Celebrate the beauty of spring in regional New South Wales on this colourful journey to Cowra for its much-loved Sakura Matsuri Festival. As the countryside awakens with blossoms and mild sunshine, Cowra becomes a picture of tranquillity and vibrant colour. The highlight of the season is the Cowra Japanese Garden — one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere — where carefully sculpted landscapes, flowing streams and peaceful ponds provide the perfect setting for cherry blossoms in full bloom. During the Sakura Matsuri Festival, the gardens come alive with traditional performances, tea ceremonies, cultural workshops and stalls offering tastes of Japan. With soft pink sakura petals overhead and cultural celebrations all around, it’s an experience that delights the senses and captures the spirit of spring.

Beyond Cowra, the tour continues through some of the Central West’s most enchanting landscapes. A visit to the extraordinary Mayfield Garden reveals one of the world’s great cool-climate gardens, with sweeping lawns, intricate parterre designs, hidden pathways and vibrant spring blooms at every turn. Travelling via the Bells Line of Road, guests explore the Mount Tomah Botanic Garden before settling in for two nights at the 4-star Rydges Mt Panorama Resort in Bathurst. The return journey passes through Oberon and the Blue Mountains, showcasing the seasonal colours of Blackheath, Leura and Wentworth Falls. With visits to heritage towns like Millthorpe and attractions such as the Australian Fossil & Mineral Museum, this beautifully paced tour blends nature, culture and springtime serenity — all with the warm hospitality and thoughtful inclusions you expect from OCT.