From Gold to the Mallee History, Art & Landscapes of Western Victoria

Detailed Itinerary

Included meals are shown with the symbols B, L and D.

Sunday 10 October: The Goldfields

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)

Monday 11 October: Paul Bangay and the Gardens of Daylesford

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)

Tuesday 12 October: Ballarat

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)

Wednesday 13 October: The Grampians

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)

Thursday 14 October: Silo Art and Wimmera Plains

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)

Friday 15 October: Silo Art and the landscapes of the Mallee

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)

Saturday 16 October: Mildura and the Murray

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)

Sunday 17 October: Departure

The tour ends this morning, with a transfer to Mildura airport for morning flights to Melbourne. (B)