Beautiful Yi Yuan Gardens

The Yi Yuan (Garden of Joy) in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia was based on the Imperial Palace in Beijing, and the architecture and construction of the gardens is authentic in every way. The gardens also feature a Buddhist Temple, the Guan Yin Miao (temple of The Goddess of Mercy). It is quite small but it is next to the Bendigo Chinese Museum and the entrance fee gives you access to both places. Allow an hour here to explore the history of Chinese settlements in this lovely country town. It is about 2 hours drive from Melbourne and there are also many interesting country towns to stop by along the way to or back from Melbourne.