Get to know Australia in depth, from Indigenous culture in the Grampians to the Silo Art trail.
Central and western Victoria are often bypassed by travellers, and yet they offer fascinating insights into Australia’s history and culture, from Indigenous Dreaming and custodianship of the diverse lands, to the country’s economic foundations in gold, grazing and grain, and the recent revival of the arts in these regions, such as Paul Bangay’s private garden and the Silo Art Trail. This 8-day tour takes you deep into Australia’s history, from Ballarat to the Grampians and across the unique landscapes of the Mallee to Mildura. The cultural program is rounded out with visits to vineyards and fine regional dining.
Days 1–3: Meet at Melbourne Airport and travel to Ballarat; visits to the Gold Museum, Regional Gallery, and the Pyrenees wine region; private visit of Paul Bangay’s private garden and Daylesford.
Day 4: Explore the Grampians: Indigenous rock art and culture, spectacular views and waterfalls.
Days 5–6: Across the Mallee, from the Murtoa Stick Shed to the beginning of the Silo Art Trail and the unique landscapes of the region, including Lake Tyrell, the Pink Lake at Dimboola and the Mallee in spring flower.
Days 7–8: In Mildura, with visits to the arts centre, exploring the Murray and lunch at a winery. Departure.
The tour begins at Melbourne Airport and ends at Mildura airport. Qantas offers suitable connections into Melbourne and out of Mildura from most Australian cities. Contact us for quotes and bookings.
Included meals are shown with the symbols B, L and D.
We meet this afternoon at 2pm at Melbourne airport, terminal 1, from where we travel by private coach to Ballarat. Ballarat was once the centre of life on the goldfields, when it went from a field of tents becoming Australia’s largest cities. It was also the centre of political turmoil, which came to a head in 1854 with the Eureka Stockade. On arrival in Ballarat, we visit the Gold Museum, which traces the development of gold mining in the region and its social history. After settling into our hotel, we have dinner in one of Ballarat’s best restaurants. Overnight Ballarat (D)
The cool climate of the south-eastern goldfields is a gardener’s delight, and they have become home to some of Victoria’s most loved private retreats, including the personal garden of Paul Bangay, one of Australia’s most successful landscape designers. This morning we have an exclusive visit of Paul Bangay‘s own garden at Stonefields. After Paul takes us around his garden, we enjoy morning tea together on the property. In the afternoon, we visit Daylesford and Hepburn Springs, whose well-preserved buildings and streetscapes reveal the history of mining and migration in the colonial period. In the later afternoon, we visit St Erth, a cool climate garden owned by the Diggers Club, which conserves and propagates heirloom seeds and rootstock. Returning to Ballarat, the evening is at leisure. (B, morning tea)
This morning we have a lecture on the development of landscape painting in Australia in the 20th century. We then visit Ballarat Art Gallery, the oldest regional gallery in Australia, with an exceptional collection of Australian art. After a guided visit, there is time to explore the gallery’s temporary exhibitions. After a break for lunch, we travel to the Pyrenees wine region, about an hour’s drive north of Ballarat, for wine tastings and nibbles at some local vineyards. The region, with its cold winters and long hot summers, is well regarded for its red varietals. On our return to Ballarat, we visit the Botanic Gardens on Lake Wendouree. Evening at leisure. Overnight Ballarat. (B, wine tasting)
Today we drive west into Central Victoria. After a morning coffee break in Ararat, another of Victoria’s gold towns, we visit Brambuk, the Indigenous Cultural Centre near Halls’ Gap, at the base of the Grampians. Here we learn about the deep history and significance of the region – called Gariwerd by its traditional custodians, the Djab Wurrung and Jardwadjali people – and the very particular ecology of the National Park. After a break for lunch, we drive into the Grampians, a spectacular mountain range formed by sedimentary stone formed over 400 million years ago. We stop to take in scenic views across the ranges, including from Boroka Lookout, and the beautiful MacKenzie Falls, and visit some of the exceptionally well-preserved Indigenous rock art sites. In the later afternoon, we continue on to Horsham, our base for the next two nights as we explore the Mallee. Dinner and overnight, Horsham. (B, D)
The Wimmera Plains form an iconic Australian landscape, with its wide, dry plains and land low-lying Mallee forests. With the expansion of the Victorian colony, the region was quickly taken over by graziers and farmers and by the early 20th century the region was a major producer of wheat and wool. Today we explore the history of the region, visiting the ‘Stick Shed’ at Murtoa, a cathedral-like structure built in 1939 to store huge quantities of grain, the Methodist Mission at Antwerp, and the natural beauty of the Pink Lake near Dimboola and Lake Hindmarsh. A highlight of today is the beginning of the Silo Art Trail – a public art project which turned the disused grain silos of the region into canvases on which contemporary artists depicted the history and people of the region. Returning to Horsham, the evening is at leisure. (B)
Today we drive north, continuing along the Silo Art Trail and moving deeper into the Mallee. As we move north, we notice the landscape becoming drier and less hospitable, the beginnings of Australia’s great inland desert landscapes – the Big and Little Desert wilderness areas – and the distinctive Mallee landscape, with its diverse species of eucalypts. After a break for lunch, we continue north to Lake Tyrrell, whose mirror-like surface creates the impression of an infinite skyline, and then to the Hattah National Park, where the Mallee landscape gives way to the billabongs and marshes of the meandering Murray. Dinner and overnight, Mildura. (B, D)
The Murray River – despite the drought and chronic problems with finding a solution to water usage along the length of Australia’s longest river system – remains beautiful in the area around Mildura. This morning we explore the landscape, including a cruise along the river, home to native birdlife and unique vegetation. After our tour this morning, we have lunch at a local winery to enjoy the abundance provided by the region. After lunch we visit the Art Centre – a combination of galleries and collections centred on Rio Vista, a National Trust historic house. This evening, we meet for farewell drinks. Overnight, Mildura. (B, L)
The tour ends this morning, with a transfer to Mildura airport for morning flights to Melbourne. (B)
A cultural historian with a PhD in History, and practicing painter who brings this passion to the visual arts.
Dr Nick Gordon is a cultural historian and artist, with over 10 years of experience leading tours to Europe. He has strong interests in art, history, philosophy and architecture, from the ancient world to the present.
Nick holds a University Medal and PhD in history from the University of Sydney. He taught medieval and Renaissance history at the University of Sydney, the history of political thought at the University of Western Sydney, and architectural and Australian history elsewhere. He continues to teach at the Centre of Continuing Education, and gives occasional lectures on topics ranging from Classical Rome through to Australian and contemporary art. Nick has lead tours for Academy Travel since 2007, and designs study tours, residential tours and art-focussed tours, such as the Venice Biennale, Art Along the Rhine, Art Basel, and Amsterdam to Paris: Van Eyck to Van Gogh.
Nick is also an artist and his firsthand experience of art complements his academic expertise, through his knowledge of materials and the processes behind how an artwork is made, and his well-practiced eye for reading art.
We asked Nick, what do you enjoy most about tour leading?
“One of the things I enjoy most about touring is helping people understand more about what they’re seeing. This happens through a combination of background lectures exploring different contexts, cultural commentary on the road, and especially by being able to explain what is going on in an artwork with the artwork in front of us.”
“The aim of all of this is to help people see more for themselves, independently, both on tour and beyond. Some of the best moments for me on tour are when this happens, and you get to be part of something bigger as people start adding their own knowledge and experience to what we’re looking at. It makes each experience unique.”
We have selected 4-star accommodation for this tour, but please keep in mind that regional and rural areas are not always able to provide the same level of in-room service as inner city hotels.
Historic hotel in the centre of Ballarat (next to the Art Gallery). Recently restored with modern conveniences in room, but period charm has been retained. www.craigsroyal.com.au/
Comfortable modern hotel in Horsham, a stopping point on the road from Melbourne to inland Australia. www.horshamint.com.au/
Comfortable modern hotel in central Mildura, a stone’s throw from the Murray riverside. accor.com/hotel/
Unless otherwise stated in the itinerary, our tours include the following:
Tours begin either at the arrival airport or the first hotel, depending on the itinerary. If you have booked your international flights with Academy Travel and arrive before the tour commences, we will provide airport to hotel transfers to the closest main city on your arrival, and to the closest airport at the end of the tour. These may be either individual or group transfers.
Our tours do not include the following:
A Grade 2 tour is appropriate for travellers in good health with good mobility, who can comfortably participate in up to 3 hours of physical activity per day on most days.
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