15yrs) $28
Companion Card $0

Ride tickets can be purchased for $6 per ride or 6 rides for $30.

All rides are in addition to entry and can be purchased at the ticket booth located in the event area.

Spring School Holidays at Hunter Valley Gardens are date specific and can only be used for the day purchased, if Hunter Valley Gardens needs to close due to a severe weather event as determined by management, ticket holders will be offered a change of date (subject to availability) or a gift card.

Tickets may be purchased online via credit card, tickets can also be purchased at Garden entry using cash or credit card. Tickets cannot be purchased over the phone.

Tickets are available online and from Garden entry however, we recommend purchasing tickets online in advance to avoid disappointment. Online sales close an hour before the event finishes for the session on the day.

If you need to change the date of your booking, visit huntervalleygardens.com.au/bookings and request your change a minimum of 24 hours in advance.

We recommend printing tickets. However mobile tickets are also accepted. Tickets can be retrieved at entry upon presentation of identification. If tickets cannot be presented/retrieved at the gate, this will result in non-entry.

Subject to availability, you may be able to purchase tickets at entry during the day of your visit. However, we strongly recommend purchasing all your tickets online in advance to avoid disappointment.

Most tickets that have not been received are either caught by your email spam filters or the email address was incorrectly entered. If your tickets have not arrived, please use this form http://bit.ly/Booking_update before your date of arrival. The team will get back to you as soon as possible during business hours Monday to Friday.
If you have lost your ticket, please proceed to Garden Entry with your valid identification where a staff member will be able to look up your order at entry.

Refunds are only available if the Gardens do not open on the date of your booking. Tickets may be exchanged for another day, depending on availability or the value transferred to a Hunter Valley Gardens Gift Card which expires 1 year from the date of delivery. Changes to tickets must be requested 24 hours prior to the booked date by visiting http://bit.ly/Booking_update

Online tickets are emailed to the email address you provided. If you have not received your tickets, please check your spam/junk mail. If your tickets cannot be located, you may have entered the wrong email address. Please contact us at https://www.huntervalleygardens.com.au/bookings/ for further assistance.

If you lose your ticket, new tickets can be issued by visiting https://www.huntervalleygardens.com.au/bookings/ and requesting an update to your order.

Our amusement rides (Superslide, Swing Chair, Carousel, Ferris Wheel and Tea Cups) bring an added element of fun to the Gardens for both the young and young at heart. Children must be supervised at all times whilst on the rides.
Rides will not operate during adverse weather conditions as determined by the manager on site.

• Superslide
• Swing Chair
• Carousel
• Ferris Wheel
• Tea Cups

Guests can purchase a ticket to participate on our amusement rides providing they meet all the following safety requirements for the ride they wish to participate on.
Our rides are subject to safety requirements that a user must meet to participate. Key height restrictions are listed below, but other conditions can be found on the safety requirements signage at each of the rides.

• Ferris Wheel: Children below 120cm must ride with an adult.
• Carousel: Children below 105cm must ride with an adult (adult must stand next to child), children 106cm and under 16yrs may ride alone.
• Tea Cups: Children between 95cm-120cm must ride with an adult, 120cm and above may ride alone.
• Swing Chair: Children between 110cm–120cm must ride with an adult, 120cm and above mar ride alone.
• Superslide: Children between 110cm-120cm must ride with an adult, 120cm and above may ride alone.

Children must always be supervised
PLEASE NOTE: Heights are checked at each individual ride and access will be approved by the operator.
A specially designed wheelchair accessible gondola is available on our Ferris Wheel, accommodating one wheelchair user and a carer.

Rides are $6 per ride, or you can purchase a bonus 6 ticket pass for $30.

1 ticket per ride applies on the Ferris Wheel, Tea Cups, Swing Chair and Carousel. An accompanying adult may stand with a small child on the carousel only without the use of a ride ticket.
The Superslide is 2 rides per ticket, as children between 110cm-120cm must ride with an adult, the accompanying adult rides without the use of a ride ticket.

Ride tickets can be purchased from the ticket booth. See individual event programs for opening times.

Tickets are per person, not per Gondola.

All rides operate on a 1 ticket per seat basis. A parent may stand with a small child on the Carousel or ride the Superslide with children between 110-120cm at no additional cost.

Babies 18 months and below are permitted to ride with adults on the Ferris Wheel for free. They must have a ticket for the Carousel.

No, carers who present a companion card at the rides ticket booth are able to get the same pass as their client or child for free.

Safety is of the utmost importance to us. Due to weather and maintenance, we may temporarily close the rides at times for customer safety; however, we do endeavour to have them open again as soon as possible.

Yes, our Garden Terrace Café will be open with take away options and limited seating.

You may bring bottled water into Hunter Valley Gardens. Alcohol and soft drinks are not permitted.

No food or picnics can be brought into the Gardens; food is available in the Garden Terrace Café located at the entry to the Gardens. On the weekends of Spring School Holidays, you can purchase a HVG spring hamper. You can bring sealed bottled water.

If you do not wish to purchase food in the Gardens, there is the option to purchase food from one of the shops in Hunter Valley Shopping Village or enjoy a packed meal or BBQ in the park near the HVG Shopping Village.  We offer re-entry passes if you’re coming back on the same day. For this option, please see staff at the entry gate.

The Garden Terrace Café offers a fantastic range of food and beverage options, open daily between 9:30am-4pm with artist in residence Leanne Atkins.

Prohibited items include drones, ride-on toys, push bikes, scooters, e-bikes, e-scooters, roller skates, eskies, skateboards and items deemed to be unsafe by management.

Lost property can be collected from Garden Entry or call (02) 4998 4000. Items that are not claimed within 7 days will be discarded or donated to local charities.

Hunter Valley Gardens is located on a 14-hectare site. The garden paths are over 8km of crushed granite pathways, making most areas accessible for wheelchairs.
Please note, while the majority of our pathways are wheelchair-friendly, some lookouts and specific areas like the Italian Grotto and Waterfall Lookout have stairs, limiting accessibility to those parts. Additionally, as an outdoor space, our paths can be affected by weather and the natural landscape, which may result in uneven surfaces and steep inclines.

There is free parking available and limited disabled parking, displaying of a disability parking permit is required.

No pets are allowed into the Gardens. Registered guide dogs and companion dogs are allowed into the Gardens with their owners. Documentation for these animals is required upon entry.

The paths and ramps are wide enough to accommodate pedestrians, wheelchairs, and strollers. However, please refer to the question, "Is HVG accessible to everyone?" for more information.

We do not accept pensioner cards or have a Seniors price for events.

No, we do not have any wheelchairs for hire. You are welcome to bring your own.

No filming or photography, of a professional nature (including weddings, special occasions, social media influencers etc.), is permitted in Hunter Valley Gardens without prior written consent from Hunter Valley Gardens.

All commercial filming and photography within Hunter Valley Gardens property will attract a commercial photography fee, for all enquiries contact sales@hvg.com.au