TOUR LEADER CAROLYN DWYER

Carolyn is a landscape gardener and horticulturist who treasures her cool climate garden in the NSW Southern Highlands. She is very excited to introduce you to David Glenn, Paul Bangay, Annie Smithers and all the garden owners opening for us.

+ Walk in the footsteps of Dame Elisabeth Murdoch

at Cruden Farm

+ Follow Paul Bangay on our private tour through

Stonefields

+ Special ‘Garden to Table’ lunch with multi-award

winning chef Annie Smithers

+ Learn the tips of Dry Climate Gardening with

David Glenn in his superb garden at Lambley

+ Travel in a small group and make new friends

+ Relax - we take care of everything

For a detailed itinerary, please visit :www.rosstours.com/victoria

HIGHLIGHTS

Kangaroo Island

ADELAIDE

Cape Jervis

Adelaide Hills

Clare Valley

Barossa Valley

Flinders

MELBOURNEBallarat

Stonefields

Daylesford

Cruden Farm

Broughton Hall

Let us take you to the most beautiful places in the world.

This is a fabulous itinerary through regional Victoria. We are spoilt for choice with so many glorious gardens begging us to visit.

It’s also a gastronomic delight with fine wines from the region.

Graham Ross, Founder

TO BOOK PLEASE CONTACT ROSLYN OR MELISSA

Visit our website www.rosstours.com

travel@rosstours.com1300 233 200

Victoria’s fine country gardens at the peak spring flush.

Meet the gardeners behind each masterpiece. See old

favourites & exciting new cutting edge gardens: including

David Glenn’s Lambley, Paul Bangay’s Stonefields, Dame

Elisabeth’s Cruden Farm and Stuart Rattle’s Musk Farm.

7 - 15 NOVEMBER 2019

INSIDE

VICTORIA

DAY 1 THU 7 NOVHOME TO FLINDERSMeet your Ross Tour leader at Sydney Domestic Airport for your Qantas flight to Melbourne. We’ll head off to Cranbourne Botanic Gardens, a showcase of Australian flora that will give us a whole new appreciation of our unique Aussie plants, all designed with contemporary flair. See the garden in the comfort of the Garden Explorer Bus. Drive down the Mornington Peninsula and check into the stylish Flinders Hotel for four nights. Welcome dinner included tonight.

DAY 2 FRI 8 NOVMORNINGTON PENINSULAThe first garden today is designed with flair and fine plantsman-ship by Paul Bangay to complement the symmetry of the Palladian style architecture. There’s a formal walled garden divided into a series of rooms. Lunch included today at Heronswood, Dromana, home of the Diggers Club, then a walk around its famous suite of gardens with interesting planting combinations of heirloom vegetables and perennials. Dinner is included tonight.

DAY 3 SAT 9 NOVGIPPSLAND Two fine private gardens today. The first is filled with roses; a romantic

garden complements a French style rammed earth home. Crabapple and dogwood walks lead to gardens and old fashion roses. Herb garden, vegetable garden, orchard and olive grove complete the picture. Next stop is a formal garden that overlooks the Tarago Reservoir and nestles into a grand landscape. Dinner is included and a twilight stroll through this garden of intimate spaces, grand vistas and abundant planting.

DAY 4 SUN 10 NOVCRUDEN FARMCruden Farm, one of Australia’s most iconic gardens is our destination this morning. The garden of the late Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, who loved this garden that she designed and planted as a bride 80 years ago. Stroll around the lake, the borders, picking garden, shrub walks and the famous avenue of lemon-scented gums. Lunch in another well designed garden with walled garden, Italianate garden, native garden, vegetables and rich flower borders.

DAY 5 MON 11 NOVFLINDERS TO BALLARATA ferry ride this morning from Sorrento to Queenscliff. Lunch is included on the Bellarine Peninsula with award-winning wines, great food and superb views across Port Phillip Bay. We are heading to Ballarat with

a stop to visit the garden of one of Geelong’s oldest surviving Georgian homes. Check into Craig’s Royal Hotel, Ballarat for four nights.

DAY 6 TUE 12 NOVBALLARATYou’ll fall in love with the charming flower garden at Scarsdale. Plant stands are encrusted with succulents and the garden is filled with iris, roses and perennials jostling for space, all laid out with a magic sense of play. Next stop is Ballarat’s Botanical Garden, one of Australia’s most significant cool climate gardens, for a guided walk and a peep into the famous conservatory. Lunch included today then a walking tour of Ballarat’s historic downtown precinct.

DAY 7 WED 13 NOVLAMBLEY AND MUSK FARMA glorious garden today, one of Australia’s finest; David Glenn’s Burnside at Lambley Nursery. Explore these gardens and learn about dry climate gardening. Lunch included today on Lake Daylesford. Then an afternoon visit to the late Stuart Rattle’s Musk Farm, with every detail of the buildings and grounds carefully considered. A sanctuary where Rattle could freely express his great sense of style.

DAY 8 THU 14 NOVSTONEFIELDSBeautiful Frogmore this morning with a boutique nursery. Lunch with celebrity chef, Annie Smithers, who is throwing open the gates to her prolific kitchen garden just for us. Discover her extensive and productive garden. A superstar of a garden this afternoon at Paul Bangay’s ‘Stonefields’. Paul will show us through a series of formal garden rooms that fade out into the surrounding farm. Trust us, it needs to be seen to be believed! Dinner included tonight.

DAY 9 FRI 15 NOVBALLARAT TO HOMEOn our way to Tullamarine for our homeward flight, we will stop at The Alister Clark Memorial Rose Garden. The only complete collection in Australia of the surviving roses of the great Australian rose breeder. He released 122 new varieties of roses between 1912 and his death in 1949. Some of his famous roses were Lorraine Lee, Blackboy and Nancy Hayward. Lunch included today at Living Legends, where you can meet and mingle with retired champion racehorses, and visit the historic homestead and gardens. Transfer to the airport for your afternoon flight.

TOUR DETAILS

+ OUR TOUR INCLUDES

° Return group economy airfare with Qantas

Sydney / Melbourne / Sydney

° Deluxe accommodation for 8 nights

° Full breakfast every day, 7 lunches and 4 dinners

° Air-conditioned coach throughout the tour

° Entrance fees to all gardens and sightseeing including Lambley

Nursery, Blake Garden, Ballarat Botanical Gardens, Stonefields,

Cruden Farm, Heronswood, The Garden Vineyard, Picardy

Garden, Broughton Hall, Royal Botanical Gardens Cranbourne,

Musk Farm, Frogmore, Villa Lettisier.

° Fully Escorted by Carolyn Dwyer

+ OUR TOUR COSTS

° Twin Share per person, land only $4,450

° Twin Share per person, including airfare $4,795

° Single Supplement $1,095

+ DISCOUNTS

° Early Bird $100 per person (Pay in full by 5/7/19)

° Previous Traveller $50

° Garden Clinic Member $50

All prices in Australian Dollars. All air taxes as at 1st Feb 2019. Price based on minimum 15 passengers. Departure from Sydney. Price from other Australian ports and New Zealand available on application. Group meals do not include beverages. Please refer to Ross Garden Tours standard terms & conditions. Ask us about other sightseeing and travel arrangements including pre and post tour accommodation, transfers, stopovers and other tours.

ITINERARY