From the Yarra Valley to Bendigo

The tour starts at 1.00pm on Wednesday 15 October, at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport.

The tour ends at 1.00pm on Thursday 23 October, at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport.

The tour begins at 1.00pm this afternoon, when we gather at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport (Terminal 1, baggage carousel number 3) to travel by coach to the Yarra Valley. On the way, we visit the Heide Museum of Modern Art, founded by John and Sunday Reed, art patrons who transformed their acreage outside of Melbourne into a haven for writers and artists. This gem of a museum now houses one of the premiere collections of Australian modernism, with works by Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd, and Albert Tucker, and its sculpture garden has works by Anthony Caro, Anish Kapoor and Inge King. After our visit, we continue to our hotel in the Yarra Valley, where we relax and enjoy dinner together. Overnight Yarra Valley (D)

After a morning talk, we make our way to the nearby TarraWarra Museum of Art. Founded by Eva and Marc Besen, the collection is housed in a stunning tan and clay rammed-earth structure intended to emerge powerfully from the landscape and surrounding vineyards. It includes works by many of Australia’s most prominent artists, including Brett Whiteley, John Olsen, Fred Williams and Rosalie Gascoigne, and often features highly regarded temporary exhibitions. Following our visit, we make our way to Coombe, the estate of Dame Nellie Melba located on seven acres at Coldstream. We enjoy lunch together in Melba’s restored ‘motor house’ with its original chiming clock tower, followed by a guided tour of the cottage and stunning 100-year-old gardens surrounded by 600m of Cyprus hedges. In the late afternoon we return to the hotel, with time to relax before dinner. Overnight Yarra Valley (B, L, D)

Today we explore the Mornington Peninsula, starting with one of Dame Elisabeth Murdoch’s beloved properties - Cruden Farm. On a private tour, we learn about the history of the young bride’s delightful wedding present, her generous nurturing of this extensive estate for the entire community, and the garden’s attentive seasonal design. After our visit we continue making our way down the peninsula, admiring the dramatic coastal scenery and fine views across the vineyards before arriving at Port Phillip Estate for lunch. Situated in the hills above Port Phillip Bay in the heart of the Mornington Peninsula wine region, the Mediterranean-inspired menu matches the grandeur of the surrounds. Like TarraWarra, the brutalist rammed-earth exterior and light-filled dining room unfurls across the ridge, taking advantage of the sweeping views. After lunch we pay a visit to Point Leo Estate to enjoy its Sculpture Park, an outdoor gallery of some 60 works by major international and Australian artists. In the late afternoon we check into the luxurious Intercontinental Mornington Peninsula in Sorrento, enjoying sweeping views of the coastline, and perhaps a wander around this seaside jewel or relax with a cocktail on the hotel’s Mediterranean pool deck. Overnight Sorrento (B, L)

After checking out of our hotel, we take the ferry across Port Phillip Bay to the pretty seaside town of Queenscliff. Our destination is Barwon Park for a guided tour of the authentic 42 room bluestone mansion built in 1871 by pioneer pastoralist Thomas Austin and his wife Elizabeth. We then make our way to Geelong, with a break for lunch along the waterfront on arrival. In the afternoon we take a tour at the National Wool Museum, set in a restored bluestone woolstore built the year after Barwon Park was commenced and a site where now history art and culture come together in one venue. Our hotel tonight is set in the heart of Geelong’s vibrant waterfront with many dining options on our doorstep. Overnight Geelong (B)

Our first stop today is the Geelong Art Gallery, considered one of Australia’s finest provincial galleries with a strong collection of works that highlight the region’s history. Forming a crucial part of the Geelong Arts Precinct, along with GPAC and the Courthouse, the Gallery is built on an annex of the Geelong Town Hall. In the afternoon we enjoy a guided tour of Geelong’s fabulous Botanic Gardens. Dating from 1851 they are the fourth oldest in Australia and, as well as an extensive collection of plants, are also home to some of the city’s original heritage buildings. We finish the day with dinner on the terrace of our hotel, offering fine views across the revitalised waterfront. Overnight Geelong (B, D)

Departing Geelong this morning, we make our way to Ballarat, whose name is derived from indigenous words for “resting place” (Balla Arat), stopping briefly at the Eureka Stockade Memorial Park on the way in. Ballarat was established as a township in the 1850s, when 20,000 miners arrived to exploit the newly discovered goldfields, and the town shot to further prominence in 1854 when a rebellion of gold miners went against the strict licensing and heavy taxation of the British colonial authority. Ballarat’s place in the birth of the national story was further enhanced in the 1880s when the citizens of the town established Australia’s first regional gallery as a way of providing access to art for the people and advancing the city’s status. We visit the excellent collection at the Art Gallery of Ballarat, which has works by almost every major Australian artist from the 1870s to the end of the 20th century. After a break for lunch, we enjoy a leisurely stoll around Ballarat’s Lake Wendouree before exploring the nearby Botanical Gardens. We continue on to Bendigo, our base for the next three nights, stopping to visit the small Gold Rush town of Maldon that has preserved much of its original architecture and feel. Arriving in the late afternoon, we enjoy dinner at a local favourite, Ms Battershams. Overnight Bendigo (B, D)

Today we travel to Shepparton, in the Goulburn Valley. The town, although much less prestigious and much smaller than Bendigo and Ballarat, also owes its early development to the gold rush, and subsequently to farming and the railways that linked the fertile valleys of northern Victoria to Melbourne. In the morning we visit Shepparton Art Museum, which is housed in a splendid new building by Denton Corker Marshall that opened in 2021. The collection has Australian ceramics, as well as paintings, prints and contemporary Australian art. After a break for lunch at the museum café, we explore the delightful Loel Thomson Costume Collection at the Museum of Vehicle Evolution (MOVE). The collection takes us on a journey through 200 years of Australian fashion, telling the stories of everyday Australians from Federation to the present day. Returning to Bendigo mid-afternoon we enjoy a guided tour at Historic Sandhurst Gaol, transformed in 2015 into a state-of-the-art performance and event space. The evening is at leisure. Overnight Bendigo (B)

This morning we visit the Bendigo Art Gallery, whose collection ranges from historic paintings of Bendigo, through to the greats of modern Australian painting and contemporary art. Bendigo’s history parallels Ballarat’s quite closely, from its gold rush origins to the foundation of the gallery. The main point of difference between the galleries is the internationally respected temporary exhibitions Bendigo continues to host. Following a break for lunch and some leisure time, we take a walking tour of Bendigo’s historic buildings – products of the gold rush that are emblematic of the citizens’ aspirations – and visit the Golden Dragon Museum, dedicated to the culture and history of Chinese Australians. Our farewell dinner tonight is at the Sandhurst Club Bendigo. Overnight Bendigo (B, D)

This morning we travel to the airport, stopping for a private, out-of-hours curator visit to Castlemaine Art Museum, whose collections are housed in a beautiful art-deco building. CAM houses a nationally significant and unique collection of Australian artworks, including important First Nations cultural material from across Australia and a collection of historical artefacts reflecting the early history of the region. We continue to the airport, arriving at 1.00pm, in time for late afternoon flights. For those staying on in Melbourne, the coach will continue to Flinders Station. (B)

Throughout the tour we stay in 4-star hotels. Where possible we have selected hotels that preserve the history and traditions of the region.

• Yarra Valley, Oscars on the Yarra (2 nights)

• Sorrento, InterContinental Sorrento Mornington Peninsula (1 night)

• Geelong, Novotel (2 nights)

• Bendigo, The Hotel Shamrock (3 nights)