Tours of the courtyards of Parliament House, now bursting with autumn colour, will be held right before the federal budget.
And you'll be able to see, and even stand under, the famous Budget Tree, in its full, flaming red glory.
The tours are taking place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 5, 6 and 7 - just ahead of Treasurer Jim Chalmers delivering the federal budget on Tuesday, May 9.
Guides from Parliament House will be escorting groups of just 20 through the courtyards on private walking tours, taking in the autumnal colours of the exotic trees planted there.
Parliament House interpretation services manager Catherine Roach said visiting the Budget Tree - a red maple called October Glory (due to its Northern Hemisphere origins) - is part of the tour, the tree famous for showing off right on Budget week, perhaps suggesting another year in the red.
"It's absolutely beautiful at the moment," Ms Roach said.
The courtyards are usually off-limits to the public, only visible from inside the building, but this tour takes visitors down to the courtyards at ground level, just like the staff and politicians of Parliament House.
"They are places to sit, have a meeting, to contemplate and to have a break," Ms Roach said.
Head gardener Paul Janssens said the tours show another side of Parliament House.
The focus was on the turning leaves of the exotic plantings of the private courtyards, as opposed to the nine hectares of native gardens at Parliament House that were open to the public.
Trees and plants on show will include ginko trees, Japanese maples and gleditsias.
And for the gardeners at Parliament House, autumn meant one thing.
"There's a lot of leaf raking that goes on," Mr Janssens said.
"Every morning, a team of workers goes out and rakes up all the leaves and then we put them out as a bit of mulch in our native gardens."
Three tours a day will be held on May 5, 6, and 7. There is a cost and bookings are essential at www.humanitix.com
The link is here.
"We only take 20 people on each tour, so they will sell out quickly," Ms Roach said.
