Arrive in Sydney on suggested Qantas flights. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including a night’s accommodation before the tour and a private transfer from the airport.

Meet Elizabeth and fellow travellers at a venue in the CBD (to be advised) at 9:00am. Depart Sydney for Bathurst and enjoy a private tour of Bishop’s Court Estate. The focal point of the property is its beautifully decorated Victorian manor house surrounded by an acre of parkland gardens and its historic stone chapel, built in 1908.

Enjoy lunch on the estate, then continue to Orange and check-in to the hotel in the late afternoon.

This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner at the hotel with Elizabeth and fellow tour members.

(LD)

Today, explore the multi-award-winning Cowra Japanese Garden. Opened in 1979, the peaceful garden with its manicured hedges, waterfalls and streams also includes a strolling garden that symbolises the Japanese landscape, a traditional Edo Cottage, an authentic open-air tea house and a bonsai house.

After lunch continue to the quaint heritage-listed village of Millthorpe and visit an extensive 6-hectare property with its garden displayed across themed areas, each with their own individual character, linked by winding paths.

This evening enjoy dinner at a nearby restaurant.

(BD)

This morning, visit a private garden in Orange. Then, continue to the old gold mining town of Lucknow to visit a stunning private estate. Explore the original 19th-century house and wander through the colourful garden showcasing clusters of shrubs, formal hedges and a vegetable patch.

After a picnic lunch on the estate, continue to Patina Winery. Enjoy a wine tasting before exploring the grounds which feature North American trees and roses, with panoramic vistas of Mount Canobolas rich volcanic slopes.

Return to the hotel in the late afternoon and enjoy the evening at leisure.

(BL)

Today, travel to a large country garden in the historic township of Canowindra and enjoy morning tea and a private tour of the property as you wander its beds of massed perennials, old-fashioned roses, shrubs and native plants.

Enjoy lunch at an organic vineyard, then visit a local nursery to explore its picturesque garden. Continue to a private estate with an early 1900s homestead, an orchard filled with citrus, stone fruit, almond, pistachio, pear, mulberry and fig trees, and a landscape garden successfully reshaped by a renowned garden designer.

Return to the hotel in the late afternoon and enjoy the evening at leisure.

(BL)

This morning, visit the stunning Abercrombie House near Bathurst, considered a heritage treasure of the region. The mansion is a Victorian-Tudor-style house built in the 1870s of granite with an impressive façade surrounded by extensive grounds.

Then, visit Old Government House, a rare and intact example of an early Bathurst home, and wander through its quaint and pretty cottage garden.

Return to Orange in the mid-afternoon and enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at leisure.

This evening, enjoy a special farewell dinner with Elizabeth and fellow travellers at a local restaurant.

(BD)

This morning, check out of the hotel and visit the renowned Highfields Garden, located in the historic Blue Mountains village of Little Hartley.

Nestled on the western edge of the mountain range, Highfields Garden is built on a precarious sloping site with rocky soil. Master plantsman David Kennedy has worked to create an 8-acre gem with a dry garden that uses a naturalistic style of planting grasses, perennials and shrubs to create a rich tapestry of colour.

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant in the Blue Mountains, then return to Sydney.

Tour arrangements conclude upon arrival at a venue in the CBD (to be advised). Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including airport transfers and additional nights’ accommodation either before or after the tour.

(BL)