MELBOURNE TO MILDURA

Welcome to our 8-day tour of Broken Hill and Mildura. With chauffeured pickup from home, we are transferred to meet our O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours coach and crew. It’s a travel day today so sit back and enjoy the ride as we travel the countryside, stopping for lunch along the way. This afternoon we continue north to Mildura.

OVERNIGHT: Best Western Chaffey International Motor Inn, MILDURA

MILDURA TO BROKEN HILL

We’ll return to Mildura in a few days but now, we make our way to Orange World where we embark on a guided tour through the avocado trees and citrus orchards. Hopping aboard the tractor train we’ll be entertained by our guide and his juicy sense of humour, then make our way to Wentworth. Once Australia’s busiest inland river port, it is now a charming town brimming with history. While here we’ll meet a local guide who will enlighten us to the tales behind this town on a sightseeing tour. We will also look at the junction of the Murray and Darling Rivers, as well as Lock 10 before enjoying our picnic lunch. From Wentworth we now head to Broken Hill. Dominating this town is the “Line of Lode” – the seven-kilometre strip of what was the biggest deposit of silver, lead and zinc in the world. We’ll visit this tomorrow but now we make our way to our motel where we can settle in and unpack as we’re here for the next three nights.

OVERNIGHT: Hilltop Motel, BROKEN HILL

EXPLORING BROKEN HILL

A local guide will join us today, describing the history of Broken Hill. Mining has been a part of Broken Hill since 1883 when the first sign of wealth was discovered by Charles Rasp. Since then, a total of 14 different mining companies have made Broken Hill their home and their fortune. Our tour includes a visit to the Line of Lode; from here we can take in the best view in town – from the Miners Memorial. Following our sightseeing tour, we visit the Pro Hart Gallery. Here we discover the spiritual quality of the outback in ways very few artists can emulate. Lunch today is at the Palace Hotel, famous for its starring role in the hit movie, ‘Priscilla Queen of the Desert’. The building was erected as a coffee palace in 1889 at a cost of £12,190 pounds. The Temperance Movement (a group that believes in non-licensed venues for the community) commissioned the build. They had a vision of a place for fine dining and coffee! Next, visit the Sulphide Street Railway and Historical Museum followed by the Silver City Mint and Art Gallery for a self-guided tour of the Big Picture. The large acrylic painting will draw you into its huge skies and red rock earth of ancient riverbeds dotted with gums, leading to the distant Flinders Ranges.

OVERNIGHT: Hilltop Motel, BROKEN HILL

SILVERTON

This morning, we travel out of Broken Hill to visit the historic Daydream Silver Mine. Located in a remote setting, it’s hard to imagine the 500 odd workers living and working here in its hey-day. We enjoy morning tea here today as well as a guided surface tour, hearing all about the smelter, township, how and who found the mine, plus stories about the Cornish Miners and their families and the area in general. From Daydream Mine we continue onto Silverton for a guided town tour. Today it’s a virtual ghost town but several of the historic buildings remain. More recently Silverton has hosted film crews who have produced many well-known movies such as Mad Max 2, A Town Like Alice and Priscilla Queen of the Desert. We have lunch at the Silverton Pub and take a look at the Mundi Mundi Lookout. On our return to Broken Hill, we visit The Living Desert to view the Sculpture Symposium. A nationally successful sculpture symposium situated on a majestic hilltop within the centre of the reserve. The Symposium was completed in 1993 by artists from around the world, under the direction of organiser and artist Lawrence Beck.

OVERNIGHT: Hilltop Motel, BROKEN HILL

BROKEN HILL TO MILDURA

Before returning to Mildura today we take an inspirational journey at Royal Flying Doctor Outback Heritage Experience, uniquely located within a real-life working Flying Doctor base. Beginning as just an idea, it grew and has become an Australian Icon servicing the needs of communities for over 96 years. As our guide leads, we uncover the extraordinary stories and immerse ourselves in an audio-visual experience of real-life medical help calls from remote stations to the Broken Hill base. From here we make our way back to Mildura where we settle into our hotel. This evening we’re in for a ‘light’ treat! Trail of Lights is a transcendent experience, allowing connection with both the artwork and the natural environment. Through the interplay of 12,500 firefly lights, Gone Fishing sculptures, and the natural landscape, Munro invites contemplation and reflection, creating a space for introspection and wonder. As night falls, this spectacle will turn Lock Island into a must visit destination.

OVERNIGHT: Best Western Chaffey International Motor Inn, MILDURA

DISCOVERING MILDURA

After breakfast, we will be introduced to town by our locally based expert for a morning of sightseeing. We’ll hear about the Canadian Chaffey Brothers who arrived in Mildura in 1886 to establish the first irrigation scheme in Australia and hear about life on the river. Our lunch break will be meandering along the river aboard a fully restored paddlesteamer. Our cruise takes us downstream through Lock 11, built to bypass the weir across the river. We’ll experience the workings of a lock as the paddlesteamer is lowered to the downstream level and raised again on the return journey. Back on dry land, we head to a lovely olive oil farm, Varapodio Estate, for a tour and tastings of their award-winning oils. Stock up on salad dressings, olive oils, mayonnaise or olive oil cosmetics and soaps. This evening we will enjoy an early dinner before travelling to Wentworth to experience the “Fibre Optic Symphony Orchestra (FOSO)” installation. Inspired by the arrangement of Hills Hoist clotheslines resembling an orchestra pit, each adorned with fibre optic lights representing different musical instruments, FOSO transforms this setup into a symphonic visual and auditory experience. The installation is synchronised with an original orchestral score composed by the renowned British composer Nainita Desai, elevating the viewer’s interaction with the art.

OVERNIGHT: Best Western Chaffey International Motor Inn, MILDURA

MILDURA TO BENDIGO

Heading south through the Mallee District we make a brief stop at Lake Tyrrell, 7ks north of Sea Lake – its Victoria’s largest Salt Lake. Continue through Sea Lake stopping for lunch before travelling on to Bendigo for our last night on tour.

OVERNIGHT: Quality Lakeside Hotel, BENDIGO

HEADING HOME

This morning we head to the Macedon Ranges and explore the renowned Stokes Collection, located in the heart of the stunning Forest Glade Gardens. This remarkable collection is a testament to the life-long passion of Cyril Stokes and his love of beautiful decorative arts. Each piece reflects years of research and travels to art auctions and estate sales around the world. After a memorable visit, we enjoy lunch. This afternoon, we continue home to Melbourne, where our chauffeurs await to transfer us safely home with memories of a sensational outback tour!