2017 09 18 Floriade
Visit by Vergie & I (Greg) to Canberra’s Floriade flower display in Commonwealth Park on the northern bank of Lake Burley Griffin, ACT
Vergie (Filipino abbreviation for Virginia) and I went on 18th Sept which was Day 3 of the 1 month event. Floriade has been going for a long time and is Canberra’s Premier
tourist flower & now cultural event. We were slightly disenchanted with the state of the flowers as many tulips were not in full bloom; and with the recent cold snaps that is understandable. Also the area of tulips is much reduced with I believe with the large area uphill to the west having a significantly reduced area of flowers. The area fenced is also slightly less with the east end of Nerang Pool being much reduced.
I though the new layout for food is possibly better and the quality seems more consistent although at midday Mon not all providers were available.
We have been to Floriade many times in the past and so we were well versed in where they normally had flowers on display.
The people who sat with us on a table near Stage 88 came from Forster, Central Coast and Brisbane and I think were of the same mind about the flowers. Interestingly 90 year old Ken served in WW2 as a radio operator like my Mum, although he was also a gunner. He also went to Morotai where he flew in RAAF Venturers that bombed Labuan and other Borneo spots. My dad also went to Morotai & Balikpapan but was meteorologist in the RAAF.
I also quite liked a quartet of talented young musicians who played to us. They called themselves The String Family and they play and busk all around Australia. Some of the artistic displays were quite innovative. Floriade is probably better in its 2nd or 3rd weeks
More pictures in Google Photos
Another flower show just outside Canberra along the Federal Highway are the Tulip Top Gardens. They charge $16 for adults, or $15 for seniors but with their 10 acres of gardens in a secluded hidden valley are well worth checking out. The Gallery on their web site gives you a glimpse of their gardens.
