National Rhododendron Gardens

Beautiful gardens in the heart of the Dandenongs full of stunning flowers and plants! Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area. Be careful as some of the tracks are slippery, especially in the wetter weather and it does get very busy and some cyclists are not particularly cautious about pedestrians.

I totally enjoyed a glorious Melbourne spring morning in the Dandenongs, lost in the sheer beauty and delight of the National Rhododendron Gardens ... it is just wonderful. You will need to allow a lot of time to see everything, or expect to make several visits here - the gardens are quite vast and, depending on the season, there are several exquisite planting areas to see. The Gardens are very easy to find, just past Olinda - but do note, the road up there - the Mount Dandenong Tourist Road, can be very busy, particularly on a weekend morning. You will be winding around on a narrow road and encounter cyclists regularly - they can be precarious to get past - and you will meet them coming towards you also - so keep very alert. Another point, the Garden itself will probably be busy - lots of people come here. I was here at first opening (10am) which was truly lovely - very quiet and peaceful. But it wasn't long before lots of other people started to arrive - many like to ...read more