The National Rhododendron Gardens - Victorian Branch
The National Rhododendron Gardens are a spectacular cool climate Botanical Garden situated at The Georgian Road, Olinda in the Dandenong Ranges about 40 km east of Melbourne. They cover an area of 40 Hectares. As a comparison, Melbourne Botanical Gardens has 35Ha, Sydney Botanical Gardens 30Ha and Mt Tomah Gardens in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney has 28 Ha. Olinda, at an altitude of 500 metres, has a climate about 5 degrees cooler than Melbourne and a rainfall of about 1200 mm per year, almost twice that of Melbourne. The soil is deep red volcanic loam ideally suited to growing a wide range of plants and the gardens boast spectacular views over the Yarra Valley.
The Gardens were founded in 1960 by the then newly formed Australian Rhododendron Society (ARS) on land made available by the State Government of the day. The original intention was to create the Gardens as a showcase and National collection of Rhododendron species and cultivars and this goal has certainly been achieved. However, the founders had the wisdom to also include a very wide range of cool climate shrubs and trees. Thus today, while the main focus of the gardens is Rhododendrons, the Gardens are also home to a very diverse range of plants fully justifying its claim to be a cool climate Botanical Garden.
The development of the Gardens was carried out exclusively under the control of the ARS and largely using the volunteer labour of ARS members, although they did have some help from the State Forestry Commission as well as financial grants from various tourist bodies. As the gardens developed, the financial and administrative load increased and this led, in the late 1980’s, to an increasing involvement by Government. This culminated in 1995 with Parks Victoria taking over administration and control of the Gardens although the ARS continues to have a strong horticultural input and close ties to the Gardens.
Peak times in the Garden are September to November for the spectacular display of thousands of mature Rhododendrons in flower. March and April provide autumn colour from the many deciduous trees. However the Garden is a beautiful tranquil place to visit at any time of the year.
