MELBOURNE TO ALBURY

Welcome to our Phantom of the Opera tour —we’re in for an amazing time seeing autumn gardens bursting with colour, a magical night with Phantom of the Opera under the stars on Sydney Harbour and then on to Bathurst for their festive celebration of all things autumn.  With chauffeured pickup from home, we are transferred to meet our O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours coach and crew and head for the Hume Highway. We stop enroute for morning tea from the coach then make our way to Benalla for lunch. This afternoon’s journey takes us to Albury for our first night together.

OVERNIGHT:  Quality Resort Siesta, ALBURY

ALBURY TO THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS

Our destination today is Mittagong. Along the way, we’ll enjoy a break in Gundagai, home to the Dad Dave Mum & Mabel. Our journey continues to the charming heritage town of Yass, known for its grand Victorian and Edwardian buildings.  While here, we explore the home of the great Australian explorer, Hamilton Hume. Cooma Cottage is a rural treasure, and while being guided through Hume’s original house, soaking up the pioneering stories, we gain a true insight into nineteenth century life. Afterwards we head to Mittagong where we settle in for the next three nights.

OVERNIGHT: The Springs, MITTAGONG

THE AUTUMN HUES IN THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS

The Southern Highlands’ autumn gardens should be bursting with colour at this time of the year. We begin our day with a visit to Retford Park Garden in Bowral. This lovely Victorian Italianate homestead has recently been gifted to the National Trust of Australia by James Fairfax AC and has magnificent gardens that showcase a collection of rare and unique evergreen and deciduous trees.  We’ll take a wander through the garden.  We then take in the sights of Bowral with some free time in Bendooley Street to purchase lunch. This afternoon, we travel via Moss Vale to Sutton Forest where we visit Red Cow Farm, a lovely garden set on 6-acres. Divided into different garden areas or 'rooms', with new vistas and surprises around every corner, Red Cow Farm is a dream come true for anyone with a green thumb! Garden lovers have such an amazing choice of gardens including a cottage garden, a walled garden, a vegetable garden, an orchard and woodland. Rhododendrons and birches line the drive leading to the bog garden and lake, where 'Albertine' roses ramble over the railings of a beautiful old wooden bridge leading across the dam to an island. The monastery garden is formal in structure yet informal in its look, using a simple design that can be reproduced in an ordinary-sized garden. Our final visit for the day is to the Welcome Centre in Mittagong, a great place to pick up some local treats like famous Cuttaway Creek Raspberry Jam, or perhaps a bottle of cool climate wine. We return to our hotel to freshen up for dinner.

Lunch at own expense and arrangement

OVERNIGHT:  The Springs, MITTAGONG

EXPLORING THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS

We wake to a fresh Southern Highlands morning and head off on our day’s sightseeing. We make our way to the historic mining village and now “ghost town” of Joadja. We are taken through streets and ruins where 120 years ago some 1,400 people lived and worked. We hear of the cultural, social and industrial history of the valley.  We enjoy morning tea and lunch here, then farewell our guide and drive to Bowral. Here, all while enjoying afternoon tea, prepare to be enchanted by the sights and sounds of Fairground Follies, akin to visiting an old-fashioned amusement park with its collection of self-playing instruments and mechanical music, fair organs, street organs and a 100-year-old steam carousel. It will be a fun afternoon, cherishing memories of the local fair.  We return to our accommodation in Mittagong.

OVERNIGHT:  The Springs, MITTAGONG

SYDNEY AND THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

We have a leisurely start to the day before heading to Sydney. One of the best ways to see this beautiful city is from the harbour and today we take a luncheon cruise where we enjoy an onboard dining experience while floating past the natural and manmade attractions of the harbour. Unhurried, out on the water, we circumnavigate the harbour with incredible and uninterrupted views of the sails and balconies of the Sydney Opera House. See the underside of the Harbour Bridge, the strength of the sandstone pylons and the intricate engineering of the span. Be amused by the 1930’s art deco façade of Sydney’s Luna Park as the big dipper thrills guests with new heights and dips. Witness the second residences of Australia’s Prime Minister and Governor General as you float past the gothic style Kirribilli House and neighbouring Admiralty House located on the superb Kirribilli Point. Weave among the islands and the flotilla of pleasure craft enjoying Sydney’s aquatic playground.  Back on dry land, we check into our hotel and have some time to relax before our early dinner.  This evening, we have a night to remember as we make our way to the enormous stage built over the water where The Phantom of the Opera will be staged. The Music of the Night will soar across Sydney Harbour. Let the spectacle astound you…  Forty years ago, this opera burst onto the West End, becoming a sensation unlike anything the world had ever seen. Tonight, we celebrate Phantom’s milestone anniversary. The iconic score is studded with hits: from the haunting beauty of ‘The Music of the Night’ and ‘All I Ask of You’ to the splendour of ‘Masquerade’ and the crashing chords of the title song.

OVERNIGHT: ParkRoyal Darling Harbour, SYDNEY

THE BLUE MOUNTAINS

This morning we travel around the outskirts of Sydney, take the Great Western Highway into the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains are World Heritage Listed and a spectacular part of Australia's history, covering some 218,000 hectares of rugged beauty, a variety of terrain and a diversity of microclimates and ecological wealth. Following the Great Western Highway we make our way to Leura, where we stop at Everglades Garden, one of the most important historic gardens in Australia. Everglades is considered by many to be unparalleled in Australia for its unique design and historical significance. We have plenty of time to explore the garden before our lunch. From here we follow the Cliff Drive to Eco Point where we have a group photo opportunity at the mystical Three Sisters - a rock formation surrounded by Aboriginal Dreamtime Legend. At Blackheath, we veer from the highway to visit Govetts Leap Lookout with its breathtaking views of the Grose Valley and Bridal Veil Falls. On arrival at Bathurst, we check into our accommodation, our base for the next two nights.

OVERNIGHT:  Rydges Mt Panorama Bathurst, BATHURST

BATHURST AUTUMN COLOURS FESTIVAL

We start the day with a spin around the Mount Panorama Race Track – at 60 kms/hour of course!  Autumn is a magical time in the Bathurst region when residents and visitors alike enjoy the explosion of colour that accompanies the change of season and the cooler temperatures that are perfect for exploring.  We’re lucky enough to be here during the Autumn Colours Festival*, which celebrates the town’s rich history. Accompanied by a local guide, we embark on an exploration of the city’s heritage. One of Australia’s oldest inland cities, Bathurst retains a remarkably preserved Victorian era streetscape adorned with impressive architectural buildings. Later this morning, we head to Abercrombie House, a castle like mansion constructed in the 1870s. Boasting over 40 rooms, it is surrounded by beautiful gardens spanning 20 hectares of land. With its captivating blend of Gothic and Scottish Baronial styles, Abercrombie House stands as a testament to architectural opulence and is recognised as one of Australia’s finest historical mansions. Following a delicious lunch, we return to town to visit Miss Traill’s House, a charming Victorian era bungalow weaving the tales of Miss Ida Traill and her family’s life in early Bathurst. As we tour this special house museum, we’ll discover how little has changed over the years, preserving the essence of a bygone era. The contents of the house are largely the possessions of the Lee family, collected over more than 150 years and they chronicle the history of typical Australian country life. She bequeathed the house to the National Trust and that is why we are lucky enough to be able to see it today.

OVERNIGHT:  Rydges Mt Panorama Bathurst, BATHURST

*Autumn Colours Festival programme and dates are yet to be released and subject to change

BATHURST TO WAGGA WAGGA

We farewell Bathurst this morning and travel through Blayney to Cowra, the town made famous by the POW Camp located here during WWII and the now famous “Cowra Breakout”.  Here we enjoy a visit to the Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre.  Opened in 1979 this is a “must see” attraction in Cowra.  The garden represents the landscapes of Japan where the hill is the mountain, streams are rivers while ponds are inland lakes and the sea.  The beauty and tranquillity of the Japanese Garden provides a spiritual and cultural experience. After lunch, we drive through Young, then straight on to Wagga Wagga for our last night on tour.

OVERNIGHT:  Mercure Wagga Wagga, WAGGA WAGGA

WAGGA WAGGA TO MELBOURNE

Our first stop today is Albury where we have our morning break in the Albury Botanic Gardens. There will be plenty of time to stretch our legs and explore. Our lunch stop today is in Euroa where we have a chance to reminisce on the last few days before heading for home. As usual, our chauffeurs will be waiting to take us to our very door!