As much as I love to travel… sometimes beauty lies in your own backyard. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy always wanted to go over the rainbow only to discover that there is no place like home.

Having travelled to over twenty-one countries, I am proud to say Australia, my homeland is filled with wonder…This realisation has been reinforced to me during January. Visiting France twice and calling it one of my favourite travel destinations, I never thought I would visit a garden more magnificent than Monet’s in Giverny, France… but the other day I did, here in my own city…237 photos later I was blown away by its beauty…

Blue Lotus Water Garden comprises 50,000 square metres of gardens and 2kms of pathways. This magical paradise allows visitors to stroll the garden featuring thousands of water lily and lotus flowers growing in over 30 ponds, lakes and lagoons.

Entering the central lake, 10 bridges are featured allowing visitors to stroll amongst the colourful lilies pinks, yellows and whites that float on top of the sparkling water as birds glide along the main lake. The tall Cream Lotus is the most prolific flower that adds to this magnificent scene of natural beauty. Monet’s Lake is the largest in the grounds and holds 11 million litres of water. Named after the famous Claude Monet who created his own water garden in France, the owners of Blue Lotus Water Garden have never visited his place.

Walking around the tracks of the central lake, visitors experience purple and blue lilies too. Wildlife that hover amongst the lilies are blue wrens and bees.

The Giant Lily is another must see in this secret garden… Its natural home is the Amazon basin in South America. Every year in September, the Blue Lotus Garden grows the plant from seed and by January, the lily pad may reach 1.7m in diameter.

Realistically travel can be expensive but why not visit some local places while you are saving up…

Who knows maybe there will be a touch of magic in your own backyard…

Blue Lotus Water Garden

Five Stars:

‘Just breathtaking, a must see, beautiful Australia.’ Juliet M Sampson

If you would like to see more photos of this paradise please visit my official author’s page on facebook and/or follow me on Instagram. https://www.facebook.com/Juliet-M-Sampson-258929854117897/?fref=ts