Araluen Botanic Park — Attraction in Roleystone

A Refreshing Day at Araluen Botanical Park's Tulip Festival 🌷

What a rejuvenating experience at the Tulip Festival with my love! 💐 I can count the number of times I’ve visited Araluen on one hand, but every visit feels like a fresh escape. If I could sum it up, it’s like wandering through a vast, exotic botanical garden, crossed with a small-town spring flower market, and a dash of Freedom Falls magic.

The breeze was like freshly washed linens flowing through the trees, and honestly, the floral fragrance here puts the perfume counters at Myer to shame. Everywhere you turn, there’s green—green, green, and more green. 💚

We got our tickets online, and the whole process was smooth, with an email and QR code making entry a breeze. The price was reasonable too, especially compared to other rising costs these days. The park was well-maintained despite the recent unpredictable weather.

The welcome was warm right from the car park, where a friendly greeter set the tone: “It’s a beautiful day, looks like you’ll enjoy it!” She wasn’t wrong.

As we walked down into the valley, it felt like stepping into an oasis, like we were about to find the yellow brick road—Toto would have felt right at home. Seas of flowers, tulips in every color imaginable, nestled around tranquil water features and elegant stone pathways.

Recommendations: Give yourself at least three hours to truly soak it all in. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Be prepared to take plenty of photos! If you can, bring a flower enthusiast or someone who’ll appreciate the beauty. Pack a picnic if possible. While there are food trucks, nothing beats enjoying your meal among the flowers. There are plenty of benches, tables, and grassy spots for a relaxed lunch. Much of the park is accessible with paved walk ways, and toilets, but there are quite a few steep parts where many may need assistance. Go early. Parking is easier. It’s foolish to not plan ahead. Crowds are smaller.

What a beautiful...

I only gave one star because of a horrible experience we just had at your train section. So we got there just after they finished their last shift before lunch break so literally we were there first for the next one at 1:10pm. Around 12:45pm, I sent my girl to get in the queue and at that point there were only three families in front of us including one mum who had already put her two kids inside the train and then another old man did the same at the rear seats. Anyway I see no manner people all the time and thought my girl would still be able to pick a seat she'd like as we were still far at the front of the queue. And few minutes later another two young mums came in and they didn't position themselves behind us and because their girls started interacting with a boy whose family were in front of us, they just conveniently moved themselves in front of us. How bloody cheeky they were! At this time, I still thought my girl would be able to get a seat but what had shocked me was when the staff came back and opened all the gate, people just rushed to the train from everywhere. People who were behind us got in front of us and my girl has been pushed away just because I was with a baby and pram and wouldn't be able to defend her at that time . She was super upset and we were so looking forward to this train ride as the last stop at the park. She said people just kept saying to her 'this is my seat ' even though they got their later than us. She had been bullied by those nasty adults! We won't come back again and I would suggest another staff needs to be put in place to make sure everyone follows the rules as it seems very...

Local review. Went to Araluen this past Saturday 9/9/23 The tulips were beautiful and the camellias were huge. Some of the mass plantings had already lost half their flowers. I recommend to come sooner than later. The crowds were substantial so I recommend going during the week. There is no longer a cafe that we could find, only food trucks. We waited over 40 minutes just for a coffee. The toilet amenities were good and clean and there is plenty of space for a picnic. The cost to get in was $20 per adult and I expected a bit more bang for my buck. All the stands by Yates were deserted with no staff. There were no sales or gift shops that we could see. The so called live entertainment was market busker level at best, except for one couple out in one of the back hill areas who were bluesy and did a lovely job. Won’t be coming back at this price. There would have been well over 2000 adults that afternoon between 1-3pm, and at $20 a pop the park made well over $50k+ and more. I’ve been to better botanical gardens for free that have amenities, cafes with seating areas, butterfly and orchid displays and stunning flower displays. I gave one star for the tulip displays that were not half spent and one star for the clean toilets and one for the cleanliness of the pathways and...