Saturday, October 6, 2012

Olinda Hanami Day 2012

We were lucky a couple of weeks ago to attend the Olinda Hanami Day at the National Rhododendron Gardens in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges. I wrote about the event here Olinda Cherry Blossom Festival

The day started out wet, but the clouds soon disappeared and the sun made an appearance to brighten up the day. The National Rhododendron Gardens boosts 15,000 rhododendrons, 12,000 azaleas, 3,000 camellias, along with a beautiful cherry tree grove that hosts the cherry blossom festival each year. It is set on 40 hectares of scenic botanic gardens.

Here are some pictures of the beautiful flowers at the gardens

Azalea Garden
Rhododendrons
Magnolias
There is a large ornamental lake which is very picturesque.

Ornamental Lake
The cherry tree grove, where hanami takes place.

Cherry Tree Grove
The beautiful cherry blossoms, which are the star of the day.

Cherry Blossoms
Japanese culture with the wadaiko (Traditional Japanese style drumming).

Wadaiko
Past the cherry tree grove is some stunning views of the Dandenong Ranges that stretch out across the Yarra Valley.

Scenic View
Information about the National Rhododendron Gardens

Website: National Rhododendron Gardens

How to Get There:

The gardens are just an hour's drive from the Melbourne CBD


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