Parks and gardens – Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges
Witness an explosion of colour as flowers burst into bloom throughout the magnificent gardens of the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges.
Escape the rugged bushland around the region for more manicured nature, with the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges boasting some of Melbourne's greatest gardens.
Gardens through the seasons
Come in springtime to see the riot of colour in the National Rhododendron Gardens, which contain thousands of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and daffodils.
Seek shady respite on hot summer days in the woodlands of the RJ Hamer Arboretum. Watch the colours turn on the deciduous trees dotted around the feature waterfalls in the Alfred Nicholas Gardens, and in winter get soaked by dripping tree ferns hiding clay sculptures in the tranquil William Ricketts Sanctuary.
Open gardens
Celebrate special occasions in the public gardens year-round, and peep into private gardens when they open their gates as part of the Open Garden Scheme, and pick up some regional history, too.
Be advised, some private gardens open their gates once or twice a year as part of the Australian Open Garden Scheme. For further details phone 03 9397 8841.
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Seek inspiration in the water features, waterfalls and ornamental lake at the Alfred Nicholas Garden, part of the historic Burnham Beeches Estate.
Sherbrooke Road, Sherbrooke
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Explore the twenty garden rooms with their colour-coordinated borders, the copper beech walk, spring bulb meadows and the green theatre.
89 Olinda Monbulk Road, Olinda
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Wander along the paths beneath the towering mountain ash that provide a canopy for a huge variety of exotic flowers and ornamental plantings.
Sherbrooke Road, Sherbrooke
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Take advantage of Open gardens to peek at the landscaped Australian wildflower garden with magnificent views, prolific birdlife, gentle slopes and water features.
49 Hunter Road, Wandin
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Walk along tracks under canopies of conifers from around the world, scrunching on aromatic pine needles and looking upward through branches to the sky.
Ridge Road, Mount Dandenong
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Come in autumn and spring and treat the senses to an unparalleled variety of brilliantly coloured rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, and daffodils.
The Georgian Road, Olinda
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Visit the terraced gardens of Pirianda, distinctive for the botanically important trees, shrubs and perennials set against large blackwoods and mountain ash.
Hacketts Road, Olinda, off Olinda-Monbulk Road
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Take a peaceful stroll along the walking tracks and roads providing access to the arboretum's breathtaking scenery, and see the Arthur Streeton artworks.
Chalet Road, Olinda
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See the vista that stretches from Melbourne across the Mornington Peninsula, to Port Phillip Bay and to the You Yangs, and explore the maze and the restaurant.
26 Observatory Road, Mount Dandenong
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Be guided in quiet contemplation by over 90 kiln-fired clay sculptures of Aboriginal figures hidden among ferns and mountain ash along the pathways.
Mount Dandenong Tourist Road, Mount Dandenong
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Discover Australia's largest range of native plants, beautifully displayed, and then visit the Paperbark Cafe – open for breakfast, lunch and teas.
118 York Road, Mount Evelyn
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See more than a million spring flowering bulbs on display, including over a half a million tulips. Wander through the gardens and fields of the Tesselaar Tulip Festival.
Annually in spring
357 Monbulk Road, Silvan
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