Meet your tour leader Julie Kinney at 9:00am in Perth CBD (venue TBA) before transferring to Katanning in WA’s Great Southern region. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including pre-tour accommodation and flights.

En route, enjoy a visit to the Orondo Estate in Dwellingup, with its 25-acre private garden, cradled by woodlands and waterways.

This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner with Julie at the hotel in Katanning.

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This morning, visit the Katanning Regional Sheep Saleyard, which, with an outstanding complex of four hectares, is the largest undercover saleyard in the Southern Hemisphere and capable of trading 1.5 million sheep annually.

Then, enjoy some time in the vibrant town of Katanning, followed by a visit to a wildflower reserve. The village is home to an impressive multitude of wildflower species, including Heaths, Wattles, pink and yellow Verticordias, Parrot Bushes and Honeypot Dryandras.

En route, visit Badgebup, renowned for its rich cultural millennial heritage, and home to two extensive flora and fauna reserves.

Arrive back at the hotel in the late afternoon and enjoy the evening at leisure.

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This morning, check out of the hotel and transfer to Ongerup to visit the Yongergnow Australian Malleefowl Centre, comprising of large bush aviaries, a result of continuous conservation efforts to preserve the iconic Malleefowl bird in its natural habitat.

Afterwards, continue to Ravensthorpe and enjoy a wildflower walk to admire the town’s rich biodiversity and pristine natural surroundings.

In the afternoon, arrive in Hopetoun and check in to the hotel. The evening is at leisure.

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Enjoy a day at the renowned Fitzgerald River National Park, which features astonishing coastal hills, beaches, forests and caves, all working in perfect unison to create a one-of-a-kind biodiversity. Marvel at the park’s multitude of endangered and native animals, with more than 200 bird species, and over 75 native-only plant species, such as wildflowers including Banksias, Hakeas, Bottlebrush, Feather Flowers and Quaalup Bells.

Return to Hopetoun in the late afternoon and enjoy some time at leisure before dinner.

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This morning, return to Ravensthorpe, surrounded by rugged river valleys, ancient mining sites, and rare animal and wildflower species, which makes it home to the annual Ravensthorpe Wildflower Festival.

Also visit the town’s Silo Art installation, created by acclaimed Fremantle-based artist Amok Island, a 25-metre-high wildflower-inspired mural painted across three silos.

Return to the hotel in the late afternoon before dinner in the evening.

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Check out of the hotel in the morning and drive to Mount Trio in the Stirling Ranges. Once known by its Aboriginal name Warrungup, meaning “three become”, the mountain comprises three peaks and is home to more than 1500 species of flowers. This makes up for almost 40% of the known flora of the country’s South West, with 80 plant species growing nowhere else in the world.

In the afternoon, continue to Albany, a port city located at the southern tip of Western Australia, and where the first European settlers arrived in the state.

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This morning, discover Albany’s beautiful green landscapes, symbolic in its location. Visit an award-winning museum famous for its interactive technology, storytelling, and historical artefacts paying tribute and commemorating troops who would gather here to leave for war. ​

Appreciate also the town’s rich historic architecture and colonial buildings which have been converted to museums, galleries and vibrant restaurants.

Return to the hotel for an afternoon and evening at leisure.

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Check out of the hotel and depart Albany for the so-called Valley of the Giants, an iconic ancient tingle forest originating 65 million years ago. From suspended platforms, fully admire the forest canopy and plant species from 40 metres above the ground.​

Then, enjoy lunch at the Lakeside Garden Retreat in Pemberton, a six-acre garden property of pristine natural beauty, featuring ancient grass trees, a majestic lake, winding paths, and home to several bird species.

Continue to Bridgetown in the late afternoon.

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This morning, visit Moyola Manor, built in the 1930s and restored to its original charm. The homestead is set in two acres of country gardens. Enjoy a guided walk of the manor and gardens, followed by lunch.

In the afternoon, enjoy some time at leisure in Bridgetown, surrounded by enchanting hillsides, jarrah forests and serene country landscapes nestled around the majestic Blackwood River.

This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner with Julie and fellow tour members at a local restaurant.

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In the morning, check out of the hotel and transfer to Perth Airport.

Tour arrangements conclude at Perth Airport for flights departing from 14:30.

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 (February 2024), 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.