Day 1: Saturday 29 Nov 08 Seattle - Sydney
Depart QF3790 Seattle / San Francisco 18:25 20:36
Depart QF74 San Francisco / Sydney 22:30 08:00 +2
Day 2: Sunday 30 Nov 08 In-flight
Day 3: Monday 1 Dec 08 Sydney
Welcome to Sydney. Meet your tour guide on arrival at Sydney Airport. An orientation drive via the Eastern Suburbs, with stops at Bondi Beach and Watson’s Bay with fine views of Sydney Harbour. After resting up we meet for an orientation and dinner hosted by Ciscoe and Mary Morris. Sleep in Sydney
Accommodation: Sir Stamford Circular Quay, Sydney
Meals: Dinner
Day 4: Tuesday 2 Dec 08 Sydney Harbour
Start the day with a ferry ride across Sydney Harbour (possibly to the Taronga Zoo). Enjoy a harbour cruise with commentary by Graham Ross.
Disembark next to Sydney Opera House for a walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens. Graham is a former trustee of the gardens and will show plants with links to Sir Joseph Banks’ first exploration of Australia. Dinner this evening is in a harbour front restaurant at Circular Quay.
Accommodation: Sir Stamford Circular Quay, Sydney
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 5 Wednesday 3 Dec 08 Sydney
Some beautiful Sydney gardens today. Start at Bronte House, one of the oldest homes in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, where the garden merges with the natural landscape of Bronte Gully … a romantic villa by the sea.
To the northern beaches and a private garden at Newport. Native plants are set in a stunning coastal garden with a ‘Zen’ theme. Time for lunch at beachside Avalon.
Drive through Ku-ring-gai Chase to the northern suburbs with a stop for afternoon tea in a pretty private garden where roses and perennials mix with clematis, hydrangeas and hostas.
Return to your hotel with time to relax before dinner at the Sydney Opera House. After dinner and the tour hear the Sydney Symphony perform Viennese Classics.
Accommodation: Sir Stamford Circular Quay, Sydney
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6 Thursday 4 Dec 08 Sydney - Bowral
Travel from Sydney to the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. A brief stop at Mt Annan Botanic Garden to see a planting of the recently discovered Wollemi Pine- thought to be extinct. The original forest, located 200kms west of Sydney, is dated at 200 million years old. This is one of the world’s oldest and rarest trees.
Time for lunch at the historic township of Bowral then visit Red Cow Farm, a suite of garden rooms that has developed over the last 14 years. The owner will guide you through this extensive country garden with roses, perennials, maples, dahlias and many rare and interesting plants. Later afternoon stop at Centennial Vineyards, a cool climate vineyard for wine tasting before checking in at your hotel.
Accommodation: Craigieburn Resort, Bowral
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 7 Friday 5 Dec 08 Bowral - Canberra - Melbourne
To Canberra this morning, Australia’s capital city. Parliament House is the seat of Australia’s Federal government, a modern building completed for Australia’s Bicentenary 1988. A series of well planted courtyards link offices of the Members of Parliament. Theses courtyards are not open to the public. A special tour of these hidden gardens has been organized for you. (subject to confirmation)
Nearby, Old Parliament House was home to Australia’s Federal Parliament from 1927-1988. The new rose gardens have been re-designed from original plans (circa 1927) and feature both Heritage and modern roses. These gardens are listed on the National Heritage Register.
Late afternoon flight to Melbourne.
Depart QF819 Canberra / Melbourne 1720 1825
Accommodation: Marriott Melbourne or equivalent, Melbourne
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8 Saturday 6 Dec 08 Mornington Peninsular
Morning visit to the new Cranbourne, Australia’s newest Botanic Garden, incorporating a formal Australian Garden. This new garden features a gallery of exhibition gardens, sculpture and displays all highlighting the beauty and diversity of the Australian landscape.
Wine tasting at Dromana Estate is next; a winery established in 1982 that was instrumental is forging the Mornington Peninsula’s reputation as a leading wine region in Australia.
Heronswood is your destination this afternoon, a showcase for cottage annuals, heritage vegetables with extensive perennial and herbaceous borders all set around the historic house. This is the headquarters of Diggers Seeds, the large mail order company of ‘Heritage’ seeds.
Accommodation: Marriott Melbourne or equivalent, Melbourne
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 9 Sunday 7 Dec 08 Ballarat
An excursion today to Ballarat in the heart of Victoria’s historic goldfields. See charming spa towns of Daylesford and Hepburn Springs. Visit Convent Gallery, Daylesford and Lambley’s Nursery, specialising in drought hardy perennials. Return to Melbourne with dinner this evening in Southbank.
Accommodation: Marriott Melbourne or equivalent, Melbourne
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 10 Monday 8 Dec 08 Melbourne - Launceston
To the Dandenong Ranges this morning and Cloudehill, an ‘Arts and Crafts’ style garden in the hills. Explore a series of well-planted terrace gardens with herbaceous borders and a green theatre. Afternoon flight to Launceston in Northern Tasmania. Check in to your hotel located on the river with dinner in a nearby restaurant.
Depart QF2285 Melbourne / Launceston 1455 1615
Accommodation: Peppers Seaport, Launceston
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 11 Tuesday 9 Dec 08 Tamar Valley
Morning visit to Woolmers Estate, a time capsule of six generations of the Archer family, acknowledged as one of Australia’s finest examples of 19th century rural settlements. Included is a guided tour through the National Rose Garden, located on this estate. Dr Harry Cooper is Australia’s most famous TV vet. Visit his country property outside Launceston, his garden and animal enclosures. Meet Dr Harry and hear his stories. (subject to confirmation)
A scenic drive this afternoon along the Tamar River to see lavender farms, vineyards, and Conmel Cottage, a pretty rose garden overlooking the river. Return to your hotel with dinner tonight in one of Launceston’s many fine restaurants.
Accommodation: Peppers Seaport, Launceston
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 12 Wednesday 10 Dec 08 Launceston - Cradle Mountain
Travel to Mole Creek this morning beneath Black Bluff, a dramatic landscape that forms part of the Overland Track, one of the world’s most popular walks.
Your destination is Wychwood, a vibrant innovative garden fast establishing a reputation for decorative use of espalier and for heritage varieties of apples. Meet the owners and enjoy their hospitality, with the possibility of a glimpse of the elusive platypus in Mole Creek. Lunch stop in Sheffield, famous for murals. A treat for rose lovers this afternoon at Forest Hall, the garden of Susan Irvine, Australia’s most famous rose author and historian. In 1994 Susan was the recipient of the Australian Rose Award for her work in rediscovering and preserving the lost roses of the Australian rose breeder Alistair Clark. Enjoy Susan’s hospitality and share her enthusiasm for heritage roses. Travel on to Cradle Mountain located in World Heritage Listed Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park. Check into your hotel with dinner this evening in the main lodge. After dinner, a torchlight viewing of wildlife will be included.
Accommodation: Cradle Mountain Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 13 Thursday 11 Dec 08 Cradle Mountain
Travel up to Dove Lake via Waldheim Chalet to understand the life and times of Gustav Weindorfer, pioneer of the Conservation Movement in Australia. Walk through ancient Antarctic Beech and Myrtle forests. The 6km track around Dove Lake is one of Tasmania’s premier walks beneath towering spires of Cradle Mountain. This is the starting point of the Overland Track.
Accommodation: Cradle Mountain Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 14 Friday 12 Dec 08 Cradle Mountain - Strahan
Travel through remote northwestern Tasmania to the old timber and mining town of Strahan, nestled on the shores of Macquarie Harbour. Take an afternoon wilderness cruise across Macquarie Harbour and up the Gordon River through endless tracts of untouched rainforest. Alight at Heritage Landing for an intimate experience of the rainforest. Highlight is the 2000-year-old Huon Pine. Dinner is included on board.
Accommodation: Strahan Village Cottages, Strahan
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 15 Saturday 13 Dec 08 Strahan - Hobart
More bush-walking this morning in Wild Rivers National Park (World Heritage Listed) on the Franklin River Nature Trail. Stop for an ‘ozone’ experience at Nelson Falls and walk into the headwaters of the mighty Franklin River. Travel on to ‘Prospect Villa’, set above the town of Hamilton with views to the surrounding hills and the Upper Derwent Valley. Time for lunch at Glen Clyde House, an 1840's coaching inn that has been renovated to a gallery and tearoom.
Continue into Hobart to your hotel located on Constitution Dock, where the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race finishes. Dinner tonight in a converted Bond Store on the wharf.
Accommodation: Grand Chancellor Hotel, Hobart
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 16 Sunday 14 Dec 08 Hobart
Morning visit to plants-woman Sally Johansohn’s garden on the slopes of Mt Wellington. Enjoy Sally’s hospitality and learn the gentle art of garden making. Continue to the summit of Mt Wellington for panoramic views of Hobart and the Derwent River valley.
Afternoon visit to Corinda, a Victorian mansion in old Hobart. The symmetrical parterres produce an effect that is both elegant and formal. Box topiary featuring native animals provides a quirky Australian touch. Finish the day in Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, established in 1818. The sheltered, landscaped grounds are home to historic plant collections and a large number of significant trees, many dating from the nineteenth century.
Farewell Dinner tonight in a nearby restaurant on the pier.
Accommodation: Grand Chancellor Hotel, Hobart
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 17 Monday 15 Dec 08 Morning flight to Sydney to connect with flights to USA.
Depart QF1020 Hobart / Sydney 10:30 12:15
Depart QF73 Sydney / San Francisco 15:35 10:05
Depart QF3735 San Francisco / Seattle 12:00 13:5
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