Begin your garden trail in Hamilton, where the Hamilton Botanic Gardens offer a perfectly manicured start to your spring sightseeing. Designed by William Guilfoyle, the same visionary behind Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens, these gardens are compact, peaceful, and full of surprises. Admire sweeping lawns, rare trees, colourful beds of spring flowers, ornamental lake, flight aviary and elegant walking paths that invite a slow meander around the heritage gazebo.
Optional side quest:
Conveniently positioned in the direction of where we’re heading next, Petschel House Garden & Gallery offers an inspiring detour. Set around a historic bluestone homestead, this privately-owned garden blends art with nature with sculpture-lined gardens, gallery spaces, and bursts of seasonal colour.
Our journey now leads to Penshurst, a peaceful township nestled at the foot of dormant volcano Mt Rouse, and home of the tranquil Penshurst Botanic Gardens, a true hidden gem of the Southern Grampians. The serene and charming space, though modest in size, offers plenty of natural beauty and peaceful charm and is a sanctuary for both the soul and the senses. The gardens invite visitors to slow down, breathe deeply, and reconnect with nature.
Shady trees, seasonal blooms, and meandering pathways create an idyllic backdrop for a quiet wander, a reflective moment, or a joyful family picnic. The Penshurst Botanic Gardens may be small, but their impact is lasting.
Third Stop: Dunkeld Arboretum
It’s time to head north and set your sights on Dunkeld, where the Dunkeld Arboretum unfolds against the stunning backdrop of the Gariwerd ranges. The 18-hectare space is a living museum of trees and features over 330 species while also offering a peaceful walking track that circles around a scenic lake.
Second optional side quest:
If any art-loving side questers are still following along, take a scenic detour to Ros McArthur’s Art Studio located in the large garden of “Woollahra” sheep farm in the Victoria Valley. Designed to incorporate and blend with the mountain surrounds and picturesque farming land, both her art and gardening skills are something to be admired.
Our garden trail finds its perfect finale at the Peter Francis Points Arboretum in Coleraine, a beautiful example of how nature and community go hand-in-hand.
Nestled amidst rolling hills and sweeping vistas, this thoughtfully curated space is dedicated to the celebration of both native and exotic species. Spring is an especially rewarding time to visit with wattles, grevilleas, and ornamental trees all bursting into bloom. Here the air hums with birdsong, bees flit from bloom to bloom, and every path reveals a new pocket of beauty waiting to be discovered.
With each stop offering its own blend of colour, character, and connection to nature, this journey invites you to slow down and breathe deeply with its living gallery of growth, renewal, and natural charm.
Feeling inspired to explore? Pop into the Hamilton & Grampians Visitor Information Centre where our welcoming team is ready to help you craft the perfect itinerary. Prefer to plan from afar? Give us a call on 1800 807 056 and let the adventure bloom from there.
