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Large crowds have gathered at a botanical garden in south-eastern Australia in order to see one of the world's smelliest flowers bloom.

The mighty plant is nicknamed the 'corpse flower' because its smell has been compared to rotting meat or dog poo.

According to experts, seeing the flower in full bloom is a rare event.

The stinky plant attracted thousands of visitors in the city of Geelong, as it only flowers for around one or two days, once every ten years.

The corpse flower - or Titan Arum to give it its proper name - is usually found in rainforests on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

The huge flowers can grow up to around 3 metres tall and generally only flower one every few years.

As it opens, it starts to release its stench in order to attract pollinators such as flies and beetles.

Around one or two days later, the flower then starts to collapse and closes up again.

In order to make sure as many people could come and view the rare event, Geelong Botanic Gardens near the city of Melbourne, stayed open for 24 hours during the bloom.

Staff at the Gardens said that more than 20,000 people from across Australia travelled to get a whiff of the plant.

Experts say that the corpse plant will now restart the process of storing energy until it has enough to produce another flower - which could take between another seven to 10 years.