Young Cherry Festival – 3 Days
Days:
3 Days
Activity:
2. Moderate
$1,045.00
Tour description
Celebrate the flavours and charm of country New South Wales on this delightful three-day escape to the Young Cherry Festival — a lively annual event held in the heart of Australia’s cherry capital. Surrounded by rolling farmland and rich orchards, Young is known for its warm hospitality, gold-rush heritage and vibrant community spirit. During festival time, the town bursts into colour and activity, offering the perfect opportunity to enjoy the freshest local cherries, browse artisan stalls and explore its fascinating history. With comfortable 4-star accommodation at the Young Federation Motor Inn and delicious meals included, this short break promises a relaxed and enjoyable country getaway.
The tour highlights the very best of the region, from orchard visits where you can pick cherries straight from the tree to tastings of local jams, fudge and chocolate. Scenic touring includes the Harden “Bill the Bastard” sculpture, Chinamans Dam, the Lambing Flat Museum and the peaceful Chinese Tribute Gardens. A picnic lunch and wine tasting at Grove Estate adds a lovely touch, while visits to the Cowra Japanese Garden, POW Theatre and Olympic Park Rose Garden reveal the rich cultural layers of the region. With additional sightseeing through Bathurst and the Blue Mountains, this charming escape offers a wonderful mix of food, history, scenery and country warmth.
Itinerary
Our journey south on the Hume sees us pause at Nepean Dam at Bargo for morning tea. The Dam is a picturesque spot and important part of the Sydney water supply system located just a short drive from the highway. We continue on to Yass where we will enjoy lunch and a brief tour of this interesting town.
Following lunch we leave the highway heading across to Young through the farming districts of Bowning, Binalong and Harden. We will pause at Harden where we will see the outstanding work of Carl Valerius who has sculpted a life size bronze statue of “Bill the Bastard” – hailed as Australia’s greatest war horse through his exploits at the battle of Romani in 1916. On our arrival in Young we will be met by our local guide for a town tour. We check into the Young Federation Motor Inn (6382-5644) giving us time to freshen up before dinner.
Overnight: Young Federation Motor Inn
Meals Included: Morning Tea, Lunch, Dinner
Following a hearty breakfast this morning, we will visit one of the many orchards in Young to pick our own cherries (a small quantity), view the packing shed and order cases of cherries to take home. They will be picked, packed and stored in a cool room for pick up on the morning of our departure. We then proceed to Chinamans Dam for morning tea with warm cherry pies and time for a leisurely stroll through the Gardens before we visit Poppas Fudge Factory for the chance to purchase some of the many variety jams made from the local produce. Lunch today will be a picnic at Grove Estate Vineyard where we will sample some of their award-winning wines. This afternoon we will visit the Young Visitors Centre, the Art Gallery and the Lambing Flat Museum as well as time to explore the town on foot.
Overnight: Young Federation Motor Inn
Meals Included: Breakfast, Morning Tea, Lunch, Dinner
Leaving Young we head for Cowra and commence the morning with a visit to Olympic Park Rose Garden and POW Theatre where we will see the entertaining hologram presentation of the Cowra breakout. We then proceed to the Japanese Gardens for morning tea before exploring this beautifully tranquil area. Continuing along the Mid Western Highway to Bathurst, we will pause for lunch and enjoy a brief tour of our oldest inland settlement. Our journey home takes us through Lithgow and on to the Blue Mountains and Penrith before our late afternoon arrival back in Sydney.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Morning Tea, Lunch
Activity Levels
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1. Easy
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2. Moderate
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3. Active Moderate
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4. Adventurous
Testimonials
Dear Kerry and staff Thank you for organising the Temora airshow and Wagga tour for our club. We all enjoyed the four days away. The tour length was just right for us ‘oldies’. The Mercure Wagga was very comfortable and centrally located, and there was plenty of free time to explore the galleries, gardens Riverina Museum, and shops on offer in Wagga. The Tamora airshow was an opportunity to view old planes and to see an aviation display for novices to aviation displays. We learnt so much about the RAAF presence in Wagga and Temora during WWII. A highlight of the Junee Rail Museum was the dedicated locals who told us all about trains and privatisation of New South Wales rails. A special bouquet of thanks to Paul , our wonderful coach driver and Marie, our friendly tour guide. Nothing was a problem for them. Both Marie and Paul worked as a great team and put us all at ease. We greatly appreciated all their work, effort, fun and friendship to make our trip memorable. Thanks Guys! It was great to be travelling with Oncourse again. Our club is looking forward to seeing what tourism plans you have in store for 2024. Again, many thanks for your help. Best wishes to all the On Course team.
Regards, Elizabeth
Dear Debbie Just like to thank you again for the most enjoyable couple of days in the Southern Highlands earlier this month. Venues and meals were great. It was a very comfortable drive with John. He is very friendly and sociable, providing us with interesting information of the local areas along the way. We look forward to travelling with you again in the future.
