The annual Tulip Festival is held in spring each year at the Araluen Botanical Gardens. A colourful 150,000 tulips and 20,000 daffodils showcase in addition to thousands of hyacinths, grape hyacinths, ranunculus and anemones.
Any time of the year is a wonderful time to visit Araluen. Each season showing different displays of both native and exotic flora. It was relaxing to walk around at leisure enjoying the variety of colourful blooms and listening to the sounds of the bush. There are 14 hectares of gardens set out amongst the 59 hectares here. Australian native bushland at the gardens including Eucalyptus, Marri and Blackbutt trees. Creeks run through the gardens and lovely water ponds are home to lily pads. Stroll at your own pleasant pace from one garden area to the next. The paths are easily negotiated. There are some steps, but these can be circumnavigated for those with mobility issues.
A 45 minutes drive from Perth city, Araluen (meaning either Singing Waters or Running Waters in Aboriginal dialect) is located at 362 Croyden Road, Roleystone, in the Perth Hills. There is an entry fee to the gardens, in 2020 it was $10 per adult, $8 concession, $5 per child or $45 for a family. They also honour companion card holders with 2 for 1 pricing. Pets (including dogs), bicycles and skateboards etc are not allowed in the park.
Bring along a picnic to enjoy on any of the expansive lawns or plentiful benches, or use the free barbeques in the park.
There is a café on site. The day I visited during the Tulip Festival there was also a coffee van on site. Also on the day I visited was a lovely and friendly group of adventurers from the Belswan Pinjarra Village. They were enjoying out of their many outings, this day bringing their own picnic, including table, chairs and wine. There were definitely some delightfully cheeky characters in this merry mob of roving retirees.
Araluen was established in 1929 as a holiday camp for the Young Australia League. It eventually fell into disrepair. In 1990 the State Government purchased the park and spent the next 20 years restoring the park. A lot of original structures have been refurbished including the stone and wood arbours that are lovely to walk through. If you visit here, make sure you check out the log cabin. It was built around 1931, but by 1990 only the fireplace and some of the foundations were remaining. The site has now been converted to a covered shelter for visitors with the fireplace still in place. In 1931 when the building was originally completed the fireplace was described as “a poem in masonry”.
This information was on a detailed plaque next to the shelter. Most areas are very well signposted, as are the plants in the gardens. I always love it when I see plants I don’t know the names of and they have signs nearby to educate me.
The micro-climate here is ideal at this world class botanical park. There is a serenity here being amongst nature, a peacefulness that is calming.
Araluen holds many festivals with details found at their website www.araluenbotanicalpark.com.au
Happy Travels!
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