MELBOURNE TO WAGGA WAGGA

Welcome to our exciting tour to the Festival of the Celts in Glen Innes. With chauffeured pickup from home, we are transferred to meet our O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours coach and crew.  This morning, we travel over the Great Divide for a lunch stop at Wangaratta. This afternoon, we continue past Albury then make our way up to Wagga Wagga for our first night. 

OVERNIGHT:  Mercure Wagga Wagga, WAGGA WAGGA 

WAGGA WAGGA TO DUBBO

An early start this morning as we head off along the Goldfields Way, stopping at the CSIRO Australia Telescope National Facility in Parkes where we can tune into the universe and experience the awesome sight of this icon of Australian science. It was of course the subject of a very funny film, “The Dish”. Our visit includes a light lunch and a 30 minute audio visual. After our visit we check into our hotel in Dubbo. 

OVERNIGHT:  Quality Inn Dubbo International, DUBBO 

DUBBO TO GLEN INNES

Following breakfast we make our way to Tamworth where we’ll stop to purchase lunch. From here we drive to Uralla where we take an afternoon break. Our last leg takes us via Armidale into Glen Innes, known fondly as the ‘Land of the Beardies’ and the Celtic Capital of New England. We check into our motel - home for the next four nights. 

Lunch at own expense and arrangement  

OVERNIGHT:  Rest Point Motor Inn, GLEN INNES 

GLEN INNES AND THE CELTIC FESTIVAL

Glen Innes is in full festival mode today with the official opening of the annual Australian Celtic Festival taking place in the Town Square late this morning. The Australian Celtic Festival is renowned as the premier Celtic event of New South Wales. It is the only Celtic themed festival in Australia to recognise different Celtic Nations each year and have the unique atmospheric benefit of being located at the nationally acclaimed Australian Standing Stones. Each year up to 20 different Clans and representatives from the six Celtic nations turn out in force to hold their annual Celtic ceremonies and spectacles. We’re off to the Land of the Beardies History House and Museum. Essentially a Folk Museum, the collection comes almost exclusively from the town and district, and mirrors the history and development of families, businesses, properties, public utilities, churches and the like. In the spacious grounds are numerous examples of early farm machinery. Several of these are very unusual and well worth a look. We enjoy lunch here before departing on our afternoon tour to Emmaville and the Mining Museum. Here we can explore the extensive mineral displays including the renowned Curnow Collection. We return to Glen Innes to relax prior to dinner. 

OVERNIGHT:  Rest Point Motor Inn, GLEN INNES 

GLEN INNES AND THE CELTIC FESTIVAL

Our day is spent immersed in the local Celtic culture of the Australian Celtic Festival*. This year’s festival celebrates Ireland and the Isle of Man, two of the six Celtic national acknowledged in Glen Innes including Wales, Cornwall, Scotland and Brittany.  There will be events throughout the day including Celtic bands, dances, art exhibitions and, of course, the Street Parade.  

(*Until the program is released, the day’s itinerary is subject to change.)

Lunch at own expense and arrangement 

OVERNIGHT:  Rest Point Motor Inn, GLEN INNES 

GLEN INNES AND THE CELTIC FESTIVAL

This morning we head back to the Australian Celtic Festival*. Depending on the programme, there will be entertainment and more events throughout the day.

(*Until the program is released, the day’s itinerary is subject to change.)

Lunch at own expense and arrangement 

OVERNIGHT:  Rest Point Motor Inn, GLEN INNES 

GLEN INNES TO PORT MACQUARIE

We farewell the “Land of the Beardies” this morning and travel via the Gwydir Highway, past the World Heritage listed Gibraltar National Park, into Grafton where we break for lunch. We continue via Coffs Harbour to Port Macquarie for our overnight stop.

OVERNIGHT: Waters Edge Port Macquarie, PORT MACQUARIE  

PORT MACQUARIE TO PARRAMATTA

We make our way south on the Pacific Highway via Taree through to Sydney, stopping along the way for our lunch break. We continue on through the Central Coast district to Parramatta, in the outskirts of Sydney. 

Lunch at own expense and arrangement 

OVERNIGHT:  Parkroyal Parramatta, SYDNEY 

PARRAMATTA TO ALBURY

From Parramatta we travel south into the Southern Highlands with a morning stop at Bowral and to visit the Bradman International Cricket Hall of Fame. We then continue on the Hume Highway to Yass to stop for a light lunch at Yass Country Kitchen. We spend the afternoon travelling to our final night’s accommodation in Albury.

OVERNIGHT: Quality Resort Siesta, ALBURY 

ALBURY TO MELBOURNE

Silos are drawing crowds to small country towns in Victoria, so this morning we’re off to do a little silo spotting of our own. Tungamah was the first of the Silos painted and it features several Brolgas and a Kookaburra. In St James we can see a large mural of Sir George Coles, the founder of Coles Supermarkets and the town has a plaque showing where his first business was located. The Devenish Silos depict a First World War nurse, a modern day combat medic and a soldier with his steed. The Goorambat Silos feature a Barking Owl as well as three working Clydesdales. We’ll also see beautiful Sophia in the Goorambat Uniting Church. Lunch is in Euroa, then we continue home this afternoon to finish our wonderful tour! As always our chauffeurs will be on hand to take us straight to our door—all part of the O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours superior service.