By Rama Gaind.
“Blossom by blossom the spring begins.” – Algernon Charles Swinburne
Floriade has returned with the ‘Sounds of Spring’ to Commonwealth Park in Canberra until 16 October 2022.
Truer words were never said. It’s a season that represents starting afresh. New life, beginnings and transformations. Isn’t there a spring in everyone’s step?
After the cold and dark days of winter, the springtime brings fresh hope. We can finally enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. What better way to enjoy the great outdoors than by seeing how “the earth laughs in flowers” as pointed out by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
One way to do that is to visit Australia’s biggest celebration of spring – Floriade – which has returned with the ‘Sounds of Spring’, in Canberra, until Sunday, 16 October.
Floriade celebrates its 35th year in 2022, and for 30 days across September and October, Commonwealth Park comes alive with beauty, colour and vibrancy.
Visitors are sure to appreciate a bright display of over a million blooms set to a soundtrack of diverse live musical performances in an exciting program offering a range of activities, workshops, talks, food and wine and entertainment.
Get your creative side blooming in a flower workshop, sit down for a delectable lobster tail and glass of bubbles, peruse the markets or simply explore the beautiful garden beds. Floriade has something for everyone.
NightFest
Explore Floriade’s Dark Side from 29 September to 2 October, when the park will be illuminated with colour and filled with roving entertainment, stalls and fantastic food from 6.30pm-10.30pm.
Why not unwind with chilled out sounds, a massage and a glass of wine on Thursday, 29 September and Sunday, 2 October. Then, dial up your weekend a notch for ‘invigorate’ nights on Friday, 30 September and Saturday, 1 October and experience the electric and energetic party vibe.
Floriade will welcome pooches, big and small, on Sunday, 16 October for this year’s Dogs’ Day Out. With a range of dog specific retail vendors and dog-friendly programming on stage and around the park, Floriade will open its gates to our furry friends to experience a day with the blooms.
Exclusive to Dogs Day Out, on offer will be a range of four-legged products, a mobile dog wash and dog-focused activities including a dog agility course, the Dachshund Dash and Best Dressed Competitions.
Entry to Floriade is free, and the gates are open from 9.00am-5.30pm daily, including Thursday, 22 September.
Spring fever is in the air, happiness and enthusiasm is everywhere. It’s a world of perpetual astonishment!
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Silver for Bendigo in Australia’s Top Tourism Awards
The Bendigo Uncorked Festival will be held over a jam-packed 16-day program from October 1 2022.
Bendigo has won silver at the 2022 Top Tourism Town Awards presentation held in Canberra last week.
The town of Mudgee in NSW won the major national award of Top Tourism Town, Exmouth in Western Australia took out the gold for Top Small Tourism Town, with Sheffield in Tasmania winning silver, and Victoria’s Port Fairy winning bronze.
The Top Tiny Tourism Town was won by Strahan, Tasmania, with Winton in Queensland gaining silver.
Almost 150 towns from across Australia entered the awards, celebrating excellence in the tourism industry. The national award recognises and celebrates towns that provide outstanding visitor experiences, where towns with a population over 5,000 are eligible.
With Bendigo’s win, there has never been a better time to visit the central Victorian town as it acknowledges the town’s outstanding visitor experiences. The City of Greater Bendigo’s annual spring Bendigo Bloom campaign has returned to the thriving regional Victorian city with an outstanding line-up of wine, heritage, art and outdoor experiences and entertainment for the whole family and adults to enjoy, including new night-time interactive garden activation – ‘Bloom After Dark’.
Over the duration of the next three months – September, October and November 2022 – visitors to the central Victorian region will be able to enjoy around 60 amazing experiences throughout the Bendigo, Castlemaine, Loddon Valley and Maryborough regions – ensuring spring 2022 will be action-packed and one to remember for all.
Bendigo Annual Tulip Display will be held from mid-September until early October 2022.
Showcasing hallmark events for all the family to enjoy, as well as many smaller and quirkier themed events, Bendigo Bloom is the perfect excuse for a spring escape and getaway for locals and travellers alike. Highlights include:
Bloom – garden events
- Bendigo Annual Tulip Display: Watch 52,000 tulips in an assortment of colours and sizes blossom (including a huge outline of a tulip made from tulips) from mid-September until early October 2022 along Pall Mall and the Conservatory Gardens. This annual display has been brightening up Bendigo since 2004.
- Bloom After Dark: Experience Bendigo’s Annual Tulip Display like you never have before, with Bloom After Dark. See the beautiful tulip beds illuminated with a night time light show, discover 40 custom-made tulip lamp shades at Bendigo Visitor Centre and have fun playing with the interactive flower display projecting onto the Conservatory Building (September 16-October 9 2022).
Bloom – showcase events
In addition to the garden events, Bendigo Bloom will offer showcase events celebrating heritage, music, wine, food and art.
- Heathcote Wine and Food Festival: The artisan winemakers of Heathcote will gather on Saturday, October 1 and Sunday, October 2, 2022 to showcase some of the most distinctive and iconic wines in the country to wine enthusiasts.
- Bendigo Uncorked Festival: Over a jam-packed 16-day program – from October 1 to October 16, 2022 – Heritage Uncorked Festival will showcase all things Bendigo wine, from the Mediterranean styled whites, the luscious roses, and of course, bold reds. The festival will conclude with the inaugural Bendigo Winegrowers’ Spring Fiesta event at Bendigo’s Gardens of the Future on Saturday, October 15, 2022.
“Spring adds new life and new beauty to all that is.”
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