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Lotus Flower Season

Lotus Flower Season

The Lotus Flower Season, held by the Blue Water Lotus Garden, is an event that lasts a few months, during which visitors can see beautiful lotus flowers in full bloom.

The next season runs from December 2023 to April 2024, featuring thousands of Lotus and Water Lily flowers over 14 acres of ponds and ornamental lakes.

Lotus Flower Season Water Garden, 2023/2024 Bloom Yarra Valley, VIC

Spanning over 14 acres (50,000 square meters) in size, the tropical-themed gardens contain more than 40 different ponds, lakes and water features, which produce the biggest display of lotus and waterlily flowers in the southern hemisphere. The grounds also contain an amazing array of exotic plants, garden exhibits, fountains, waterfalls, floral sculptures, walks and scenic vistas.

There are extensive picnic facilities with numerous shelters and BBQs spread throughout the gardens. Alternatively, garden visitors can enjoy the wonderful hospitality of the cafe, which offers fantastic views of the flowers.

Cochrane Lake

This is the largest lake in the garden, holding over 11 million litres of water. It stretches 250m long and contains over 70 varieties of waterlily flowers, creating a carpet of colour across the lake’s surface. A feature of the display is our prized collection of Claude Monet’s original waterlilies that he planted in his garden at Giverny in France.

At the end of the lake, a plantation of hundreds of Mrs Perry Slocum Lotus, Hindu Lotus and Cream Lutea Lotus add to the visual experience, producing thousands of blooms every day. The gardens surrounding the lake also contain many perennial flowers and shade-giving banana and cocos palms. The lake also features a 300m walk through its middle, with 11 bridges, including the famous red-arched bridge. Often, native water birds such as Giant Egrets, Water Hens, Spoon Bills and numerous ducks are seen foraging for food or building nests.

On the lake’s southern side, a sandy pathway offers easy access with numerous picnic shelters for people to rest and take in the stunning views. Adding to the vista are two fountains built in the shape of giant lotus flowers; they seem to float on the lake’s surface, producing a dancing reflective effect of their surroundings.

Lotus Lake

Can you imagine being in a place so beautiful that you never want to leave? The walk around Lotus Lake is one of those places. The lake produces the largest display of lotus flowers in the garden, with over 10,000 blooms on display. The featured flowers are Carolina Queen Lotus (pink) and Cream Lutea Lotus (white), with blossoms as large as a dinner plate. The flowers grow around the entire 500m circumference of the lake, creating an intoxicating visual experience.

The gardens edging the sandy pathway have all been carefully created and planted with exotic flowering plants, adding to the wonderful vistas. Featured flowering plants include a range of salvias, impatiens, succulents, cordylines, begonias, canna lilies, crepe myrtles and pergola vines. Banana palms and cocos palms provide shade as you wander, along with numerous reed-covered rotundas offering great vantage points to take in the serenity.

Giants Of The Amazon

The natural world contains many rare, beautiful and amazing plants, and in the Tropical World Complex, you will discover some of the world’s most spectacular ones.

Native Waterlilies & Lotus

Many people don’t realise there are more than 17 species of native waterlilies and two species of native lotus have been discovered in Northern Australia. Most of these species are sub-tropical and tropical varieties that typically grow north of the Tropic of Capricorn.

However, the Blue Lotus Water Garden has successfully grown several of them in their new “Kakadu Lagoon” exhibit.

Over the past 20 years, Geoff Cochrane (owner of the gardens) has collected seeds of these beautiful plants during many expeditions to Northern Australia. The seed is then germinated in experimental ponds at Mossman, Queensland, before the mature plants are relocated to our Kakadu Lagoon display, which is part of the Tropical World complex.

The featured varieties on display include Gigantea Waterlily, Immutabilis Waterlily, Violacea Waterlily, Cape York Lotus and Waltzing Matilda Lotus. All these native beauties have been selected for their showy, long-lasting flowers.

Native River Walk

The Little Yarra River is one of the main tributaries of the Yarra River that flows through Melbourne. Its headwaters are located in the hills about 20km east of the gardens. The river and its riparian environment are home to many of Victoria’s iconic native plants and animals, some of which are rare or endangered.

The river itself has a population of cute platypuses, sometimes seen in the early morning or at dusk. Fish species include River Blackfish, Trout, Grayling, Smelt, Perch and Eels. The river is also home to the Spiny Freshwater Crayfish and some yabby species.

The surrounding vegetation provides habitat for many native birds, including honey eaters, parrots, kookaburras, owls and cockatoos. If you are fortunate, you may even see a koala, wallaby or anticlines (native marsupial), which make their home on the banks of the river.

A special feature of the area is the huge Manna Gums that tower 50m high, providing shade and habitat. Other feature plants include our special grove of rare indigenous tree ferns. The tree ferns and many other indigenous ferns were planted as part of ongoing restoration works within 10-15m of the river.

The conservation efforts also include ongoing removal of exotic plants, weed removal, bank stabilisation and the recent plantings of thousands of locally native trees, shrubs, grasses and plants. These works will be ongoing and improve the overall environment, encouraging native animals and birds into the reserve.

The shady & cool walk along the river is a great place to experience the wonderful Australian environment, which is a completely different experience from the exotic gardens that surround it.

Dragons Trail

Take the kids on an adventure to meet our mystical Red Dragons. The journey will take you into the Belly of Dragons as it snakes through magical fields of white lotus flowers, cascading ponds and tropical gardens.

At the end of the trail you will find our Red Dragons, who protect fantasy falls and all the gardens waterways during the summer. It’s believed that if you throw a coin into the Dragons pond, it will bring you good luck for the rest of the year.

Lotus Wetlands

Created along the loamy river flats, the wetlands contain numerous bogs and shallow ponds containing a large variety of water & bog plants. Five of our favourite varieties of lotus flowers are featured here, including Mrs Perry Slocum, Carolina Queen, Hindu, Roseam Plena, Green Magic and Crème Lutea. Because the ponds are shallow, the lotus flowers grow to a height of 1.5m, creating a virtual forest of flowers. It’s the best place in the garden for visitors to get close to the flowers and their perfume.

The wetlands also feature the “Indian Blue Lotus” (which is actually a tropical waterlily), along with numerous other beautiful waterlilies. The ponds and bogs are edged with extensive garden beds full of perennial colours, including impatiens, sunflowers, salvias, canna lilies, petunias, marigolds and celosias. Another feature is our collection of hibiscus, thalis and papyrus.

The wetlands also provide a very important habitat for many frogs, insects, and invertebrates that live in the rich ponds. Many of our native animals rely on this created habitat, especially when food is scarce in the natural environment.

Autumn Perennial Garden

From late-March until mid April the garden gets a fresh burst of colour provided by thousands of flowering perennial and annual exotic plants. Throughout the grounds, tens of thousands of non-water plants have been planted, such as salvias, petunias, impatiens, canna lilies, bougainvillea, hibiscus, sunflowers, iris and many others.

Some of the best places to view these beauties are along the lower side of Cochrane Lake wall. The embankment has been planted with masses of impatiens, salvias, and petunias and features 5m high towers of bougainvillea flowers. The walk at the bottom of the embankment is just stunning in Autumn.

For hibiscus lovers, the Lotus Wetlands area contains huge stands of pink, red and variegated hibiscus flowers. The plants grow up to 2m tall with flowers up to 20cm in diameter that attract insects and honey eater birds, and the large Fairy Garden provides a colourful experience for both young and young at heart. It features a great range of cottage flowering plants, including some of the country’s best-looking orange, bronze and yellow perennial sunflowers.

Kids Fun

The flower fairies have been busy building their own village near a grove of giant mushrooms and garden beds full of flowers. The fairies have added a few fun features for little humans, including three fantasy cubby houses, a rainbow slide, flower boats, a wishing well, giant flower sculptures and the magical fairy throne. It also contains numerous lakeside picnic shelters and a BBQ, an excellent place for families to picnic (with the fairies).

There is also play equipment with a boat sand pit near the cafe for young ones and in the new family fun space with a BBQ area and playground below the Giant Amazon enclosure.

Kids of all ages will love the upgraded Dragon Walk at the back of the gardens, with two realistic dragon statues that appear to walk on water.

Every kid will love this free activity of discovery, fun and adventure. The garden Spotto has been designed in a fun way to get kids interested in exploring the gardens and the wonders of nature. Each child receives a sheet and pencil on arrival; the sheet contains clues to a dozen features, animals or plants in the garden.

Cafe & Kiosk

The Blue Lotus Water Garden is pleased to announce that local culinary experts, 3 Sugars Cafe from Warburton, have come on board to run the garden’s hospitality services, cafe, and kiosk in 2024.  The team at 3 Sugars plans to offer customers a great range of dine-in and takeaway options with a focus on delicious homemade food, excellent coffee, and friendly hospitality.

The seasonal outdoor cafe is set amongst lush tropical gardens and includes a unique collection of “Balinese” style weatherproof shelters and one group pavilion, all built on the edge of our famous waterlily pond. No matter where you sit, you can see stunning views of the gardens and the wonderful water flowers.

Also located inside the gardens is an excellent Kiosk & Ice Cream Shop. Treat yourself or the kids to a decadent gourmet ice cream as you walk around the gardens. The kiosk also offers a range of hot & cold snacks, cold drinks, coffee and more.

Visitors are welcome to picnic in one of the many picnic shelters or picnic areas inside the garden. You are welcome to bring into the gardens your own food and drink (except alcohol). There are seven large general-use park BBQs (coin-operated) that visitors can use in different spots around the gardens.

Please note that dogs (except service dogs) are not permitted within the Water Gardens. So come check out the lotus flowers at the best time of year by visiting the Blue Lotus Water Garden in the beautiful Yarra Valley.

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What date is the Lotus Flower Season?
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What are the Lotus Flower Season entry prices?
Adult (16yrs+): $24.50
Child: Free
Senior or Pensioner Ticket: $22.00
Must present a valid Seniors Card or Australian Pension Card at entry. NO other concession cards are accepted.
Companion Card: Free

Service fees added to the ticket price include fees charged by Ticketbooth and credit card merchant fee

Please visit our website for more information on the Lotus Flower Season.
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