Cactus Country is part nursery, part garden, part walk, part epic picture taking experience; all with the focus of...wait for it...CACTI. Can you imagine how fun it is to walk around 10 acres with sombreros taking pictures with countless cacti while also learning about them? Just get your smiles and poses ready with your own sense of dorky creativity and be ready to take your pictures with cacti. No joke, we took 150 pictures. Of us and cactus. And it honestly couldn't have been a better time. The paths are marked by color: yellow, pink, the red, the blue, the green, the purple. There's quite a few and it looks like they are adding more! You'll notice that numbers mark specific cactus and the guidebook you're given tells you it's story. Some background for ya: This place is over 30 years old and was bought over from the owners father, John Hall Senior. In the 80's they obtained a cacti collection from SA, as a man's dying wish to keep his private collection together. Given the right circumstances and some tender loving cactus care, you get Cactus Country; with massive cacti, succulents, pretty flowers, you see it all here, big and small and weird and odd and fuzzy and fun. And when your guidebook has reached it's last page, sadness will suddenly hit you like an Adele song. You realize there's no more cactus to see, and no more fun pictures to take. So what do you do? You eat. As for the cute Mexican cafe, I tried it all. Their nachos with vegetable salsa (nachos are average, I don't think they should be heated up with the cheese; but the salsa was good). They have cactus cake and cactus ice cream, when in Rome right? I'd just forget about the cake and go straight for the ice cream. Plus with that sunshine and warmth, you'll be glad you did. Sit inside, or outside, they have a lovely decked out courtyard which will make you feel like you've been transported to Mexico itself. Winning side: they do have beer, and frozen margaritas. All in all, what's not to like? It's about a 2.5 hour drive from Melbourne, we decided there wasn't much else to see in the area and did it as a day trip. Leaving about 9:30 am, gives you plenty of time up there. They don't close til 5 pm. It's hands down the most random fun eye-opening thing you can possibly do and you'll drive away knowing that you can never have an experience like this again. read more

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Photos alone cannot describe the amazing splendor of Cactus Country. We happen to arrive close to sundown and the view of the cactus was incredible. It was peaceful, few visitors at that time, the weather was cool, and the last of the sun made the colors of the cactus burst with beauty. We were given a guide book to follow small numbered rock placards that corresponded with the name and region of the cactus. I was amazed of the variety and origins of their collection. The cactus cake was delicious! I plan to explore more of the cafe/restaurant menu on my next visit. I happily discovered that CC will be holding a día de Los muertos (day of the dead) event in February. I am hoping to visit from California again at that time. Cactus Country is a lovely place to visit. A 3 hour drive from Melbourne through small farming communities through the beautiful country of Australia, well, was simply worth the drive! Cheers! read more

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Ideally, from here on out I would love for Cactus Country to be known as DISNEYLAND, but at risk of some kind of copyright infringement, I will simply refer to it as "The *other* happiest place on Earth". If cacti is your jam (and it is certainly mine) you'll find Cactus Country to be so fabulous it's beyond comprehension. Cactus Country is located in the little town of Strathmerton, on the border of Victoria and New South Wales and about three hours away from Melbourne. Cactus Country was started in 1985 so after 30 years some of these cacti have grown so much that they tower over you (some are about 10m high). There are five 'paths' to take when you get to Cactus Country, each path taking you through a different country or 'type' of cactus. You are given a map on arrival to help your journey (as well as a sombrero because damn it's sunny out there.) The map also provides anecdotes on many of the cactus - providing the history or origin of the plant or, more amusingly, how the heck they got it to Strathmerton (some cactus weigh over a tonne). The entire nursery will probably take you an hour to walk through or longer because you'll want to take so many photos. While the plants are more than enough, there is also a cute Mexican cafe, a colourful little courtyard that will simply shine on your instagram and some of the crispiest margaritas I've tasted this side of the border. It's probably a bit too far for a day trip and I can assure you there ain't much else in Strathmerton, however Cobram is just an extra 10 minutes down the road or why not camp along the nearby Murray river? read more

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Really great coffee and the cactus cake and ice cream was a real treat Welcomed by a very informative and friendly owner operator who directed us where to go and handed out maps of all different types cactus If you like plants and especially cactus, it is a place not to miss Grounds need to be tidied up a bit especially the car park but owners obviously working hard to improve the place read more