Spring Blossom Tour with itswoofs Insta Cuties

Here’s where to take your flower companion this spring and summer.

Cherry blossoms, wisteria, peonies… and puppies!

Are you like us and *just a little* obsessed with finding the best Instagrammable spots to take cute photos of your pup? (okay okay, it’s basically a sport!)

If you answered YES, then you’ll love this list of the best places to take your dog to see the spring flowers in Melbourne.

For this list, we spoke directly to the experts of the field: the trio behind the very popular Instagram account @itswoofs – Iromi, mum dog from Melbourne, and her gorgeous cavoodles Ollie and Winky (this trio wows us every day with their lovely dog-friendly adventures and series of nifty reels with easy-to-learn tricks!)

So if you’re looking for fun, dog-friendly activities in Melbourne, our special guest dog mum Iromi is here to reveal all the must-see gardens and flower fields in Melbourne this spring and this summer.

Best dog-friendly places to see spring flowers in Melbourne

Puppies and flowers, what could be cuter? You don’t have to choose! We’ve got the best places around Melbourne to take your puppies, smell the best flowers and take the best Instagram photos.

We curated this list after taking our pup Ollie (and now Winks too) on walking adventures during Melbourne’s many extended lockdowns.

The flowers made us happy, so we couldn’t help but stop and take a picture!

We hope you will enjoy these beautiful floral discoveries as much as we do.

Cherry blossoms

Or: Banksia Park Cherry Grove, Cherry Hill Orchards, all around Melbourne

When: Early spring (late September to October)

Advice: Dogs must be on a leash at the Cherry Blossom Festival

You know it’s spring when you see little puppies soaring through the air against a backdrop of beautiful cherry blossoms! Spotting cherry blossoms in Melbourne is easy, as ornamental cherry trees are a common feature in the natural strips around the city.

Banksia Park Cherry Grove has some of the finest cherry blossoms donated by the Japanese government in the 1980s. It’s the perfect place to take your dog for photos as the trees are still low to the ground.

Another great place for pets to see cherry blossoms in Melbourne is the annual Cherry Hill Orchard Cherry Blossom Festival in the Dandenong Ranges in early spring. About an hour’s drive away is the perfect dog-friendly day trip from Melbourne.

And if you miss cherry blossoms, you can always go there for cherry picking during cherry season!

wisteria

Or: Footscray Park, 40 Maribyrnong Blvd, Footscray

When: Early spring / October

Advice: Wisteria flowers don’t last long, so visit early!

Our purple flower dreams feature endless arches of wisteria. Wisteria is not only beautiful, but it also smells amazing.

However, they only last a few weeks once they bloom. Unless you spot a wisteria plant in front of your neighbor’s yard, these flowers are hard to locate.

Unfortunately the famous Alowyn Gardens are not pet friendly, but luckily we came across a beautiful wisteria arch through the town in Footscray Park. This is the most beautiful pet-friendly wisteria arch we have found in Melbourne!

The best part? There’s a large off-leash area right next to it, so your pup can run around until he feels like it.

Peonies

Or: Spring Hill Peony Farm, 1385 Kyneton-Springhill Blvd, Spring Hill

When: End of november

Advice: Dogs must be kept on a leash. Bring pruning shears, water and comfortable shoes.

Peonies are my absolute favorite flowers. There are few peony farms in Victoria, but our favorite is the little church in Spring Hill. Just an hour’s drive from Melbourne, you can even take a dog-friendly day trip to the surrounding Daylesford area.

We visited this pet-friendly flower farm for the first time in 2020 and fell in love with the charming little church at the entrance (and the beautiful peonies of course!)

Peony season only lasts 2-3 weeks, so tickets are limited and sell out quickly. Tickets are around $50 and include 15 stems of peonies, which is a real bargain!

Wild flowers

Or: Fitzroy Gardens, Tesselaar Kabloom

When: spring summer

Advice: Tesselaar Kabloom is labeled. Dogs must be kept on a leash.

When it comes to spring flowers in Melbourne, there are plenty of dog-friendly parks and gardens around the city that are great places to take your dog for some cute Instagrammable snaps!

But our favorite is definitely Fitzroy Gardenswhich is perfect if you want to see a beautiful and bright variety of wildflowers in one place.

Looking for a fun, dog-friendly day trip from Melbourne? Check out Tesselaar Kabloom, an annual flower festival in March/April. It’s kid- and pet-friendly, with plenty of food trucks and fun activities for the whole family.

Lavender

Or: Red Hill Lavender, Warratina Lavender Farm

When: End of December – January

Advice: Bring water and visit early in the morning or late afternoon to beat the heat.

Although both lavender farms are dog-friendly, our favorite is Red Hill Lavender – the largest commercial lavender field on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula. The 27 hectare field opens to the public around the end of December or January and remains open until all the harvest is picked.

We visited in mid January this year when the lavender fields were in full bloom. The smell was divine and Ollie loved running between the fields! You don’t need to buy a ticket, but you can support the farm by buying some lavender products from the small pop-up stand.

The Lavender Field is a lovely place to take your dog for a pet-friendly picnic, but there are also great wineries and dog-friendly restaurants nearby.

While you’re at it, check out Acorn Cove – a great dog-friendly beach where your pup can cool off after a fun day in the sun!

Sunflowers

Or: Pick Your Own Sunflowers, 420 Navigator-Dunnstown Rd, Dunnstown

When: Late summer – February to March

Advice: Bring pruning shears and good walking shoes. Dogs must be kept on a leash.

This endless sunflower field in Dunnstown, near Ballarat, is a 1.5 hour drive from the city and is one of the most popular activities for dogs to do near Melbourne in the summer. The wonderful owners have gone to great lengths to make this an unforgettable experience for everyone, including the puppies!

The sunflowers are the biggest we have seen and there are plenty of little photo spots dotted all over the field. Think old tractors, colorful chairs and haystacks.

On site are small vendors, food trucks and plenty of parking. You can also walk through the endless flower field and pick up your favorite sunflowers to take home.

There is a $5 admission fee per adult and the rods are $2 each.