Arrive in Canberra on suggested Qantas flights and make your own way to the hotel. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including a private transfer to the hotel, pre-tour accommodation and a room category upgrade.

At 14:00, meet your tour leader Genevieve Jacobs and fellow travellers in the Hotel Kurrajong lobby and transfer by coach to the National Gallery of Australia for a guided tour of the permanent Australian collection. This includes George Lambert’s painting, The Squatter’s Daughter, which was painted in the landscape to be experienced the following day. Explore the works of pre-eminent Australian artists whose work was inspired by or produced on the Monaro, including Imants Tillers, Lucy Culliton and Rosalie Gascoigne.

This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner with Genevieve at the hotel.

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This morning, check out of the hotel and travel south towards Micalago Station, an historical pioneer homestead and the location of multiple film sets, including My Brilliant Career  in 1979. Enjoy a guided tour of the garden and visit the site where George Lambert painted his iconic work, The Squatter’s Daughter (weather permitting). Enjoy genuine country hospitality with lunch on the property, the hills of the Monaro as backdrop and the garden filled with autumn colour.

Arrive in Jindabyne in the late afternoon and check in to the hotel before enjoying dinner at a local restaurant.

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Today, enjoy the splendour of Kosciuszko National Park, from the twisted trunks of the ‘grandfather’ snow gums to endless mountain vistas. Begin with a gentle walk through the National Park near Lake Crackenback, learning more about the cultural history of this unique pocket of Australia.

Continuing to Charlotte Pass, hear from a National Parks guide about the geological history and endemic flora and fauna of Kosciuszko National Park, the site of Australia’s highest peak.

This evening, enjoy dinner at a nearby restaurant.

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Enjoy a guided tour at Shirley’s garden, established by one family across three generations, followed by lunch. Recently redesigned by leading landscaper Paul Bangay, the garden displays a love of European sensibilities with its formal parterres, expansive lawns, secret gardens and spectacular lake.

Return to Jindabyne in the late afternoon and enjoy some time at leisure followed by dinner at the hotel.

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This morning, check out of the hotel before visiting Hazeldean, settled by the Litchfield family in 1865 and now home to the sixth generation. One of the country’s largest Merino and Angus studs, it is also the site of an extensive five-acre garden that has recently been lovingly renovated and extended by the present owners.

Continue to the Australian National Botanic Gardens for a private guided tour and to admire the stunning diversity of native Australian plants followed by a farewell lunch.

Tour arrangements conclude at Canberra Airport in time for flights departing from 18:00, or the Canberra CBD.

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 and travel insurance (highly recommended).

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Note: At time of publication (November 2023), most but not all garden visits were confirmed. Private owners, in particular, are reluctant to commit more than two to three months prior to the visit. Therefore, while we undertake to operate the tour as published, there may be some changes to the itinerary.