Visiting Blue Lotus Water Garden, Yarra Junction
A relaxed summer day out in the Yarra Valley.
Some places make you slow down the moment you arrive. Blue Lotus Water Garden in Yarra Junction is one of them. Spread across 14 acres of lush, tropically themed gardens, it’s a peaceful yet impressive spot that feels a world away from the city – despite being an easy drive from Melbourne.
Each summer, the garden comes alive with thousands of lotus flowers and waterlilies in bloom. It’s colourful, calming and surprisingly large, with wide paths, shady picnic areas and plenty to explore at your own pace.
Blue Lotus Farm: A special summer season
From Boxing Day (26 December), Blue Lotus Water Garden opens for its annual Lotus Flower Season. The 2025–26 season is particularly special, marking 21 years since the Cochrane family first opened the gardens to the public.
Over summer, the waterways fill with magnificent lotus flowers alongside an ever-changing display of waterlilies. If you enjoy photography, gardening, or simply being outdoors somewhere beautiful, this is the garden at its very best.
Diane’s review
A day at the Blue Lotus Water Garden. Perfect weather to wander around these magnificent gardens.
Greeted very warmly at the entrance. The Grandkids were given a spotto sheet and a pencil to tick off certain items throughout our time there, which made it all much more interesting for the children.
Not only that there was a beautiful fairy garden with cute little houses and play equipment that they enjoyed.
The colours and variety of the Water Lilies were just stunning in the many lakes and ponds with meandering boardwalks and bridges throughout. Visiting the Giant Amazon Waterlilies in the Tropical World Greenhouses, where the lily pads grow up to 1.8 metres in diameter were spectacular.
So much to enjoy. There were an abundance of picnic shelters, tables and BBQ’s, so I would recommend taking your picnic with you to enjoy the many spots to sit by the lakes and take in the beauty of the surroundings. There were also many drinking water stations to refill if need be.
The Café was lovely with reasonable prices as well.
The Grandkids received a lolly pop at the exit because they had ticked off every spotto picture.
A lovely gift shop, garden art shop and of course, sale of their lilies.
Once out of Melbourne the drive to Yarra Junction was very pleasant.
The Gardens are open until April and we highly recommend a day out.
From vegetable farm to water garden
What many visitors don’t realise is that Blue Lotus Water Garden began life as a working vegetable farm. Before the lakes and lotus flowers, the land was planted with pumpkins, Chinese cabbage and other Asian vegetables, grown by founder Geoff Cochrane. The family home sat right in the middle of the property, with farming life unfolding around it.
When vegetable growing came to an end, lakes were created not for tourism, but simply for family recreation and fishing. That practical decision quietly laid the groundwork for what would later become one of Victoria’s most distinctive seasonal gardens.
The famous giant waterlilies
One of the standout features of the garden is the Giant Amazon Waterlily, a plant few people expect to see in Victoria. These extraordinary waterlilies produce enormous circular leaves, some reaching up to 1.8 metres in diameter.
They are often recognised from David Attenborough’s The Secret Life of Plants, and seeing them in person is a genuine highlight. Their sheer scale and prehistoric appearance never fail to stop visitors in their tracks.
Kathy’s review is coming soon.
A business built by family
Today, Blue Lotus remains very much a family-run operation. According to General Manager Peter Cochrane, the business now employs much of the extended family, something that has grown organically over time.
The early years were far from easy. “It was a struggle in the first ten years and nearly closed down,” Peter says. From around 2015, improved promotion and advertising helped increase visitor numbers, providing the stability needed to keep moving forward. Each season since has brought further improvements to the gardens and visitor facilities.
Moments you don’t forget
Working side by side as a family has produced more than a few stories over the years. Some are touching, others chaotic, and a few are best described as unforgettable.
Peter recalls the day a visitor allowed their very young child to use one of his uncle’s decorative planters as a toilet. The outcome was swift and final – the family was required to purchase the pot, contents included. Another family moment involved rescuing Peter’s three-year-old nephew, who became stuck upside down inside a giant banana palm while attempting to catch a tree frog. These stories, while frantic at the time, have become part of the shared history of the garden.
When the lotus are at their best
Timing your visit can make a real difference. Peter says the lotus flowers are generally at their peak between mid-January and mid-February, when the gardens are filled with colour and the waterways are at their most dramatic. It’s the point in the season when everything seems to come together.
An easy day out
Blue Lotus Water Garden is well set up for a comfortable visit:
- Mostly flat walking paths
- Plenty of seating throughout the gardens
- Picnic shelters and BBQs
- Toilets and café facilities onsite
You can bring your own picnic or enjoy a relaxed meal at the café, which serves light meals, drinks and ice creams. It’s the sort of place where you can stay for an hour or happily spend most of the day.
Visiting with family
While the gardens appeal strongly to older visitors and garden lovers, they’re also very family-friendly. Children aged 15 and under receive free entry when accompanied by a paying adult, making it an affordable option during the school holidays.
There are open grassy areas for children to explore, a free Dragon Spotto treasure hunt, and children’s entertainment on selected weekends and public holidays. Face painting is also available for a small fee.
What the family hopes visitors experience
After more than two decades, the Cochrane family’s hopes for visitors remain refreshingly simple. They want people to enjoy a wonderful day outdoors and experience the beauty of the sacred lotus flowers for themselves.
It’s a place to wander, pause, notice details and leave feeling lighter than when you arrived – which may be the garden’s greatest achievement of all.
Getting there
Blue Lotus Water Garden is located in Yarra Junction, in the upper Yarra Valley. It’s an easy day trip from Melbourne and pairs nicely with lunch in town or a gentle drive through the surrounding countryside.
If you’re looking for a relaxed summer outing that combines nature, colour and fresh air, this is well worth adding to your calendar.
Blue Lotus Water Garden
2628 Warburton Highway, Yarra Junction, Victoria
Ph (03) 5967 2061
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