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The Blue Mountains area is already pretty high up on our weekend getaway hit list – an easy-breezy drive (or train ride) from the city and home to next-level hikes, gorgeous antiques stores, beautiful bathhouses and some excellent places to eat and drink. Now, we’re scoring another reason to visit – with Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah exploring plans to welcome overnight guests for the first time. Exactly what the accommodation will look like is still to be confirmed, with concepts so far ranging from boutique eco-lodges and cabins to glamping and tiny homes. Here's what we know so far.
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For context, Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah is one of the arguably the most meticulously cared-for pocket of nature in the region. Hiding in the hills around two hours from Sydney, the 28-hectare garden is known for its impressively diverse plant collections and far-reaching valley views. According to the NSW Government, it already attracts more than 220,000 visitors each year – and we don’t blame them. As the world becomes more and more wildly algorithm-dominated, we’re all craving a nature-based break. Now, this magical garden has opened up expressions of interest for tourism operators and investors to pitch ideas for a new stay in and around the garden grounds.
According to Botanic Gardens of Sydney, there’s a lot of scope for creativity – with proposals encouraged to balance commercial viability with environmental sustainability and the protection of the site’s conservation and heritage values. Operators can submit ideas for one or more precincts, or suggest alternative locations within the available space.
It’s worth noting – this is still at the proposal stage, rather than a confirmed development. The expressions of interest process will help identify what sorts of accommodation set-up might work at the site, with any future hotel/ retreat/ glamping set-up expected to respect the garden’s environmental and cultural significance.
A site briefing for interested operators will take place at the garden on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at 10am. Expressions of interest are open now and close on Friday, November 20, 2026.
While there’s no word yet on when guests might be able to book a stay, the prospect of waking up among the gardens very special native plants is a pretty exciting one. You can find out more and submit an expression of interest over here.
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