Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden |
The Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden (formerly the National Rhododendron Garden) are host to an unparalleled variety of brilliantly coloured blooms, mainly rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, cherries and daffodils.
Of international reputation, these magnificent gardens attract thousands of visitors during all seasons.
Things to Do
Enjoy a self-guided tour, strolling through 40 hectares of scenic botanic gardens.
Enjoy a picnic by the lake and take in stunning views of the Australian Alps.
Photograph the native birdlife and brilliant floral scenery.
During the Spring Floral Festival held annually from August to November visitors can enjoy a series of undercover floral displays, including the largest undercover display of daffodils in the Southern Hemisphere.
Heritage
Some members of the Ferny Creek Horticultural Society formed the Australian Rhododendron Society in 1960 and approached the Forests Commission for a suitable site to establish a rhododendron garden.
A 20 ha site, extended to 40 ha in 1975, was selected from the Olinda State Forest on the eastern ridge of Mount Dandenong. In 1995, the National Rhododendron Gardens came under the management of Melbourne Parks and Waterways (now Parks Victoria).
The gardens are a combination of individual gardens and spaces, each different. Each area, however, contains rhododendrons chosen for their growth habit and their ability to fit in with the other plants of that garden.
Vegetation
Situated on a hilltop in the scenic Dandenong Ranges, these gardens are framed by the world's tallest flowering plant, the Mountain Ash, and set against a backdrop of the blue Australian Alps.
The gardens are host to 15,000 rhododendrons, 12,000 azaleas, 3,000 camellias and 250,000 daffodils.
How to Get There
The Gardens in The Georgian Road, Olinda, are just an hour's drive from the heart of Melbourne (Melway ref: 66 K6). Visitors can travel by train to Upper Ferntree Gully and bus to Olinda and the Gardens are just a short stroll from the centre of this quaint hills town.
❊ Address ❊
⊜ The Georgian Road Olinda 3788 View Map
✆ Telephone: 13 1963
❊ Web Links ❊
➼ Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden
➼ www.rhododendron.com.au
➼ Australian Rhododendron Society
Disclaimer: Check with the venue (web links) before making plans, travelling or buying tickets.
Accessibility: Contact the venue for accessibility information.
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