cloudehill nursery and gardens

651seand

This is a beautifully maintained garden with a hillside setting, a short way out of Olinda. Autumn is a great time to visit.It also has a good cafe - well away from the interminable queues in Olinda that seem to prevail on the weekends.

Veelind

A lovely place, but its costly to get in and there are parts of the gardens that require maintence.(statue fallen over!) I was also not informed of the wedding that was going in the gardens and the closure of the restaurant, until it was to late.

NJ220

The Cloudehill gardens are stunning! Well worth a wander through. Well kept, artistic designs, a huge rage of plants. :)Coffee shop on site also very nice. Friendly staff, good food. Lovely day!Nursery a little expensive, but good variety of plants.

Alys-Schatzi

Although so many reviewers find Cloudehill charming, I have to say I've found it over-praised on the two occasions I've visited and therefore I've come away feeling irritated. The building serving as the restaurant is just a cottage with enlarged windows and the meals are nothing special. The gardens are very mannered (I prefer a less structured layout). And the nursery is small by nursery standards and expensive. Agreed Cloudehill is more attractive than an 'Average' garden-centred attraction, however for me it's not 'Excellent'.

13judym

Saw these gardens on TV's Better Home and Gardens show. Looked stunning then and definately doesn't disappoint when you are there. Magic gardens, set aside in window type rooms and walkways. Very creative and the colours of trees and plants are amazing. Sometimes a little steep, so not really suitable for unsteady walkers or chairs. Wonderful shop and nursery with funky art and enticing plants for sale. Enjoyed afternoon tea in the SEASONS café attached to the nursery which overlooks the gardens, sit inside or outside , depending on the weather. Costs $10 to enter the gardens, but totally worth it, a good 2 - 3 hours of beautiful vistas await garden lovers here

DaffodilRobPeter48

Visited the restaurant for brunch with friends in April 2014, and again in July and September... and a walk in the gardens each time. If that combination appeals (brunch followed by a garden walk) then this is one of the best going. Compare it with Daylesford Botanic Gardens Restaurant for the same thing. Very Lovely all round.

EF_05Melb

If you're up in the Dandenongs (Olinda) and want some beautiful gardens to look at, have a stroll, maybe do some photography I can recommend Cloudehill. Some spectacular maples, rhododendrons, azaleas of all colours. There's a cafe on site if you're hungry - we had devonshire teas. The nursery shop sells seedlings, seeds, basic gardening tools and publications. If you're a Diggers club member, the entrance to the gardens ($10) is free.

15mattocks

A great way to spend a couple of hours, get some exercise and admire the beautiful setting. Its a great place to inspire you to either jazz up your own garden, or daydream how you would like your garden to be. The plant shop has some great seeds and plants- I picked up a lemon verbena plant that I found hard to find in my local Melbourne nursery. A great dessert recipe I have calls for just a few fresh leaves, so wanted to grow my own for those times you need them. A lovely day out, and a pleasant way to meander through some truly beautiful and restful gardens.

JennyB728

Very relaxing to wander around the beautiful gardens. We found it a bit overpriced to look through the gardens. There is a nice cafe at the nursery & some lovely things in the nursery shop to browse over. Well worth having a look through.

988annel

This is a wonderful garden to visit at any time of the year. When I visited with a friend from Brisbane in October, it was showing it's Spring glory, with tulips, and fields of bluebells, peonies of white and various shades of pink, numerous blossom, including large verbenas in full flower..There are numerous varieties of walled gardens, grassy areas, woodland spaces, and more manicured gardens. It is impossible to do justice to this magical place, in words. Just visit it! There is also a good cafe with indoor seating and outdoor tables, which look down across the garden,and also a very good nursery which are run by Diggers

Paul_n_Cris

Spring is in the air and the flowers are coming out. These garden are the best we visited on our day in the Dandenong Ranges, but with them being built on the side of a hill you need to be reasonably fit as you are either walking up or down and not for anyone infirm on their feet. A well thought out and planned garden with small gardens in different stages of bloom, lots of flowers in October but still plenty of plants in bud that will be giving a different display for those that will be visiting in the coming month. The bluebell woodland floor took me back to my childhood, and the sculptures scattered around certainly added to the effect.The only thing that stopped me giving 5 stars, was we thought it was a bit pricey at $10pp.The cafe at the top, to the side of the Nursery area has a small outside area and larger inside seating. Service was a little slow outside, and at $8.50 for a slice of cake was in the top price bracket. There are plenty of better nurserys in the Dandenongs, so don't come here for the nursery, the gardens are what you want to see.

venetiapapillon

I did some research to discover where to celebrate autumn colours in Melbourne and Cloudehill was one recommended. It is a commercial garden and costs $10 to enter, but the gardens are beautifully maintained and hundreds of Melbourne brides have voted by using this locale for their romantic memories for very good reasons. We arrived with a group of 20 but the group got wonderfully separated and lost in the twisting turning pathways and secret vistas. Cameras were encouraged and gorgeous souvenir photos were taken. #While it's good to pop into the nursery shop their stock is limited and expensive. It was a good place to gather the group again before heading off to a nearby pub for lunch. Tripadvisor does not have listings for the other autumn gardens we visited. The George Tindale Gardens (smaller with some charming decorative features) and Pirianda Gardens (excellent walking tracks for exercise and nature appreciation) are also good to visit. Both are free entry and are ideally visited in combination with Cloudehill or the Nicholas Memorial Gardens. [I will include photos for all three sites in this listing].

williamhanlonb

a must, if you want a visit to stunning gardens which will make you feel you have left this time and have journeyed back in the past. You will walk thru bricked archways, find secret 'rooms' with maniquered hedges...little nooks where you could just sit and meditate. I have not dislikes, just wish it was my personal garden.

joesweg

As a fan of The Diggers Club I had to visit one of their gardens on my recent trip to Melbourne. It was a cold & wet day, but it was still such a glorious garden to visit. The kids enjoyed finding secret paths to follow, and discovering hidden gems around every corner. At the end of our garden exploration we enjoyed the warmth as well as all the gardening gems in the Diggers shop. I would love to visit again when more plants are in flower.

351DarrenW

I have visited the gardens at Cloudehill many times over the years and often bring tourists/visitors here as part of a day trip to the Dandenong ranges. It's an easy drive from the big tourist towns of Sassafras and Olinda. This is a lovely place to relax and stroll around some amazing formal and semi-formal gardens. It is very easy walking, although there are steps involved. It doesn't matter what time of year I come here, there always seems to be something colourful to see in the garden. I was surprised that the admission charge for entry had doubled since my last visit. I have never eaten at the restaurant here, but plants from nursery are good quality but quite expensive!