Tour 500 rose varieties at Old Parliament House this November
Tours of the Old Parliament House gardens run Tuesdays and Sundays through November. They show 4000 rose bushes.
The Old Parliament House rose gardens are in full bloom throughout November. Guided tours run every Tuesday and Sunday at 9:30 am.
The National Rose Gardens reopened recently after a 2025 upgrade. New rose varieties were chosen for Canberra's climate and warmer, drier summers.
Across the road, the Old Parliament House gardens display more than 4000 bushes from 500 varieties. Many are named after famous people including Queen Elizabeth II, William Shakespeare and Sir Donald Bradman.
Garden beds are heritage-listed and designed in a circular pattern that looks like a rose petal opening from above. Rare varieties include the Butterfly Rose from China, which changes colour from yellow-apricot to pink and deep crimson as it ages.
The Persian-Damask rose is the world's most fragrant, its scent preserved as rose oil and rose water from ancient times in the Middle East.
- 4,000+
- Rose bushes at Old Parliament House
- 500
- Rose varieties
- 2025
- National Gardens upgrade
- Tuesday and Sunday, 9:30 am
- Tour days and time
Why it mattersGardens at their peak are rare. November is your chance to visit before summer heat fades the blooms.
AustraliaCanberrans and visitors can explore major heritage gardens with expert guides sharing 99 years of history this month only.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
