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Canberra is a truly striking city and a delight to visit year round. Walter Burley Griffin’s vision for our capital has produced a remarkable city. Framed by the Brindabellas, Canberra’s fine public buildings, beautiful parks and gardens, wide boulevards and exceptional cultural and sporting facilities attract massive numbers of visitors each year. September in Canberra is synonymous with Floriade, the phenomenally successful celebration of spring. However our capital offers so much more! Apart from all the colour of spring there are many other ‘well kept secrets’ just waiting to be ‘discovered’ and this 3 day tour has been designed to give us a little time to explore other attractions.

We have included flexibility in the itinerary so that whatever your interests, tastes and knowledge of the city, there will be new treasures to inspire you.

Highlights will include visits to:

• Corbett Gardens
• Picnic lunch at Berrima
• National Arboretum
• A morning at Floriade
• Tour of the Embassies
• Black Mountain Tower at night for city lights
• Canberra Tulip Farm

With so many city attractions so close together it is possible to run a shuttle between venues so as to avoid duplication from previous visits. You will be able to choose two options from the following excellent attractions.

• Parliament House
• National Gallery
• High Court
• War Memorial Museum
• National Library
• National Portrait Gallery

With an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide, so many great attractions and an abundance of spring colour, you are guaranteed to see our capital in a whole new light.

The tour includes all meals (excellent dinners, full cooked breakfasts, lunches and morning teas) and admissions. Cost per person is $920.00 twin share staying at the 4 Star Alpha Hotel Canberra (Ph: 02 6293 3666). Single Supplement is $175.00.

This tour contrasts the cosmopolitan sophistication of Adelaide with roads less travelled, across the Eyre Peninsula, on to Port Augusta, the Clare Valley, and Yorke Peninsula. One of the many highlights will be our 2 ½ hour crossing of Gulf St Vincent.

Adelaide, Australia’s first planned city is truly a delight. Colonel William Light has left a wonderful legacy, the city layout, surrounded by 900 hectares of wonderful parklands, is an urban masterpiece and has been included on the National Heritage List.

The Eyre Peninsula’s Eastern side has calm beaches and the warm waters of the Spencer Gulf. The West Coast has spectacular cliffs, long white sandy beaches and brilliant blue water. Its 2,000 kilometres of pristine coastline is home to an amazing array of sea life with Southern Right whales being a common sight frolicking in the shadows of the limestone cliffs.

Bottlenose dolphins and sea lions are also plentiful, attracted by an abundance of fish, and the area has built an excellent reputation for the quality and variety of its seafood. We will have the opportunity to sample Coffin Bay Oysters along with scallops, King George Whiting, flathead, and Blue Fin tuna. The National Parks of the peninsula are home to over 150 species of birds, their beauty and isolation a perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of modern life.

Port Augusta is an interesting town at the crossroads of our continent. The Clare Valley produces some of the most outstanding wines in our country and our brief foray onto the Yorke Peninsula will cover some of South Australia’s early mining history.

Highlights include:

• Adelaide city tour, North Terrace Botanical Gardens, Museum of SA, Art Gallery
• Glenelg, Henley and Brighton beaches
• Ferry crossing of Spencer Gulf
• Tour of Port Lincoln
• Cruise on Boston Bay
• Optional shark cage dive!
• Coffin Bay National Park and Gunyah Beach Lookout
• Cruise on Coffin Bay leases with Coffin Bay Oyster tasting
• Venus Bay, Streaky Bay, and Smoky Bay
• Ceduna & the Bight
• Minnipa and Pildappa Rock
• Port Augusta Arid Lands Botanic Gardens
• Wadlata Outback Centre
• Clare Valley wine tasting
• Historic Bungaree Station
• Historic copper town of Moonta

The River Murray is Australia’s most famous river and there is no better way to experience some of its massive meandering 3,700 kilometres than at a leisurely pace on the Proud Mary on our 5 night cruise. It ranks with the Mississippi, the Nile and the Amazon and boasts some of the most spectacular and rugged Australian landscapes. The River Murray is home to an array of abundant wildlife and birdlife that will be seen throughout the entire cruise.

Departing Sydney and flying into Adelaide we will then have a brief tour and lunch before being transferred to the Murray Bridge to board the Proud Mary. The vessel caters for a maximum of only 36 passengers and provides the ideal environment for you to explore, experience, indulge and discover. The well appointed bar, lounge and dining areas offer the perfect location for enjoying culinary delights while viewing the picturesque Australian scenery.

Highlights include:

• Adelaide City sights tour and Glenelg luncheon
• Daily nature based onshore excursions guided by an Ecologist & entertainment
• Small boat cruise taking in the River’s secluded lagoons and inlets
• Nocturnal Discovery tour under floodlight
• Swan Reach Museum and township
• Ngaut Ngaut Aboriginal Conservation area
• Final night 5 star accommodation in Adelaide
• Tour of Adelaide Hills, Mt Lofty and Hahndorf

Cost per person is $3,775.00 which includes the 5 night cruise, all meals (except one lunch), return airfare, accommodation & touring. Single Supplement is $1,495.00.

The New South Wales north coast is spectacular, we will explore its fabulous coastline along with its sparkling rivers, the towering forest of the hinterland and many of its lovely towns and villages. Grafton will be a picture with the Jacarandas in full bloom and we will also spend time cruising along the Clarence River from Yamba.

Our base for the first 5 nights of this tour is at the luxurious Opal Cove Resort, 7 kms north of Coffs Harbour. Set on a beautiful absolute beachfront position on Korora Bay, Opal Cove boasts 36 hectares of subtropical gardens surrounded by banana plantations and rainforest clad hills. This tour has been designed to allow plenty of time to relax and enjoy our spectacular surroundings and includes several shorter days so there will be less time on the road and more time in the resort.

Opal Cove has all the options for the active including golf, tennis, gymnasium, sauna and spa, along with lots of water sports or if you prefer simply unwind with a good book by the pool, lagoon or beachfront.

We will break our journey home with a final night at the 4 star Mercure Centro Hotel in the heart of Port Macquarie and return to Sydney along the picturesque Lakes Way through Forster.

Highlights of the tour (if we can coax you away from the resort) include:

• Harrington Waters and Manning River
• Coffs Dolphin Marine Magic show, Marina and Botanical Gardens
• Mutton Bird Island & Solitary Islands Marine Park
• Guided tour of Grafton
• Glenreagh and Nana Glen in the Hinterland
• Bellingen Arts and Crafts
• World Heritage listed Dorrigo National Park
• Woolgoolga and Arrawarra
• Yamba and Angourie
• Wooli Oysters & Yamba King Prawns
• Clarence River Cruise
• Sawtell and Scotts Head
• Nambucca Head & Macksville
• Ricardoes Tomatoes
• Port Macquarie Heritage Tour
• North Brother Mountain and Dunbogan
• Forster and Wallis Lake Cruise

Cost per person is $2,340.00 which includes all meals and admissions. Single supplement is $495.00.

The north coast of NSW offers spectacular scenery, pristine uncrowded beaches, sparkling rivers and lakes, lush grazing country and towering rainforests framed by stunning mountains.

Our accommodation for this tour is the delightful Harrigans Riverside Lodge, a lovely 4 star waterfront resort on the banks of the picturesque Manning River. Built by the Roche family, it is a sister resort to Harrigans Pokolbin adjoining the Hunter Valley Gardens. It provides the perfect base to explore the region at a relaxed pace, which allows us time to truly appreciate our beautiful surroundings.

Highlights include:

• Newcastle and Lake Macquarie
• Gloucester, Stroud and the Buckets Way
• North Brother Mountain and the Camden Haven River
• Wingham Bush Rainforest
• Old Bar, Taree and Manning Point
• Lots of fresh local seafood
• Crowdy Bay National Park
• Port Macquarie and Tacking Point
• Forster and the Great Lakes
• Redhead, Diamond Beach and Hallidays Point
• Wallis Lake Cruise

Cost per person is $1,350.00 and includes luxury coach transport, accommodation, all meals and admissions. Single supplement is $285.00.

Please ask about our 2 bedroom costings – suitable for passengers preferring an apartment style accommodation or twin share designed to lower the price from two single rooms.

Good old fashioned country hospitality and picturesque rural scenery make Young a great place to visit year round, but the town really comes to life during the cherry festival each summer. Apart from being Australia’s cherry capital, there is a diverse range of agriculture and horticulture as well as a rich history which combine to make Young such an attractive destination. The legacy of the gold fields in the form of some lovely heritage buildings is evident, as is the prosperity flowing from the surrounding rural community.

Our accommodation for this tour is the 4 star Young Federation Motor Inn and includes delicious dinners and full cooked breakfasts.

Highlights of the tour include:

• “Bill the Bastard” sculpture at Harden
• Orchard visit for the freshest of local cherries & other fruit, you can even pick your own straight from the tree.
• Poppas Fudge Factory for local jams, chutneys and chocolate.
• Chinamans Dam and Lambing Flat Chinese Tribute Gardens
• Lambing Flat Museum
• Picnic lunch and wine tasting at the Grove Estate
• Award winning Cowra Japanese Gardens
• The P.O.W. Theatre and Olympic Park Rose Garden at Cowra
• Bathurst and the Blue Mountains