MELBOURNE TO ALBURY

Welcome to our tour to sensational Sydney and the beautiful Blue Mountains. With chauffeured pickup from home, we are transferred to meet our O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours coach and crew. Today we travel north over the great divide to Benalla. After our lunch stop, we visit the Weary Dunlop Memorial which marks the achievements of this amazing soldier, surgeon and war hero.  Benalla is also becoming known as the regional street art capital of Australia and is home to approximately 65 street art murals and hosts the annual Wall to Wall Festival. Our afternoon journey takes us to Albury for our first nights stay. We have plenty of time to relax and freshen up before dinner.

OVERNIGHT: Siesta Quality Resort, ALBURY

ALBURY TO SYDNEY

This morning we make our way further north through to Gundagai for our morning tea  stop. Further on is Yass where we visit the National Trust listed Humes Cooma Cottage.  This was the home of the famous explorer Hamilton Hume. After lunch we make our way to Sydney where we check into our next three nights accommodation. 

OVERNIGHT:  ParkRoyal Darling Harbour, SYDNEY

HAWKESBURY RIVER CRUISE

Today we travel north of the city to Brooklyn where we take a cruise on the Hawkesbury River. We enjoy morning tea and lunch aboard as we explore the Hawkesbury on the “Riverboat Postman Cruise”. Enjoy the magnificent scenery of the lower Hawkesbury River as the mail is delivered, along with other essentials to the river-access-only settlements upriver from Brooklyn. This afternoon, we return to Sydney where we visit the Sydney Tower Eye. From 250 metres above the city streets, you can enjoy the 360-degree views of Sydney and its many icons.  We then return to our accommodation where you can enjoy some free time (Darling Harbour is just a short walk away) or relax at the hotel before dinner.

OVERNIGHT:  ParkRoyal Darling Harbour, SYDNEY

EXPLORING SYDNEY

This morning we tour the sights of Sydney, including Mrs Macquarie’s Chair for a great photo shot of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. We take a drive through the exclusive harbourside suburbs and stretch our legs at The Gap at South Head. We get the opportunity to walk on famous Bondi Beach before our tour of the 19th century mansion, Vaucluse House. This is a heritage-listed residence, colonial farm and country estate. Completed between 1803 and 1839 in the Gothic Revival style, its design was attributed to William Charles Wentworth. We now have some free time for shopping in the city, meeting friends or relaxing before our night out. This evening we’ll dine in style as we cruise on Sydney Harbour, experiencing spectacular views of the luminous harbour attractions – Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and more. 

OVERNIGHT:  ParkRoyal Darling Harbour, SYDNEY

SYDNEY TO THE BLUE MOUNTAINS

This morning we leave Sydney, cruising up the Parramatta River taking in local sights and suburbs on the way. We will get off the ferry at Homebush for a quick drive around the Olympic Village. We continue through the outer suburbs on our way to the historic town of Windsor. Enjoy a town tour taking in its colonial architecture and tree lined streets. We will stop for lunch and time for a browse before heading to the Blue Mountains for our next three nights stay.

OVERNIGHT:  Lithgow Workies Club Motel, LITHGOW

EXPLORING THE BLUE MOUNTAINS

We depart on our day’s touring, stopping to enjoy the view from Govetts Leap Lookout.   This morning we visit Bygone Beautys Treasured Teapot Museum, home of the world's largest private collection of tea-wares, including more than 5,500 teapots from all over the world and spanning five centuries. Relax with a Devonshire Tea in the Tearoom before enjoying some free time in the picturesque town of Leura. We then visit the famous Three Sisters, before arriving at Scenic World to ride the steepest incline Railway in the world. Enjoy a walk in the bottom of the valley before riding back up via the Cable Car. Also included is the Skyway across the Valley and return, providing you with spectacular views.

Lunch at own expense and arrangement

OVERNIGHT: Lithgow Workies Club Motel, LITHGOW

BATHURST AND HARTLEY VILLAGE

Today, we head to Bathurst for a guided tour and of course, a drive around the famous Bathurst Mount Panorama Race Circuit. We then visit Chifley Home which is the home of Prime Minister Ben Chifley and his wife, Elizabeth. Preserved in its original state, the house is a time capsule of life in the 1940s and is a testament to the hardships of the Great Depression. This afternoon, we will stop to explore the Hartley Historic Village. This small village consists of a number of colonial buildings that seem to be frozen in time somewhere in the middle of the 19th century. It includes an historic inn, a courthouse, a church and a post office, all of which provide a fascinating look into colonial architecture. Hartley was a thriving community in the gold rush of 1856 and saw the town double in size. Now you can see a remarkable remnant of the original town, hardly changed since the 19th century.

OVERNIGHT: Lithgow Workies Club Motel, LITHGOW

BLUE MOUNTAINS TO WAGGA WAGGA

We leave the Blue Mountains area today, driving through to Bathurst, Blayney and onto Cowra. Here, we will visit the site of the largest P.O.W. breakout in Australia and the lovely Japanese Gardens. Our drive this afternoon takes us through the gold country towns of Young, Cootamundra and Junee, before arriving at our last nights accommodation.

OVERNIGHT:  Mercure Wagga Wagga, WAGGA WAGGA

WAGGA WAGGA TO MELBOURNE

We begin our journey home, with a stop in Albury for morning tea in the Botanical Gardens. We then cross the Murray River and enter Victoria where we enjoy our last lunch together before continuing our drive into Melbourne. Our chauffeurs will be on hand to take us straight to our door—all part of the O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours superior service.