Tesselaar Tulips 2018

https://tulipfestival.com.au/

The Tesselaar Tulip Festival is one of my favourite events in the year; and to be honest an event I was gutted to be missing whilst off in Europe this spring. I sent two guest reviewers Symone and Emma to check it out this year and share their stories…

Here’s what they had to say…

Symone: “A visit to the Tesselaar Tulip Festival has been a school holiday staple in our family for a few years now. Located at the foothills of the picturesque Dandenong Ranges, it’s a beautiful location for a family day out.”

Emma: “For someone who had never been I wondered am I just going to see a bunch of beautiful flowers, boy was I wrong. The abundance of tulips , manicured gardens, live entertainment plus activities galore just to name a few things on the day.”

S: “There’s so much free entertainment too, especially during the Children’s Weeks. We got to see an awesome Australian Animal Show, before PJ masks hit the stage. It had a dingo, lizards, snakes, birds and a croc, my kids were mesmerised. We even got the opportunity to pat and hold some of the stars! The PJ Masks Show was a winner too. Lots of singing and dancing and the costumes were great.”

E: “We took a walk through the gardens playing some dutch games , taking some funny photos and playing in the fairy gardens. All the while trying to catch the time on the white rabbits pocket watch as 2018’s theme is Wonderland.

E: “We then sat down for a snack of some beautiful dutch pancakes and coffee , the food choices went on for days was heaps to choose from and all smelt equally amazing.”

S: “If you’re happy to pay for entertainment, the tractor ride is a must. Tickets are $5 each or $15 for a family of four. It takes you on a pleasant, although quite bumpy, ride around the tulips. There’s also some incredibly talented face painters. At $10 a pop it’s pretty steep but they don’t hold back to make it special (think glitter, jewels and plenty of time to create a detailed masterpiece). It was about a 20 minute wait but the line moves reasonably quickly and there’s seating available.”

E: “The boys joined in the drumming work shop too which we all enjoyed and lastly we took the all special photo in the giant clog.”

S: “In previous years my children would tip toe (and run) through the rows of tulips for hours. Stopping to smell them and admire the most beautiful ones. I couldn’t believe how enthralled they could be with nature. I was so disappointed that this year the tulips were roped off. You could still see them and walk around the beds but it just wasn’t the same.”

Sounds like the ladies had fun, but I have to say I agree with Symone that I’m a little sad that tip-toeing through the tulips appears to be a thing of the past. But the Wonderland stuff does sound like a fun addition to 2018!