[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]’It’s a rainbow carpet of flowers!’ Lady AB exclaims as we enter Tesselaar Flower Farm’s KaBloom Festival of Flowers.
The Kabloom Festival of Flowers is returning in 2020 after a successful inaugural season in 2018, and a wonderful circus spin in 2019!
The KaBloom circus spectacular features artists from Melbourne’s Strange Fruit, who will be performing in scheduled shows and roving throughout Kabloom.
In addition to KaBloom Circus there are circus and drumming workshops, children’s activities including face painting, delicious foods and market stalls to enjoy every day over the Autumn school holidays and Easter Break, from Saturday 28 March – 13 April 2020. There will also be special appearances from Peppa Pig and George Pig from Monday 30 March – Friday 3 April and Ben and Holly from Monday 6 April – Thursday 9 April.
It’s like the stunning Tesselaar Tulip Festival – but with different flowers! If you’re a fan of the Tesselaar Tulip Festival then this flower festival is a good excuse to visit Tesselaar not just once, but at least twice a year.
Colourful blooms cover five acres of garden at Tesselaar’s Flower Farm in the Dandenong Ranges and the calendar features different themed events every day.
We visit over the Easter long weekend so of course the Easter Bunny and chocolates feature! In 2019 there are special Easter Egg hunts running daily from Good Friday to Easter Monday (April 10 – 13). Book early to avoid disappointment.
Just note that the Easter Egg Hunt is an extra $10. In 2018 the event was not held in the garden itself but in a very small straw pen. The restricted access is understandable given the fragile blooms, but a bit disappointing in terms of capturing an Easter Egg hunt with a stunning floral backdrop. Also if you have an older child it will less than 5 minutes to find the five marked wooden eggs so it’s not a particularly satisfying experience for Lady AB.
She perks up when she exchanges the wooden eggs for a generous bag of Cadbury chocolate eggs and a fluffy bunny headband.
Along with Easter egg hunts I recommend the petunia maze! It’s just the right height for kids and makes for some fun pictures as it’s the only place that you can really get amongst the flowers. To protect the fragile blooms the narrow rows between each row of flowers are cordoned off.
New in 2019 was a challenging obstacle course and an optional colour run on the first weekend.
You can also enjoy free daily entertainment, yard games and tractor rides (Free under 4yo, $5 each for over 4yo or $15 for a family).
Lady AB spends the most time exploring the Fairy Hollow/Gnomesville, although she’s getting too big for the cubbyhouses!
Food options include a few street food stalls, ice cream from $4 and our favourite, the Dutch poffertjes (miniature pancakes) starting from $7.50.
If you’re on a budget you’re welcome to bring a picnic to the grounds, though note that there are no barbecues. There are a scatter of plastic tables and chairs around or bring a sturdy picnic rug as the red soil can get muddy very quickly.
Kabloom Festival of Colours is a lovely way to spend a sunny day in the Dandenong Ranges. We spend about 1.5 hours there but you can easily spend more time soaking in the atmosphere. We find that a lot of the children’s entertainment is probably more enjoyable for younger kids, but there’s still enough to entertain older kids for a few hours.
Click here for more things to do with kids in the Dandenong Ranges
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”thon-hot-tips-panel”]HOT Tips:
- arrive early at 10am so that you can take pictures without crowds of people in the way. Also available parking is much closer and the bus tours don’t tend to arrive right at 10am;
- buy your tickets online in advance to avoid queues;
- Some activities require pre-booking and additional costs, check the website for further information;
- midday is peak hour;
- if you want to experience the Fairy Hollow in peace then go while the live entertainment is happening on stage;
- wear gumboots and easily-washed clothes. The red clay gets muddy very quickly with the number of people walking around and the dirt marks everything. Despite what my photos show, sandals are not a good idea!;
- take a jacket for the strong breeze that rolls into the valley;
- if you can try to avoid taking a pram. Given the crowds and soggy ground conditions it’s really best enjoyed by children who are able to walk steadily; and
- if your kids are old enough, give them a phone camera to experiment with. It’s hard to take a bad shot.
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