Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden
Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden is a large garden in Olinda, Victoria, Australia. It opened in 1960 and covers about 42 hectares. It is run by Parks Victoria and welcomes around 190,000 visitors a year. It is open daily from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm.
What you’ll see: The garden is famous for rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, daffodils and cherry trees. It has more than 50,000 plants, including some rare or endangered species. There are smaller special areas, such as a Japanese Garden. In Cherry Tree Grove, cherry blossoms bloom in September and early October.
Where and climate: The garden sits next to Dandenong Ranges National Park near Olinda at about 600 metres above sea level. It gets roughly 1,200 mm of rainfall each year. The soils are volcanic, well-drained and mildly acidic, which helps rhododendrons grow well.
History in brief: The Australian Rhododendron Society started in Victoria in 1960 and got land near Olinda to create a rhododendron garden. The area was damaged by a major bushfire in January 1962, and many trees were burned. Early plantings used cuttings from members and seeds from other places. An ornamental lake was built in 1969. Cherry Tree Grove opened in 1995 with a ceremonial tree planting by Prince and Princess Akishino of Japan.
Later changes: In 2013, plans were published to add the word “botanic” to the name. In 2017, the old Olinda golf course was turned into parkland and joined the gardens, and the name became Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden. In 2021, the government funded an Australian Garden next to the site on 4,000 square metres, inspired by a Chelsea Flower Show 2013 exhibit that won best in show.
Website: parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/parks/dandenong-ranges-botanic-garden
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 07:09 (CET).