Over one million tulips in bloom across the Dandenong Ranges. Victoria's most colourful spring day trip — just one hour from Melbourne.
Every spring, the Tesselaar family's farm at Silvan in the Dandenong Ranges transforms into one of the most visually stunning destinations in Australia. Over one million tulips — in hundreds of varieties and every colour imaginable — bloom simultaneously across the fields, creating a landscape that feels more like the Netherlands than Victoria.
The Tesselaar Tulip Festival has been running for decades and has become one of Melbourne's most beloved seasonal events. It draws visitors from across Victoria and interstate — couples looking for a romantic spring outing, families wanting a memorable day out, and photographers chasing the extraordinary light and colour of the flower fields.
Located just one hour from Melbourne CBD in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges, it's an easy and deeply rewarding day trip — particularly when you don't have to worry about driving, parking, or navigating the winding mountain roads yourself.
The Tesselaar Tulip Festival is an annual spring event held at Tesselaar Flowers in Silvan, Victoria — a working tulip farm that has been cultivating bulbs in the Dandenong Ranges since 1947. The Tesselaar family are Dutch immigrants who brought their tulip-growing expertise to Australia, and the farm now produces bulbs for gardens across the country.
During the festival, the farm opens to the public and the fields are in full bloom — rows upon rows of tulips in red, yellow, pink, purple, orange, and white stretching across the hillside. The display includes over 100 different tulip varieties, from classic single-colour blooms to extraordinary parrot and fringed varieties.
Beyond the flowers, the festival includes food stalls, live entertainment, garden displays, and a market. It's a full day out, not just a walk through a field.
Timing your visit well makes a significant difference to the experience — both in terms of the flowers themselves and how crowded the festival is.
Weekday tip
Weekends during peak bloom are extremely busy — particularly sunny October Saturdays. If you can visit on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, you'll have a far more relaxed experience, better photography conditions, and no parking queues. Private transport makes weekday visits easy since you don't need to worry about driving.
The Tesselaar Tulip Festival is one of the most photogenic locations in Victoria during spring. Here's how to make the most of it.
The Tesselaar Tulip Festival is much more than a flower walk. There's a full day of activities for all ages.
The Dandenong Ranges can be unpredictable in spring — warm and sunny one moment, cool and showery the next. Dress in layers and be prepared for both.
Silvan is located in the Dandenong Ranges, about one hour from Melbourne CBD via the Burwood Highway and Monbulk Road. The roads through the Ranges are winding and scenic — beautiful to drive, but on busy festival weekends, traffic and parking can be a real headache.
Vammy Taxi Services can provide private door-to-door transport from anywhere in Melbourne to the Tesselaar Tulip Festival. We'll drop you at the entrance, and collect you when you're ready to leave — no parking queues, no driving on mountain roads, no designated driver required.
We're also happy to combine the festival with other Dandenong Ranges highlights — Puffing Billy Railway at Belgrave, afternoon tea in Sassafras, or a drive through Olinda and Mount Dandenong — for a full spring day out.
Looking for a regional day trip? We also run tours to Sovereign Hill in Ballarat and evening experiences like the Walhalla Winter Light Train.
Available 24/7 for bookings and enquiries
Tell us your travel date and group size and we'll provide a quote for private transport from Melbourne.
Fill in your details and we'll get back to you promptly. Or call us directly for an immediate response.
Everything you need to know about visiting the Tesselaar Tulip Festival
Explore more of Victoria with private transport from Melbourne