Small group tour to Southern Highlands and Canberra

This small group tour meets in Sydney late in the afternoon for introductions and a welcome dinner

This morning after breakfast we leave Sydney and drive to Bowral in the Southern Highlands. Here we will visit the the Corbett Gardens and (if available) the grounds of Retford Park.

Corbett Gardens, established in 1911 is worth a visit any time though, unfortunately, the Spring Tulip Festival has been cancelled for 2020.

Retford Park, once the home of James Fairfax and now owned and managed by the National Trust. If the gardens are open to the public we will take time to visit. In 1964, James Fairfax bought the property and started to turn it from an agricultural property to a gentleman’s residence. The house and grounds were left to the National Trust and according to them, “Having been in the caring hands of Mr Fairfax for over 50 years, the garden is a delight to wander through. As you venture up the driveway the grand Victorian Italianate homestead appears from a towering arboretum of magnificent trees.”

There will be time for lunch in Bowral before we head down Macquarie Pass to Minnamurra. Here we will visit the Rainforest Centre and take the easy one hour loop walk through rare remnant rainforest. Those preferring not to take the walk will be able to enjoy afternoon tea in the café.

From Minnamurra we will drive to Kiama to visit the famous “ Blow Hole” before checking into our accommodation for the evening.

Dinner tonight will be in a local restaurant.

After breakfast this morning we make our way to Canberra via Nowra, Braidwood and Bungendore.

Braidwood is a National Trust classified town and the first to be listed on the NSW State Heritage register. Braidwood developed during the gold rush period and many of its buildings date back to that era.

Bungendore was established in 1837 and many of the original buildings still stand. Here we’ll have time to stroll around the streets and visit the Bungendore Woodwork Gallery. It is an institution, showcasing some of the best wood art and contemporary furniture in Australia. After exploring its collection, you can have a coffee or poke around the town’s galleries, antique stores and gift shops.

From Bungendore it is a relatively short drive to Canberra via Queanbeyan.

Once in Canberra we check into our hotel for the next three nights.

Dinner tonight will be in a local restaurant.

This morning its time for a little art! Canberra has what (in my opinion) is one of the world’s best portrait galleries. Even if you’ve been there several times there is always something new to draw your interest. The portraits are great but the stories attached to each one are often just as interesting. We’ll also take time for a quick visit to the National Library (who wouldn’t like a second look at those magnificent stained glass windows) and visit the National Galery.

Those interested in lunch will be able to find it at either the Portrait Gallery or the National Gallery. Both have excellent cafes.

After lunch we’ll meet to walk around the lake, across Kings Avenue Bridge and past the carillon to Blundell’s Cottage.This cottage gives us a taste of what life might have been like in the Canberra area in the 19^th century, well before there was any thought of it becoming the new nation’s capital. The stone cottage was built in 1860 to house the Duntroon estate’s head ploughman, William Ginn, and his family (1860-1874). It was later occupied by George Blundell, a Duntroon bullock driver and his family (1874-1933) and finally by shepherd Harry Oldfield and his wife Alice (1933-1958). The cottage has only limited opening hours but we’ll be able to continue our walk and visit nearby St John’s Anglican Church, consecrated in 1845. (Those preferring not to do the 30 minute walk will be able to take the coach.)

After exploring the church we’ll rejoin the coach and drive to the National Botanic Gardens for a guided tour. The 50-hectare National Botanic Gardens are spread across the slopes of Black Mountain. In the carefully tended collections, you can admire representatives of all the important species of Australian flora. The rain forest area is particularly impressive. Look for water dragons among the lush foliage. Other highlights include The Red Centre garden, with its red earth and spinifex grassland. The gardens are also a haven for birds and butterflies.

After time in the Botanic Gardens we’ll return to the hotel. The rest of the afternoon and evening will be at yours to relax.

Our second day in the national capital will begin with a visit to the Australian War Memorial where we will take a guided tour. More than just a war memorial, the site combines an excellent museum, archives, art gallery, and library.

In the afternoon we will drive to historic Lanyon Homestead. The station is set at the foothills of the Brindabella Ranges on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River. The 1859 station homestead has been restored and furnished. The convict built outbuildings provide an insight into station like in the 1850s and should be open for visitors.

We return to our hotel in the late afternoon. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy.

This morning we leave Canberra after breakfast and drive to Bathurst via Cowra.

If it is open we’ll visit Cooma Cottage near Yass. This National Trust property was once the home of explorer Hamilton Hume. The original colonial bungalow, built by pioneering pastoralist Henry O’Brien, forms part of the earliest complex of dwellings and stables on the site. Hume bought the cottage and the 100 acres for ₤601 in 1840 and lived there for the rest of his life. Hume spent 20 years enthusiastically building extensions; adding his own version of Palladian-style wings and a Greek Revival portico. Cooma Cottage now stands as a fine example of the way our pioneers constructed their dwellings and how they lived.

From Yass we continue north through Boorowa to Cowra, where we will have lunch and explore the superb Japanese gardens.

Cowra was home to the largest prisoner of war breakout in modern military history. At 1.50am on 5 August 1944, over 1000 Japanese prisoners launched a mass escape from the Prisoner of War campsite. In the attempt the lives of two hundred and thirty four Japanese prisoners and five Australian soldiers were lost. In 1978-79 the Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre (the true highlight of any visit to Cowra) was established with the aid of the Japanese government to honour both Australian and Japanese dead.

From Cowra we will continue to Orange where we will spend the night. Time permitting we will visit the outstanding “ Age of Fishes Fossil Museum” in Canowindra. This museum is one of only two of its kind in the world, the other is in Lebanon.

Dinner tonight will be in a local restaurant.

This morning we head back towards Sydney with stops at Bathurst and in the Blue Mountains.

Our tour ends this afternoon in Sydney.