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Sunday, October 7, 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


View Larger Map
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16 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 7, 2012 at 4:54 PM

    How beautiful. I'm glad to know that such events are often held and share our culture. :)

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    1. Japan-AustraliaOctober 8, 2012 at 4:09 PM

      Thank you Cocomino, It was a great event and love to help spread Japanese culture around the world :)

      John

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  2. RuroushaOctober 7, 2012 at 6:22 PM

    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. ^^

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    1. Japan-AustraliaOctober 8, 2012 at 4:10 PM

      Thanks 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 :)

      John

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  3. zoomingjapanOctober 8, 2012 at 1:24 AM

    Wow! So many beautiful photos!
    Looks like it was a nice day! :)
    Thanks for sharing! ^-^

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    1. Japan-AustraliaOctober 8, 2012 at 4:12 PM

      Thanks ZJ, The event gave me a good chance to put the new Nikon into action :)

      John

      Delete
  4. Ekaterina TraytOctober 8, 2012 at 4:25 AM

    So it's called wadaiko, I didn't know. I saw such performance during Helsinki Hanami.

    Beautiful flowers!

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    1. Japan-AustraliaOctober 8, 2012 at 4:13 PM

      Thank you Ekaterina, Yes, Wadaiko is the style of traditional Japanese drumming. That's cool you also have a hanami event in Helsinki :)

      John

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  5. linaOctober 8, 2012 at 1:33 PM

    Lovely photos of such lovely scenery.

    Wish I can fly there to experience it too! ^^

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    1. Japan-AustraliaOctober 8, 2012 at 4:15 PM

      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 :)

      John

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  6. StarBrookeOctober 9, 2012 at 10:17 AM

    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.

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    1. Japan-AustraliaOctober 9, 2012 at 4:41 PM

      Thanks 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 :)

      John

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  7. UnknownOctober 10, 2012 at 4:09 PM

    Wow. Looks very nice. Hope I get the chance to visit it someday.

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    1. Japan-AustraliaOctober 11, 2012 at 7:22 AM

      Thanks Thomas, It was a great day and hope you get the chance to visit Australia one day to see its beauty :)

      John

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  8. Akazuki Japanese goods shopOctober 12, 2012 at 4:09 PM

    Beautiful pictures thanks for sharing!

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    1. Japan-AustraliaOctober 13, 2012 at 11:51 AM

      Thank you AJGS, It was a fun day with lots of chances to take some beautiful pictures :)

      John

      Delete