Spring is one of my favourite times of the year, I love watching the flowers come out and the trees come back to life. So much so, when we set off on our adventure in 2014 my whole objective became getting to The Netherlands to see Keukenhof Gardens and their stunning display of tulips.

And as you can see I was not disappointed in what I saw.  I spent the day oohhing and aaaahing at the wonderful displays, my only disappointment was I had to share it with hundreds of people, you just couldn’t seem to get a spot by yourself.

They go all out there, even having a parade through the streets of many of the surrounding villages. It features many beautiful floats featuring fresh flowers….the smell was divine.

Araluen Botanical Park

What I did not realise then was, I could experience the tulips a lot closer to home, at Araluen Botanical Gardens about a 40-minute drive from home. Every year hundreds of volunteers transform the gardens into beds filled with tulip bulbs and in spring they just come alive. This year there were 140 000 tulips were planted in beds set all over the gardens along winding paths for you to enjoy.

Different from European gardens Araluen is set in a backdrop of Australian natives, camellias and rhodederums you get a unique perspective of how diverse the Perth Hills growing conditions are.

We stopped at the cafe to have lunch, the prices were very reasonable. There was also a good selection of other food vendors where you could purchase food or you can bring your own picnic and enjoy in the many picnic areas scattered around the park.

Araluen Tulip Festival runs from mid-August to late September every year. In 2017 it costs $15 for adults to attend and there is plenty to see and do to keep you occupied for a few hours.

There is plenty of car parking available but it does get busy. There does not seem any way to get there by public transport unless you are in a group of ten or more when there is  Shuttle Bus you can book here.

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