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
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Azalea Garden |
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Rhododendrons |
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Magnolias |
There is a large ornamental lake which is very picturesque.
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Ornamental Lake |
The cherry tree grove, where hanami takes place.
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Cherry Tree Grove |
The beautiful cherry blossoms, which are the star of the day.
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Cherry Blossoms |
Japanese culture with the wadaiko (Traditional Japanese style drumming).
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Wadaiko |
Past the cherry tree grove is some stunning views of the Dandenong Ranges that stretch out across the Yarra Valley.
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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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How beautiful. I'm glad to know that such events are often held and share our culture. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Cocomino, It was a great event and love to help spread Japanese culture around the world :)
DeleteJohn
It feels strange to look at cherry blossoms on a cool autumn day in Tokyo. It's so pretty that I want to hop on the first plane to Australia, but ... then I might miss the autumn colours in Tokyo! No. I'll stay put and have a virtual hanami thanks to your photos. ^^
ReplyDeleteThanks Rurousha, Glad I could help you have a virtual hanami in October. Soon it will be your turn to provide me with a virtual Autumn. Can't wait to see those beautiful leaves :)
DeleteJohn
Wow! So many beautiful photos!
ReplyDeleteLooks like it was a nice day! :)
Thanks for sharing! ^-^
Thanks ZJ, The event gave me a good chance to put the new Nikon into action :)
DeleteJohn
So it's called wadaiko, I didn't know. I saw such performance during Helsinki Hanami.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful flowers!
Thank you Ekaterina, Yes, Wadaiko is the style of traditional Japanese drumming. That's cool you also have a hanami event in Helsinki :)
DeleteJohn
Lovely photos of such lovely scenery.
ReplyDeleteWish I can fly there to experience it too! ^^
Thanks Lina, Great inspiration to take photos with beautiful scenery like this. Hope you can make it to Oz one day to experience it, too :)
DeleteJohn
When I first saw this post, I thought you were talking about somewhere in Japan. Is this a strange breed of flower that blooms in autumn, I wondered? Then I saw the address and realized you were in the southern hemisphere. D'oh! Nice pictures.
ReplyDeleteThanks StarBrooke, That would be very easy to do because they do look so similar with the cherry blossoms and culture. I love how this amazing tradition and culture is shared and enjoyed all around the world :)
DeleteJohn
Wow. Looks very nice. Hope I get the chance to visit it someday.
ReplyDeleteThanks Thomas, It was a great day and hope you get the chance to visit Australia one day to see its beauty :)
DeleteJohn
Beautiful pictures thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you AJGS, It was a fun day with lots of chances to take some beautiful pictures :)
DeleteJohn