DAY 1 – DEPART GRAFTON FOR NEWCASTLE

Visit Hunter Valley Gardens

The Gardens founder Bill Roche, embarked on bringing the Hunter Valley Gardens to life in 1999. Bill had a long held ambition to build a garden that would be enjoyed by generations to come, upon retiring he decided the time was right to see that vision come to life. The Garden was planned out to feature 10
differently themed display gardens, with over eight kilometres of pathways, made for easy walking. A team of 40 to 50 gardeners worked on the Gardens for over four years. Bill was amazed by their dedication and commitment to the project.

DAY 2 – DEPART NEWCASTLE FOR CANBERRA

Visit Red Cow Farm: Described as one of the best gardens in the world:

Red Cow Farm is a unique cool climate garden set on 2.5 hectares in the picturesque rural village of Sutton Forest approximately 1.5 hours drive from Sydney and Canberra. The simplicity of its presentation disguises a garden of sophisticated structure and ambitious schemes. Developed by its creative owners Ali Mentesh and Wayne Morrissey around their historic 1820’s cottage, the garden is abundant and secretive. You’ll be both enchanted and surprised by such wonders as a walled sanctuary where solitude invites quiet reflection. Red Cow Farm features 20 rooms with an exuberant cottage garden, monastery garden, abbess’s garden, a stunning collection of rare and unusual perennials, woodland, old fashioned roses and clematis, beech walk, lake, bog garden, orchard and kitchen garden.

Lunch at Historic Moss Vale

Moss Vale, along with Bowral, is one of the two major towns in the Southern Highlands. It is an important railway stopping point, the service and administrative centre of Wingecarribee Shire, and a prosperous middle sized town. Like many Southern Highlands towns it can be warm in summer and very cold in winter thus ensuring that spring and autumn are the most attractive times to visit. Historically Moss Vale is important because it was here that Dr Charles Throsby built Throsby House. It was here that Nobel Prize-winner Patrick White went to prep school at Tudor House and it is here that increasing numbers of wealthy Sydneysiders retreat during the hot summer months.

DAY 2 – OVERNIGHT CANBERRA – City Gardens Best Western Signature Collection

MORNING – VISIT FLORIADE

Floriade was the idea of Christiaan Slotemaker de Bruine, Landscape Architect with the Department of Capital Territory in Canberra. He commenced the design in 1986 and based it on the world famous ‘Keukenhof’ garden in The Netherlands. He orchestrated the construction with Peter Sutton, Holticulturist and Manager of Commonwealth Garden. He arranged the marketing, sculptures, live music, the purchase of bulbs, entertainment, lifting of bulb quarantine quotas as well as the design. Together with Peter Sutton, they build the design on the Site of Commonwealth Park with the help of City Parks staff. The design concept was ‘multiculturalism of the Nation’ and included Dutch and Aboriginal floral layouts.

Floriade inspires novice and professional gardeners alike with its stunning floral displays. From insightful horticulture workshops to expert tips on permaculture and ecological gardening, visitors will leave with plenty of ideas for their own backyards.

AFTERNOON : Drive Around Canberra—Visiting Various prominent landmarks.

• Mount Ainslie
• AIS
• National Film & Sound Archive
• Canberra Train Museum

DAY 3 – TRAVEL TO BOWRAL VIA BERRIMA – Overnight Bowral: Briars Country Lodge

BERRIMA

Berrima was established in the 1830s during a time of great exploration and expansion in New South Wales. In 1829 surveyor general Major Thomas Mitchell camped near the site of the present bridge over the Wingecarribee River while surveying the route for the Great South Road. He advised governor Bourke that here was an ideal town site, and surveyor Robert Hoddle submitted a plan for the village which was approved in 1831. Berrima is widely recognised today as the best preserved example of a Georgian village on the Australian mainland.

A fortunate series of events created the Berrima we see today. 1831 to the 1860s was a time of promise and growth, which came to an abrupt end when the railway bypassed the village in 1867. For the next hundred years there was little or no development in the village.

MORNING TEA IN THE PARK AND A WALK AROUND BERRIMA WITH A HISTORIAN . LUNCH AT THE SURVEYOR GENERAL HOTEL. THEN A LOOK AROUND THE LOCAL SHOPS BEFORE CONTINUING ON TO BOWRAL

Bowral is the most prosperous town in the Southern Highlands. In recent times Bowral, and nearby Burradoo, have become synonymous with an image of wealthy city people retreating to the cool cli- mate charm of the area. This has been the case since the arrival of the railway in 1867. By the late 1880s Bowral was the Syd- ney equivalent of an Indian Hill Station. The wealthy left steamy Sydney to spend extended holidays in the Southern Highlands where they played tennis, had long afternoon teas, courted and caroused. Today Bowral prides itself in its “sophistication” and its up-market boutiques, gift shops, antique dealers, restaurants and cafes, bookshops and art galleries. The town’s economy is driven primarily by tourism and the surrounding district is known for its cattle breeding. If you want to experience European elegance close to Sydney then Bowral has hotels, exclusive guest houses, and boutique shops designed to meet those needs.

DAY 4—BOWRAL TULIP FESTIVAL – Overnight Bowral: Briars Country Lodge

BOWRAL TULIP FESTIVAL

Spend the day in Bowral visiting:
• Tulip Festival
• Corbett Gardens
• The Bradman Museum
• Retford Park
• Mount Gibraltar

RETFORD PARK – The house was built in 1887 by Samuel Hordern (1849-1909) merchant and stockbreeder, and his wife Jane nee Booth. The house at Retford Park (designed by Albert Bond)
is set on a low rise, a grand rendered brick Italianate style residence. It was in 1964 that James Fairfax bought the property and started to turn it from an agricultural property to a gentleman’s

The International Cricket Hall of Fame is a permanent cultural exhibition dedicated to the game of cricket. It is located in the Australian town of Bowral, New South Wales.

Tulip Time is one of Australia’s oldest and bestloved floral festivals, attracting tens of thousands of visitors. Corbett Gardens, the centrepiece of the Festival is mass-planted with over 75,000 tulip bulbs and 15,000 annuals, in a spectacular Springtime display. Additionally, there are another 30,000 tulips planted across the Shire, to create a picturesque vista. Corbett Gardens in Bowral is the show piece of the Tulip Time Festival and dates back to 1911 when, at the suggestion of Mrs Ada Corbett, the local tourist association purchased Deadmans Paddock for a public park. Corbett Gardens, located in the centre of town, boasts a huge array of tulips and colourful springtime bulbs, shrubs.

Mount Gibraltar (864m) is a collapsed volcanic core composed of very hard rock called Mount Gibraltar Trachyte or micro-syenite. 150 million years ago it pushed through the Hawkesbury Sandstone to form a high mountain now largely eroded away by wind and water.

DAY 5 & 6 – BOWRAL TO CORRIMAL – Overnight Corrimal Beach Tourist Park (2 Nights)

Spend two nights on the South Coast and tour around visiting:
• Minamurra Elevated Rainforest Walk
• The Kiama Blow Hole
• Australian Motor Life Museum
• The Grand Pacific Drive
• Wollongong CBD

Meander through rich, remnant rainforest teeming with diversity on the beautiful Rainforest loop walk in Minnamurra Rainforest Centre. It’s an idealy shady escape in summer. You’ll have a bird’s eye view over this primeval world as you wander the elevated walkway.

An awesome natural spectacle, the Kiama Blowhole on the beautiful NSW South Coast is one of the largest blowholes in the world. A sea-cliff cavern spouts seawater 20 metres or more into the air. The powerful display is dependent on southeast ocean swells and waves entering the rocky cavern.

Wollongong is the third-largest city in NSW, a bustling hub of technology, art, food and entertainment. Surrounded by the beautiful beaches of the South Coast and packed with students from the large university, it’s a town that buzzes with energy.

DAY 7– CORRIMAL TO NEWCASTLE