Meet Brian and fellow travellers at The Langham Melbourne at 10:00am and transfer by coach to Castlemaine. On arrival enjoy a private tour of Castlemaine Art Gallery’s premier collection of Australian painting, ceramics, prints and sculpture.

Continue to Daylesford and check-in to the hotel. Attend a talk by Brian followed by dinner in the hotel’s restaurant.

(LD)

This morning travel by coach to the Art Gallery of Ballarat, Australia’s oldest and largest regional gallery. Established in 1884, both the building and the collection are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and by the National Trust of Victoria. Enjoy a private guided tour of the impressive collection, which covers the history of Australian art, from the colonial to the contemporary.

After lunch, return to the hotel and enjoy the remainder of the afternoon and evening at leisure.

(B)

In the morning transfer to the Bendigo Art Gallery, another significant regional gallery. With a strong emphasis on 19th century British and European Continental painting, the gallery’s permanent collection is also home to works by Arthur Streeton, Charles Conder and Ernest Waterlow.

Enjoy a private curator-led tour of one of the gallery’s touring exhibitions and enjoy some free time to peruse the extensive collection of Australian and international artworks.

Then travel to the studio of leading Australian artist John Wolseley for an exclusive private tour.

Return to Daylesford in the late afternoon. Dinner this evening is in the hotel’s restaurant.

(BD)

Depart Daylesford and drive past the picturesque Kinglake National Park to Coombe Estate. Nestled in the lush Yarra Valley region, Coombe Estate was once the home of famed Australian opera singer Dame Nellie Melba. Enjoy a private tour followed by lunch in the Estate’s gourmet restaurant, before continuing to the TarraWarra Museum of Art.

Enjoy a guided tour of the 2021 TarraWarra Biennial, curated by Nina Miall, and browse the museum’s collection of modern and contemporary Australian art. Continue to Melbourne in the late afternoon and enjoy an evening at leisure.

(BL)

In the morning, travel to Geelong to visit the Geelong Gallery, one of the largest regional galleries in Australia. The gallery houses an extensive collection of Australian and European painting, sculpture, printmaking and decorative arts from the 18th century to the present.

In the afternoon, enjoy an exclusive private curator-led tour of the Australian Art collection of the National Gallery of Victoria at the Ian Potter Centre. Spanning the nation’s art history from the 19th century to the 1980s, the collection features works by iconic artists such as Tom Roberts and Sidney Nolan.

Then, indulge in a special farewell dinner with Brian and fellow travellers at one of Melbourne’s gourmet restaurants.

(BD)

Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including any additional nights’ accommodation, either before or after the tour.

(B)