Springtime at Araluen

Spring has well and truly sprung and Araluen is blooming. Araluen Botanic Park is a hidden gem, featuring a diverse range of exotic and native species of plants. Occupying 59 hectares, set amongst a native backdrop of Eucalyptus, Marri and Blackbutt trees are delightful developed gardens.

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I have visited Araluen many times, in all seasons, but nothing tops a warm spring day meandering around the multitude of winding paths admiring the sea of tulips.

First planted on the terraces of the Grove of the Unforgotten in 1934 the massed plantings are now home to Perth’s largest display of tulips. Flourishing amongst the native backdrop you can delight your senses on an enchanting journey through 145,000 tulips. You will find tulips hidden in every corner of the park, highlighting stunning bursts of colour from the 80 varieties of tulips.

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But it’s not just tulips you will find at Araluen, they have internationally recognised Camellias, tea roses, colourful annuals, gracefully mature magnolias, rhododendrons, azaleas, peonies and waratahs. The sweet scent of the Magnolias in full bloom lure you through the park and the gorgeous colours make the stroll most enjoyable.

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It is so relaxing to wander over bridges with softly cascading waters and enjoy the beautiful scenery with a picnic on the large grassed areas. It is essential to set aside several hours for rambling through the many walkways, up through the hillside, admiring the beautiful gardens, natural waterfalls and impressive displays of tulips. There are many park benches strategically placed throughout the park to rest your weary legs.

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The bulbs are stored in the cool room until the end of May ready for the massed spring bulb plantings that take place in June. They do a double plant into each hole, where they plant two different varieties of bulbs. This gives five weeks of flowering instead of three as the first ones flower, then the second spot through for mixed colour and once the first have died down it leaves the second variety to take over.

Tulips are a brilliant spring flowering waterwise plant because they grow when the water is available in the soil and die back when the soils dry, in harmony with the environmental extremes.

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It is definitely worth a visit to see Araluen ablaze in colour, but be warned, the crowds flock to Araluen to see the spectacular display. There is ample parking at Araluen and the fees are currently $20 for adults and $10 for children. Once inside take your time wandering around to enjoy a picnic and spend the day appreciating the impressive display.

Araluen Botanic Park is a slice of greenery amidst the bushlands of Roleystone, the lush tulips are like a make-believe world, where we could almost believe we are somewhere in Netherlands. Understandably, most people look at tulips and think of the Dutch, but just like Melbourne has the Tesselaar Tulip Festival and Canberra has Floriade, next time you see tulips you can think of Perth and the breathtakingly beautiful, Heaven in the Hills. Another worthwhile botanic garden to explore is Springfield Botanical Gardens in Missouri USA, a local treasure offering lots to see any time of the year.

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Have you been to Araluen and seen the tulips? Does this sound like an ideal place to relax and escape to a green space?

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25 Responses

  1. I love seeing flowers in full bloom. I love the tulips especially the scent of magnolia that would lure you absolutely all throughout the park! Thanks for sharing the pictures of these lovely flowers!

  2. Gorgeous photos! Look at the incredible range of colors. I’ve never heard of Araluen but definitely adding it to my places to visit in the future.

  3. So beautiful! Nice to see some spring as we are currently in the Canadian Rockies and there is snow! ~ Jessica
    Jessica @ Independent Travel Cats recently posted…Edinburgh Festivals in August: An Essential Planning Guide to 6 FestivalsMy Profile

  4. Beautful views… esp those tulips!

  5. Those are gorgeous tulips — and so many of them, too! It’s the wrong climate for tulips where I live, so I have never seen a mass of them like in your photos. I love looking at flowers and taking photos of them, so I think I’d really enjoy a visit to Araluen.
    Michele {Malaysian Meanders} recently posted…Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory TourMy Profile

  6. eileen g says:

    Gorgeous! I love tulips, and the effect when there are masses of them is really spectacular. #wkendtravelsinspiration

  7. Corinne says:

    Omigosh! Your flower photos are stunning. My favorite is the one with the rusty truck. Who can pass up a rusty anything? Love it.
    Thanks for linking up with #wkendtravelinspiration!
    Corinne recently posted…Travel Mishaps Galore!My Profile

  8. Just beautiful. I do like flowers.
    Paula McInerney recently posted…Places you are NOT allowed to take PhotographsMy Profile

  9. Anne says:

    I love Araluen but have not been to see the tulips this spring.

  10. Upeksha says:

    Ahhh, so pretty. I visited many years ago and still have vivid memories of fields and fields of beautiful flowers. So colourful. #theweeklypostcard

  11. Anna says:

    Never been to Araluen, but these flowers look magical, especially tulips! such a colorful Botanic Park!

  12. We visited Araluen several years back – yes those tulips and wildflowers are beautiful but I found reading about the history of the gardens really interesting.
    Sally@Toddlers on Tour recently posted…Stave Off Anxiety with a Checklist Before You TravelMy Profile

  13. Gorgeous pics! Especially all those tulips! Happy spring 🙂 #TheWeeklyPostcard
    Birgit / Groove Is In The Heart recently posted…Königssee: the gem in Bavaria’s crownMy Profile

  14. Ruth says:

    This is so gorgeous! I wish a place like this would be close to were I live. I mean, we have botanical gardens but the bushes and flowers are different.

  15. Oh wow, your blog just gives me itchy feet! Making me want to travel all over again!!! <3 – http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com

  16. Shobha says:

    Wow! so many tulips. I keep forgetting it is Spring in the Southern Hemisphere and this makes me nostalgic for spring in the Netherlands. But we’ll have to get through winter first!

  17. Yes, the gardens sound like the ideal place to spend some quiet time. Have you visited the tulip festival in Canberra? I haven’t myself but immediately thought of Canberra on seeing your bright gorgeous photos. #TheWeeklyPostcard
    annette charlton recently posted…French Summer MarketsMy Profile

  18. Oh wow Lyn – stunning, stunning, stunning photos of the beautiful tulips and magnolias! I just LOVE flowers and these are so very beautiful 🙂
    Lyndall @ SeizeThe Day Project recently posted…Connecting with nature on the Curtis Falls walkMy Profile

  19. Beautiful photos! I hope you enjoyed Araluen as much as we did.
    Lyn aka The Travelling Lindfields recently posted…Wildflowers in Western Australia: Kings Park, Perth.My Profile

  20. Ahila says:

    That’s so pretty! Such a lovely botanical garden to escape to!

  1. […] Western Australians are known as Sandgropers and along with our unique name, our state has some pretty unique places too. Perth has its fare share of ghost stories and haunted places and renowned to have one of the best displays of tulips in a spectacular botanic garden referred to as Heaven in the hills. […]

  2. […] from the 145,000 tulips planted by volunteers each year for the yearly Tulip Festival. Referred to Heaven in the Hills, it is peaceful and therapeutic to stroll the bushland, or picnic by the streams set amongst a […]

  3. […] Although each season offers a unique display, the real gem is the sea of colour from the yearly Tulip Festival. In Spring thousands of visitors pack the park to see the 145,000 tulips hand planted by volunteers […]

  4. […] year at Araluen thousands of tulips bulbs are planted by volunteers for a magnificent colourful display flowering in Spring, but for me […]

  5. […] forests in Mundaring. If you enjoy waterfalls and picturesque gardens take the hiking trail to Araluen Botanic Park. For other gems, take a wander around Lake Leschenaultia, stop for a meal and cider at Core Cider […]

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