So what is it like in Melbourne in May? The mercury in the thermometer continue to drop even lower in May where it dips to as low as even 2° Celsius at times. The average minimum and maximum however tend to hover around the 10–17° C mark which is perfect for some but too cold for others. Melbourne averages around 8 days of rain in the month during this time. What this means though is that you can still get some glorious hours of sunshine mixed in with some cloudy overcast days. But, it’s not quite winter yet, and there is still a lot of outdoors to enjoy.
Let me take you for a visit to the Royal Melbourne Botanic Gardens, rooftop gardens, Melbourne city at night, a local suburb as well as Daylesford which is a town just under two hours drive from the city of Melbourne. (You can view the short YouTube video here.)
At the Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden at the Botanic Gardens in the city (not to be confused with the one in Cranbourne) the veggie patch reveal barrow loads of ginger and continue to look green with climbers clambering over their stakes. And if you were to visit the Burwood Brickworks Roof Top Garden, you’ll see ripening corn and a lush array of herbs as well as their resident quails in their special coop.
 |
| May in Melbourne, Daylesford and Clunes |
In the general garden section a thick oak leaf fall can be sighted beneath shedding oak trees. This is a favourite time for children to experience crunching autumn leaves beneath their feet or delight in watching swirling leaves thrown up into the air fall back down on them.
The boab tree with its characteristic bulbous pot belly trunk still cling on to their leaves. These have been known to live for thousands of years in the Kimberleys. But you don’t have to travel that far to hug one of these because you can see them upon entry to the Children’s Garden.
And if you enjoy street photography, the glistening pavement, damp from a light shower, especially after sunset, will provide you with endless opportunities for images that will touch your senses in a way that daytime photography does not.
City Hall and Flinders Street Railway Station put on quite a good display in the evenings when they are lit up.
As it so happened, Melbourne had a perfect view of the lunar eclipse in 2021. This just goes to show the variableness of Melbourne’s weather in May.
Out in the suburbs, a variety of mushrooms and fungi make their appearance in parks, playgrounds, beside pavements and nature strips. Some are larger than dinner plates and an adult shoe. Friendly neighbours also share their produce of kaffir limes and lemons in the suburbs because this is the season for harvest these. Camelias, geraniums and other colourful annuals continue to put on a good show.
Daylesford, made famous by its mineral springs, continue to attract tourists. There are still many hand pump operated mineral springs that you can taste, or take your fill of the famed waters. I had a little taste, and, shall I say, I am not likely to even fill a thimbleful of it to drink later. If you have experienced the Italian spring waters, it is highly probable that you’ll wish you had some of that to wash out your tongue after. Nevertheless, there are a number of very beautiful walks that you can do along the mineral spring route that has been well signed with historical information. Did you know that Daylesford was once called Wombat Flats?
The Convent Gallery as well as Lake Daylesford are all within the town vicinity. These are definitely worth a visit – beautiful views of Daylesford can be gotten from several vantage points at The Convent. The beautiful colours associated with deciduous growth trees is one of the attractions of Daylesford at this time of year – this is better seen though in April but still visible in early May.
 |
| The Convent and Lake Daylesford - photos by Maria Ngo |
There are many cafes, restaurants, hotels/pubs and galleries in this busy town which continue to do quite well in these cooler months with their hearty winter fare. Is it cooler in Daylesford than in Melbourne? Yes it most certainly is. The weekend we were there was a particularly chilly one, we were rugged up in pretty much snow gear type attire – you would not get by without a beanie and gloves. I had forgotten to pack a pair of gloves, and found later that I had paid twice as much for my gloves in Daylesford as I would have in Melbourne.
A walk around the lake will most likely put you face to face with some local purple swamp hens strutting around on their gangly legs seeking a handout from your picnic basket. Please resist feeding them however as it is not in their best interests to consume sandwiches. Their natural diet consist of “soft shoots of reeds and rushes and small animals, such as frogs and snails.” They use their “long toes to grasp food while eating”.
Wombat Hill BotanicGardens which is right next to the Convent with their gigantic pine trees and pleasant walk is another popular stop.
 |
| Daylesford - by Maria Ngo |
Clunes is around 30 minutes drive away from Daylesford. “Clunes was the site of Victoria's first gold strike in 1851 which led to a gold rush which swept through central Victoria ... These days, Clunes is an agricultural, pastoral and tourist township, nestled in a scenic valley.
"Many of the original buildings in Clunes have been preserved from those gold rush days, perfectly illustrated with a visit to the wide and elegant Fraser Street. It is lined with 19th century buildings and shop fronts including the National Hotel (1862), Club Hotel (1870) and Union Bank (1865). That streetscape has caught the eye of film and TV producers with several high profile Australian movies and advertisements having scenes filmed there.” One of these movies was Mad Max. It is best to visit Clunes during the weekend because many of its attractions are only open then. The Clunes Museum housed at the Information Centre in a very comfortable building is open however through the week. Creswick Woollen Mills is about 15 minutes from Clunes and is the only Woollen Mill still operating in Australia.
May in Melbourne
city and its surrounds continue to hold many charms. Just make sure you are
suitably attired to make the most of your time here.