From lavender to roses, wisteria, flowering gums and subantarctic rarities, there is an ever-changing display of nature on offer in the parks and gardens of Tasmania.

More than anywhere else in Australia, Tasmania enjoys four separate seasons, each with its own special appeal. It means that the island’s parks, gardens and even farmlands provide a changing palette of colour, season by season. Along the Heritage Highway, summer canola crops turn the fields to a stunning hue of gold. In springtime, the tulip farms of Wynyard’s Table Cape are bright beds of colour. In autumn, city parks shimmer with red and yellow foliage.

A quiet stroll through a peaceful garden is a superb way to unwind during your Tasmanian escape and as you drive around the island, you’ll discover many gardens in which to do just that. Of all the beautiful gardens that deserve a visit, here are five standouts.

BRIDESTOWE ESTATE Is it a farm or a garden? When the exquisite, neatly-tended rows of lavender bushes are in bloom at Bridestowe, near Nabowla in the state’s north-east, the fields are ablaze with spectacular stripes of fragrant purple. The farm boasts 48 hectares of lavender fields, which flower from mid-December. Harvesting and distillation of the oil takes place through January.
There’s a visitor centre, shop and cafe on-site. Bridestowe is closed from June to August but even away from flowering season, the estate is an essential destination on your north-east journey. Address: 296 Gillespies Rd, Nabowla

ANNSLEIGH GARDENS

Ten kilometres south of Burnie are the beautiful Annsleigh Gardens. Designed for colour and spectacle in spring, summer and autumn, the landscaped plantings feature colourful trees and shrubs, rhododendrons, perennials and bulbs, an extensive rose garden and a colonial section. As you stroll through the cherry blossom, wisteria, camellia and laburnum walks you’ll savour the scents and vivid colours of the changing seasons.

Address: 4 Metaira Road, Burnie

WOOLMERS ESTATE AND THE NATIONAL ROSE GARDEN

Set in the expansive grounds of an historic colonial farming estate near Longford in the island’s north is the magnificent spectacle of the National Rose Garden, one of the finest collections of roses in the southern hemisphere. Among the 5000 named roses there are varieties representing all the recognised rose families, from the earliest Chinese and European roses to the most modern varieties. As you wander among the beds you’ll follow the history of the world’s most-loved flower. The gardens and the wider estate are magnificent at any time of the year, but the best time to see the National Rose Garden in full bloom is from October to April.

Address: Woolmers Lane, Longford

ROYAL TASMANIAN BOTANICAL GARDENS

No visit to Hobart is complete without spending time in the city’s beautiful and historic botanical gardens, the nation’s second-oldest. The changing displays in the Conservatory present a colourful tribute to the seasons, while themed plantings such as the Japanese and Chinese Gardens also showcase the beauties of seasonal variety. Other highlights include the amazing Subantarctic House, with plants from beyond 50 degrees south thriving in the wet, cold, misty conditions of their Macquarie Island home. The Gardens welcome spring with the annual Tulip Festival each October. The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens are open every day, all year round. There is a regular program of guided tours by Friends of the Gardens – for details, visit www.rtbg.tas.gov.au

Address: Queens Domain, Hobart

INVERAWE NATIVE GARDENS

A short drive south of Hobart at Margate is the Inverawe Native Gardens, almost 10 hectares of landscaped plantings along the picturesque shoreline of the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. Inverawe has more than 5000 native plants in a variety of natural settings. Waterwise and low-maintenance plantings are a special feature – you’ll be able to pick up many practical ideas that you can use in your own home garden. The colourful plantings of callistemon, grevilleas and acacias attract large numbers of native birds – informative labelling enhances appreciation of the plants and their background. The gardens are open from Tuesday to Sunday (and holiday Mondays) between 1 September and 31 May.

Address: 1565 Channel Highway, Margate

 

STORY: CHRIS VINEY. Image courtesy of Tourism Tasmania.