Unforgettable gardens to visit in the Yarra Valley and its surrounds

Chloe CannBy Chloe Cann
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How do those secret gardens grow? Wander through the lush gardens of these rolling hills and find out.

A popular escape for many Melburnians, the Yarra Valley is also thrillingly close to Melbourne. In a blink, the roads pass from suburbia to a verdant oasis. With hills gently rolling between more than 70 cellar doors, and fresh produce at every turn, it has long been an obvious weekend retreat for those living in Victoria’s capital. And much the same can be said about the neighbouring Dandenong Ranges.

But wineries and scenic landscapes aside, it’s the marvellous gardens of the Yarra Valley and the Dandenong Ranges that deserve a turn in the spotlight. Read on to uncover the best.

vineyard, Yarra Valley gardens
One of the many vineyards striping the fertile Yarra Valley.

The Yarra Valley

Coombe The Melba Estate

Open to the public since 2014, the manicured three-hectare gardens at Coombe Estate , Yarra Valley, were once a well-kept secret, hidden behind a notably lengthy cypress hedge (some 600 metres long, to be precise). Today, they’re accessible only via guided tour, which is bookable alongside morning or afternoon tea, or lunch at this beautiful winery estate.

Feted opera singer Dame Nellie Melba – whose face you might have seen on the $100 note – took shelter from the bright lights of the stage here in the early 1900s. And it’s not hard to imagine how she may have found sanctuary among the leafy grounds, with its rare plants and old-world trees.

Explore her ultimate secret garden and you’ll trace winding cobbled paths, venture through hedge tunnels, view a succession of terraced lawns, wander through a rose arbour, and visit native, Italian and vegetable gardens.

It’s little wonder Coombe Estate houses one of the Yarra Valley’s best gardens: the blueprint was drawn up by none other than William Guilfoyle, architect of the Victorian Royal Botanic Gardens.

D - Block Pinot vines, Coombe Yarra Valley
Commanding views of Coombe Yarra Valley’s D Block Pinot vines. (Image: redfishbluefishphoto)

Alowyn Gardens

Alowyn Gardens is a two-decade dedication to creating almost three stunning hectares for visitors to enjoy. There are eight display areas here, including an edible garden, a French garden featuring a lavender field and a flower field, a birch and casuarina forest, a dreamy Instagram-friendly 100-metre-long wisteria arbour, and a mesmerising ornamental parterre garden that features box hedging laid out in symmetrical shapes.

So extensive and impressive are the grounds here, that you could easily dedicate an entire afternoon to their exploration.

Alowyn Gardens
Take a refreshing walk along the beautiful Alowyn gardens.

Feeling inspired by the level of horticultural craftsmanship? Visit the Yarra Valley garden’s onsite nursery and pick up a few bulbs to plant at home.

Worked up an appetite from all the touring? Stop by Alowyn Gardens’ maple courtyard cafe and enjoy a freshly baked scone and a flat white.

Wisteria Archway, Alowyn Gardens
Gaze in awe at the stunning wisteria archway of Alowyn Gardens.

The Dandenong Ranges

Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden

Tucked alongside the small village of Olinda, the Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden (formerly known as the National Rhododendron Garden) is no small patch of grass.

Nearly 40 hectares of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and other natives and exotics reside here, with the star of the show – the 15,000 multi-coloured Rhodies – popping into flower as spring reaches the Dandenongs and transforming the hillsides into a veritable sea of colour. It is, in fact, the largest collection of its kind in Australia.

This botanic garden is prime picnic real estate, so pack a hamper and set up a blanket on one of the lush green lawns.
And if you’d like to explore more of the park in your post-prandial daze (but don’t quite have the energy), hop on board the ‘Garden Explorer’ – a small electric open-air bus that offers a guided 25-minute tour of the grounds.

Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden
Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden is home to 15,000 rhododendrons, 12,000 azaleas, 3,000 camellias and 250,000 daffodils.

Cloudehill Nursery and Gardens

The hills come alive with bright flowers and woodlands at Cloudehill , which adjoins a nursery. The collection housed at this Dandenong Ranges garden is really rather eclectic, from giant 80-year-old European beech trees to Japanese weeping maples, cool temperate bamboos, so-called ‘wedding cake’ shrubs, ornamental grasses, bluebells and plenty more.

Cloudehill Nursery, Yarra Valley Gardens
Take a moment to unwind at the tranquil setting of Cloudehill Nursery and Gardens.

Between December and March, the venue hosts a number of twilight events, capitalising on the soft evening light that summer promises, not to mention the glorious green surrounds; in previous years the programme has included productions of Shakespeare, operatic performances, and string ensembles.

Cloudehill Nursery and Gardens is also home to a rustic restaurant, Seasons, that offers a beautiful outlook and promises fresh, seasonal produce grown in the property’s own kitchen garden.

lavenders in full bloom, Cloudehill Nursery at Yarra Valley gardens
Lavenders in bloom at the sight of spring.

Skyhigh Maze

If you like views with your gardens, then you’re in luck at the hills’ (literally) top spot, overlooking the city skyline and the towering Dandenong Ranges National Park.

one of the entry points at SkyHigh Maze, Mount Dandenong
Uncover the secrets of SkyHigh Maze.

The maze has four secrets to uncover, including (spoiler alert) sculptures, butterflies and illusions; it’s like brain training inside a lilly pilly hedge puzzle. And besides its namesake attraction, SkyHigh is also home to an English garden with mature blackwoods.

a wooden eagle sculpture at SkyHigh Maze, Mount Dandenong
You’ll find sculptures scattered across the maze.

If you’ve got kids then keep an eye on SkyHigh Maze’s website , as the Mount Dandenong attraction also hosts a series of ‘Children’s Festivals’ throughout the year that features activities and games.

the SkyHigh Maze in Mount Dandenong
Sky High maze will tickle your fancy if you love solving puzzles.

Events to look out for

Tesselaar Tulip Festival

More fun than you can poke a tulip at, the Tesselaar Tulip Festiva l is home to more than a million flowering blooms, plus market stalls and entertainment.

This annual event typically takes place between mid-September and mid-October, and across its four weeks of opening there’s a host of different themes to choose from, such as Turkish Weekend (expect Turkish art, dance, music and food), Children’s Week (think live shows from Kung Fu Panda, craft workshops and a petting zoo), and a Food, Wine and Jazz weekend (featuring complimentary wine tastings, naturally).

There’s also a tractor-train ride available, aimed at those with limited mobility issues, and children. BYO picnic and graze away your day on the lawn while overlooking the sea of flowers.

majestic floral carpet, Tesselaar Tulip Festival
Hundreds of colourful flower bulbs bloom during the Tesselaar Tulip Festival.

Warratina’s Harvest Lavender Festival

This four-hectare lavender farm in Wandin North, on the southernmost fringes of the Yarra Valley, plays host to a Harvest Festival every November to celebrate the start of the farm’s lavender season.

Aside from wandering through fragrant rows of the lilac plant, Warratina’s Harvest Lavender Festival also promises live music entertainment, a local maker’s market and more.

Warrantina's Harvest Lavender Festival
Lavender in full bloom.

Yarra Valley Spring Plant Fair

Only avid and aspiring gardeners need apply for this springtime event, held at Romantic Nursery in Wandin North.
More than 5,000 varieties of plants, many of them rare and not normally available to the general public, will be available to purchase during the two-day Yarra Valley Spring Plant Fair . The fair also offers a variety of talks by gardening experts and professional horticulturalists.

Yarra Valley Spring Plant Fair
Spruce up your space with some greenery from the Yarra Valley Spring Plant Fair.

Cherryhill Blossom Festival

Forget Japan: this family-owned orchard is awash with a flurry of cherry blossom petals for just two fleeting weeks come spring, typically between late September and early October.

Visit CherryHill’s 34-hectare Wandin East orchard to witness these beautiful blooms in person, and enjoy the annual festival ’s food vans, live music, craft stalls and house blossom gelato.

ripe cherries, Cherryhill Orchards
Sweet and ripe cherries freshly picked from Cherryhill Orchards.

Details

Getting there

The Yarra Valley lies to the northeast of Melbourne, and the Dandenong Ranges to the east. Both destinations are approximately an hour’s drive from Melbourne.

Staying there

Stick with the garden theme, plus added wine, at Chateau Yering Hotel , the grand dame of the Yarra Valley.

fancy suite, Chateau Yering Hotel
Sleep like royalty at Chateau Yering Hotel’s fanciest suite.

This historic homestead’s 32 suites all feature a hefty dose of country estate chic, many offering garden views from their private balconies and verandas. The jewel in the crown of this estate’s gardens is the towering Chilean Wine Palm, which is classified on the National Trust Heritage Register.

There are worse places to hole up in than Beechmont Garden Retreat . Located in lovely Olinda, this spacious and stylish four-bedroom, three-bathroom home features naturalist nods throughout (think wallpaper featuring dragonfly and butterfly prints, floral arrangements in each and every direction, plants dotted throughout the property, and cushion covers with floral motifs).

But better still, it’s planted on a four-hectare estate that accommodates formal and rambling gardens.

Beechmont Garden Retreat
Beechmont Garden Retreat is a charming oasis surrounded by lush greeneries.
Discover 18 of the best things to do in the Yarra Valley.
Chloe Cann
Chloe Cann is an award-winning freelance travel and food writer, born in England, based in Melbourne and Roman by adoption. Since honing her skills at City St George's, University of London with a master's degree in journalism, she's been writing almost exclusively about travel for more than a decade, and has worked in-house at newspapers and travel magazines in London, Phnom Penh, Sydney and Melbourne. Through a mixture of work and pleasure, she's been fortunate enough to visit 80 countries to date, though there are many more that she is itching to reach. While the strength of a region's food scene tends to dictate the location of her next trip, she can be equally swayed by the promise of interesting landscapes and offbeat experiences. And with a small person now in tow, travel looks a little different these days, but it remains at the front of her mind.
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How a $1 deal saved Bendigo’s historic tramways

    Megan ArkinstallBy Megan Arkinstall
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    The passionate community that saved Bendigo Tramways has kept the story of this city alive for generations.

    It was an absolute steal: a fleet of 23 trams for just $1. But such a fortunate purchase didn’t happen easily. It was 1972 when the Bendigo Trust handed over a single buck for the city’s historic collection of battery, steam and electric trams, which had transported locals since 1890.

    inside the historic Bendigo Tram
    Bendigo Tramways is a historic transport line turned tourist service. (Image: Bendigo Heritage)

    The city’s tram network had been declared defunct since 1970 due to post-war shortages in materials to upkeep the trams and declining passenger numbers as motor vehicles were increasing. However, determined locals would not hear of their beloved trams being sold off around the world.

    The Bendigo Trust was enlisted to preserve this heritage, by converting the trams into a tourist service. The Victorian government approved a trial, however news spread that the Australian Electric Tramways Museum in Adelaide had acquired one of the streetcars for its collection.

    a tram heading to Quarry Hill in 1957
    A tram on its way to Quarry Hill in 1957. (Image: Bendigo Heritage)

    An impassioned group rallied together to make this physically impossible. Breaking into the tram sheds, they welded iron pipes to the rails, removed carbon brushes from the motors, and formed a blockade at the depot. The community response was extraordinary, and a $1 deal was sealed.

    A new chapter for the city’s fleet

    the old Tramways Depot and Workshop
    The old Tramways Depot and Workshop is one of the stops on the hop-on, hop-off service. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Today, Bendigo Tramways welcomes some 40,000 passengers annually, operating as a hop-on, hop-off touring service aboard the restored trams. Fifteen of the now 45-strong fleet are dubbed ‘Talking Trams’ because of the taped commentary that is played along the route. The trams loop between Central Deborah Gold Mine and the Bendigo Joss House Temple, which has been a place of Chinese worship since 1871, via other sites including the old Tramways Depot and Workshop.

    a Gold Mine Bendigo Tram
    The fleet comprises 45 trams that have been restored. (Image: Visit Victoria/Robert Blackburn)

    Keeping things interesting, throughout the year visitors can step aboard different themed trams. Tram No. 302 becomes the Yarn Bomb Tram, decorated both inside and out with colourful crochet by an anonymous group of locals.

    During the festive season, Tram No. 15 operates as a tinsel-festooned Santa Tram, and the big man himself hides out somewhere along the route for excited children to find. And on selected dates, the adults-only Groove Tram runs nighttime tours of the city, accompanied by local musicians playing live tunes and a pop-up bar.

    the historic post office turned visitor centre in Bendigo
    Visitors can hop on and off to see the city’s sites such as the historic post office turned visitor centre. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    As well as preserving the city’s history, however, the continuation of the tram service has kept the skills of tram building and craftsmanship alive in a practical sense. Bendigo’s Heritage Rail Workshop is world-renowned for restoring heritage trams and repurposing vehicles in creative ways.

    Locally, for example, Tram No. 918 was transformed into the Dja Dja Wurrung Tram with original Aboriginal artworks by emerging artist Natasha Carter, with special commentary and music that shares the stories and traditions of Bendigo’s first people. You can’t put a price on preserving history. Nonetheless, it was a dollar very well spent.