Hello lovely Steemians.
Well I've been off gallivanting around again and had a bit of a break from most of my technology!
But I always have the trusty camera with me so I can document my adventures.
This week we off on a quick sneaky trip down to the Yarra Valley for a wedding. Of course I managed a little bit of sight seeing in our very limited time.
Since moving on to our acreage, I've become somewhat obsessed with gardening and joined Diggers Club so I could easily get hold of heirloom seeds and plants. Diggers also maintain a number of gardens around the country - which are open for public viewing. One of these - Cloudehille was about 20 minutes away up in the Dandenong Ranges just outside of Melbourne. So packing the accompanying in-laws the car we took the windy road up the hill early one mist morning.
It was absolutely mystical!
A bit about Cloudehill
The gardens are at Olinda , in the heart of the Dandenong Ranges just outside the city of Melbourne. Whether you are into gardens or not, these are pretty spectacular - all year round. In fact the whole area is full of world famous gardens you can visit - it's one of the best areas for gardening because of the deep volcanic soil and a good amount of rain all year round.
The garden covers 5 acres - with an additional 5 open for viewing at the neighbouring Rangeview property, so take some good walking shoes.. and be prepared to get lost and just meander among the trees and flowers.
The garden was originally a 'working' garden back in the 1890s and was cleared of the old-growth Eucalyptus to grow cherries and raspberries. The bottom 5 acres (now Rangeview) was a nursery, while the upper 5 acres housed a cut flower business.
Work on the current gardens - Cloudehill - began on Easter Monday in 1992.
One of the magical things about Cloudehill is that it has a different garden every season so there is always something amazing to see and inspiration for plenty of gardeners..
Despite it being a mid spring morning when we visited the mist was settled in creating a magical atmosphere - you could well imagine fairies playing among the foliage!
There is also usually a range of art on display in the gardens - my favourite being that by Antone Bruinsma - beautiful sandstone and granite carvings in earthy colours with a focus on Mother Earth, and archetypal and mythological imagery. Ranging from $3500 to $25 000, my garden is going to have to do without!
Gardens are both planned and structured as well as natural and wild and of course I've come home with lots of ideas for the slopes around our property - and lots of jobs of course for @cryptoandzen!
After an hour or so of wandering the gardens, taking lots of photos and generally getting lost, despite our map, a great way to finish is in Season's restaurant, for home made treats and a great coffee. The fruit scones and cinnamon butter are really to die for!
If you see anything you like in the gardens - most is available in seed or seedling form back in Diggers shop and of course I took the opportunity to skip on the postage and bring home a load of plants - and a bee hotel to attract the native bees!
If you are around Melbourne, The Dandenong Ranges or The Yarra Valley - I highly recommend putting aside a couple of hours to amble through these gardens and stop at Seasons for a home made treat or lunch
The gardens are open 9-5 and entry is $10 or free for Diggers Club members - but it is well worth the entry cost which wouldn't even begin to cover maintaining these gardens all year round!
Seasons is outside the garden entry so you can still stop there for a snack or meal even without entering.
Hope you enjoyed a look at the these beautiful gardens. I will definitely be returning to see them in a different season as I am sure it will be like seeing them for the first time all over again.
Til the next adventure Steem on with Love and Light
You can find this, and other exciting adventures from some great travelling Steemians at Steemit Worldmap
!steemitworldmap -37.8613035 lat 145.3751264 long Mystical Cloudehill Gardens - D3SCR
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