Arrive in Adelaide on suggested Qantas flights. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including pre-tour accommodation.

Meet Julie and fellow travellers at a CBD hotel at 10:00am (location to be advised). Travel by coach from Adelaide to Maggie Beer’s Farm, founded by pre-eminent cook and writer Maggie Beer. After lunch at the farm eatery, enjoy a private cooking demonstration using some of Beer’s signature ingredients, including verjuice (unripe grape juice) and vino cotto (cooked grape must).

Check in to the hotel located in the Barossa Valley and enjoy dinner with Julie and fellow tour members.

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Today, explore Anlaby Station in the Barossa Valley, one of Australia’s great homesteads and one of the first grand rural properties of South Australia. Visit the historic homestead of South Australia’s oldest Merino stud before enjoying lunch at the property. Wander through the four-hectare garden, home to a variety of National Trust-listed heritage trees and plants. Return to the hotel in the late afternoon and enjoy the evening at leisure.

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This morning, travel to AL-RU Farm in Sampson Flat for a tour of its generous gardens, from sweeping lawns to ponds, arbours, rose gardens and a lake in a rural setting.

Continue to the historic manor house at Carrick Hill and admire the Edwardian style formal gardens featuring the use of cellular structures such as hedges, lawn terracing and stone paving.

In the late afternoon, arrive in Hahndorf, first settled in the nineteenth century by Lutheran immigrants and today maintaining the unique history of being the oldest German settlement in Australia.

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Begin the day with a short orientation coach tour of Hahndorf followed by some time at leisure to explore the charming tree-lined main street.

Continue to the delightful Tickle Tank, the home and garden of artist and gardener Irene Pearce. After lunch, discover the cottage constructed from concrete water tanks and adorned with mosaics, and the quirky 450-square-metre garden featuring native grasses, herbs, roses and fruit trees.

Then, explore Wyndbourne Park, a large rambling country garden located in the Mount Lofty Ranges. The large number of varied microclimates permit a large and diverse collection of plants within the eight-hectare property, designed in several individual garden areas.

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This morning, visit the biodynamic Jurlique Farm, the home of one of Australia’s most prominent skin care brands. A variety of herbs, plants and flowers are grown using biodynamic practices of compost production and soil enrichment to create ingredients for their line of natural skin care products.

Continue to The Cedars, the historic house and working studio of Australian landscape artist Sir Hans Heysen, and learn about his passion for painting flowers. The gracious old homestead is surrounded by a rambling cottage garden, planted by Sir Hans himself.

Later, enjoy a unique workshop and flower farm visit at Kidman Flower Company over looking the Onkaparinga Valley near Balhannah.

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This morning, check out of the hotel and travel to Highcroft Garden in Harrogate, a Mediterranean garden in a low rainfall area, where Red Angus cattle are also farmed. Wide paths meander through beds that are coordinated in colour combinations and textural foliage contrasts. Enjoy a private tour of the property, with spectacular views across the ranges, before lunch.

Then, visit the impressive UKARIA Cultural Centre, the purpose-built concert hall nestled amongst the Adelaide Hills, before continuing to Sophie’s Patch, a garden in Mount Barker owned by Sophie Thomson, a presenter on ABC TV’s Gardening Australia. Enjoy a private tour of the garden in this 1.2-hectare property, which includes an organic vegetable patch and a large number of fruit and nut trees.

Arrive in McLaren Vale in the late afternoon and enjoy dinner at the hotel.

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After some time at leisure to explore McLaren Vale town, continue to the renowned Coriole Vineyards for a short walk through the estate’s unique, multi-level Australian cottage garden, followed by lunch.

In the afternoon, explore Tipsy Hill, a Mediterranean-influenced property with a beautiful two-hectare garden that incorporates winding paths, arches and a vineyard, with stunning views across the region.

This evening, enjoy a dinner at one of McLaren Vale’s fine local restaurants.

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This morning, check out of the hotel and travel to the renowned d’Arenberg winery, home of the distinctive modernist Cube building and producer of some of Australia’s finest Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Enjoy a tour of the iconic d’Arenberg Cube followed by a special farewell lunch with Julie and fellow travellers.

After lunch, transfer to Adelaide Airport for suggested Qantas flights departing from 17:00, or continue to Adelaide CBD (group transfer included in tour price), where tour arrangements conclude. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including additional nights’ accommodation either before or after the tour, and travel insurance (highly recommended).

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Note: At time of publication (May 2022), private owners of gardens had committed to opening their homes and gardens, however they prefer not to be named. While we undertake to operate the tour as published, there may be some changes to the itinerary.