The picturesque Southern Highlands is less than a two-hour drive or scenic rail journey away from Sydney. If you head there from September 24-October 7, you'll find the central town of Bowral buzzing with excited horticultural tourists seeking out the biggest floral event in the region.
The town prepares for Tulip Time each year by planting more than 75,000 tulip bulbs and 15,000 flowering annuals in the gated grounds of Corbett Gardens, plus an additional 40,000 across the surrounding suburbs. Each year's display is an impressively colour-coordinated affair, and there’s always a choir of extra events and activities, with markets on the weekends, daily performances by local school groups, kids’ workshops and the quaint street parade of vintage cars, marching bands and floats that rings in each flowering season.
The green space is right in the town centre, close to the train station, cafés and boutique stores that line Merrigang Street. Garden opening hours are 9am-4pm weekdays and until 5pm on the weekends, with entry at the gate for $12.
