12-22 November, 2003. Duration: 11 days.

Welcome to this unique garden tour, which received many accolades from our tour members in November 2001 and 2002. Nearly everyone said that it far exceeded their expectations, and agreed that it was excellent value for money. Your tour escort Gayle Monzu has designed and modified this informative and diverse tour to suit any garden lover. This will be your last opportunity to see these gardens, as an all new Tasmanian tour is planned for the future

The beauty of these gardens will simply overwhelm you! You’ll enjoy the island’s rich colonial heritage, lush green countryside, scenic coastlines, superb food and wine, distinctive art and craft and the friendly people. You’ll have lots of fun, bring back wonderful memories and no doubt, based on our past experience, make many new gardening friends.

It’s November and the Tasmanian gardens will be glorious!

See all types of gardens from large country gardens with spectacular views to small charming cottage gardens

Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens in Hobart (Peter Cundall’s vegie patch!).

Seasonal highlights- include flowering crabapples, virburnums (eg snowball bushes), hawthorns, lilac, rhododendrons, mollis azaleas, camellias, foxgloves, aquilegias, delphiniums, russell lupins, bearded iris, Solomon’s seal, laburnum, clematis and philadelphus. It simply will be heaven on earth!

Sightseeing highlights ( even non-gardeners will love this tour!)

Travel the central Heritage Highway, enjoy the villages of Ross and Richmond.

Brickendon historic farming village.

North coast scenery, especially Table Cape, historic Stanley.

Flat gentle walk through pristine rainforest.

Famous wall murals at Sheffield.

Ashgrove cheese farm.

Tamar Valley, north of Launceston, includes wine-tasting at vineyard.

Derwent Valley, north-west of Hobart, includes historic New Norfolk and Hamilton.

Spectacular Russell Falls.

Huon Valley, south of Hobart, with spectacular coastline views.

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This is a tour you won’t want to miss as it will not repeated for several years

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Flying Qantas, depart Perth Airport at 8am, arriving Melbourne around 2.30p.m. Following a short stopover at the airport, we depart Qantas to Launceston. After meeting our coach captain , there is a one hour transfer by coach to our Devonport hotel. The rest of the day and evening is yours to enjoy. Overnight at GATEWAY MOTOR INN, Devonport

North Coast-Devonport-Stanley- Penguin-IrishTown/Edith Creek- Smithton.

We start the day with a seaside stroll alongside the spectacular seaside gardens. Then on along the northern coast to see Table Cape and to stop at historic Stanley, famous for its impressive rocky outcrop, the Nut. You can buy lunch, take the chair-lift to the top for a spectacular view, explore the quaint shops for treasures, or simply relax! Then on to Irish Town, which is in the heart of dairy country. Visit a beautiful country garden and marvel over the lush plantings of russell lupins and delphiniums. Enjoy Devonshire tea at a tranquil five-acre woodland garden, where you can explore this beautiful property at your leisure. Wander amidst fern glades and towering 300 year-old trees in the adjoining cool temperate rainforest. Overnight with a group dinner at the magnificent TALL TIMBERS resort at Smithton. (B/AT/D)       

We travel back along the coastal highway to the turnoff to Sheffield, famous for its wall murals. Then on to to visit the nearby Ashgrove Farm Cheese factory where we can taste a selection of mouth-watering gourmet cheeses. After lunch and shopping in Deloraine, we travel to the nearby village of Westbury, where we will enjoy afternoon tea at what has been described as one of the best temperate gardens in Australia. This stunning English style historic garden features a woodland filled with bluebells, iris, Mollis azaleas, foxgloves and Solomon seal. There is a garden filled with 1000 roses, and extensive parklands with ancient trees. A superb water garden surrounds a 1.2 hectare lake. Overnight at the LAUNCESTON INTERNATIONAL. The evening is yours to enjoy and dine as you please.                              (B/L/AT)                                  

Launceston- Evandale- Perth- Launceston.

This morning we travel south to historic Evandale, and a special garden where the owners produce gourmet sauces as well maintaining Tasmania’s largest quality topiary nursery. We will explore their wonderful semi formal gardens, filled with impressive hedging, silver birches and crab apples. Our visit concludes with taste testing the sauces, followed by a delicious gourmet barbeque lunch. On then to the adjacent village, Perth, where we’ll delight in an artist’s beautiful country garden, before shopping in the historic village of Longford. Later in the afternoon, we return to the LAUNCESTON INTERNATIONAL. The rest of the day and evening is free for you to enjoy, including your own choice of dinner venue.                                                                                                                                 (B/L)                                                                                                                                                                             

A short drive through the West Tamar Valley north of Launceston will take us to the Artisan Gallery and on to a charming country garden, which has a centrepiece of a large formal herb garden with geometric beds based on a sixteenth century design. We pass the Batman Bridge en route to Beauty Point, and the most romantic of gardens. Here we’ll enjoy a wonderful lunch with local wines, unsurpassed views of the river and magnificent cottage plantings. Then south to another wonderful country garden at Rosevears, where fragrant heritage roses and fresh produce abounds. To end a magical day, we will sample local wines at the nearby St Matthias Vineyard, as we admire the sweeping views down to the Tamar River. Overnight again at the LAUNCESTON INTERNATIONAL HOTEL.                         (B/L)                                                      

This morning we travel to Longford where we will be taken on a guided tour of the most authentic historic farming village in Australia. Then we will explore the National Estate listed garden surrounding the stately Georgian homestead, before enjoying lunch in this delightful garden. The afternoon and evening is free time for you to enjoy Launceston. Tonight is our last night at the LAUNCESTON INTERNATIONAL HOTEL.                                        (B/L)                                                                                         

Today we journey from Launceston south to Hobart via the Heritage Highway. Our first stop is at the historic sheep farming property, renowned for its Saxon Merino Stud (c 1835). Enjoy morning tea, then wander the garden which has magnificent old trees and extensive vegetable, herb and box parterre gardens. We continue on to Ross, one of Australia’s best preserved convict built stone villages. Here you can explore many historical buildings, antique and craft shops and the Tasmanian Wool Centre. After lunch we pass through historic Oatlands,where you can buy Casaveen Australian Knitwear at their factory outlet. Then on tospend the afternoon at historic Richmond. You will have time to view historic landmarks, shop and enjoy afternoon tea. Late afternoon we will cross the Tasman Bridge into Hobart. Our buffet dinner tonight is at the Cove Restaurant at the luxurious HOTEL GRAND CHANCELLOR, which is on the Hobart waterfront. We conclude a wonderful day with a city lights tour, including a spectacular view of Hobart by night from a hilltop overlooking the Tasman Bridge. Overnight at WREST POINT HOTEL CASINO.  (B/MT/D)                                          

This morning we’ll travel west along the Derwent River to the historic town of New Norfolk. Our first stop is for morning tea at a beautiful property with magnificent views of the river and lush countryside We continue on to the village of Hamilton, where you’ll love the charming cottage gardens that surround four beautifully restored cottages. Today we have a group lunch at an award- winning craft gallery and tea rooms, where handcrafted products by many leading Tasmanian craftsmen are for sale. In the afternoon we visit a truly beautiful  garden with eleven garden rooms. Protected by 170-year-old stone walls and clipped hedges, the garden is a combination of luxuriant English and controlled Italian styles. Then on to the Mt Field National Park, where we will view the spectacular Russell Falls, before heading back to Hobart. Overnight at WREST POINT HOTEL CASINO, with the opportunity to choose your own dinner venue.   (B/MT/L)

Today is a day of spectacular scenery and magnificent gardens as we head south to Tasmania’s famous rare plant nursery, but the retired owners will guide us through their display gardens which are crammed with plant treasures. We follow the west coast down along the D’Entrecasteaux Channel to Woodbridge. Here we’ll find spacious gardens which has spectacular sea views, an alpine rockery and a heritage apple orchard. You will also have the chance to see a handweaver at work, and buy some of her creations Then to nearby Kettering for lunch near the marina, before travelling west to Gardner’s Bay, Cygnet and Glazier’s Bay. Here we will discover a beautiful 3 acre garden, home to a David Austin rose nursery. Set in countryside reminiscent of the English Lakes District, this garden has a glorious view of Glaziers Bay and the Hartz Mountains. Some of the garden features are the National Trust classified hedges and a rose walk intertwined with clematis. Here we will listen to a talk on David Austin roses before exploring the garden. Then on via Huonville to view Hobart from Mt Nelson, before returning to our WREST POINT HOTEL CASINO. Once again you have the choice of dinner venue.                                                                                     (B/AT)                                                                                                                                          

First up today we visit a historic garden in the fashionable suburb of Sandy Bay for morning tea. This garden has been described as a plant collectors and designer’s dream. Magnificent pear trees, at least 165 years old, and ancient box hedges grow rare woodland treasures. Then a quick coach tour of Battery Point and some of the city on the way to the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens where Friends of the Gardens will take us on a guided tour. Finallyafter time to buy your lunch, shop and explore further, we will visit our last garden at nearby Glebe. We will tour the beautiful Victorian mansion, and delight at the elegant formal parterres, pleached limes and colour-coordinated flowerbeds. There will be an extra special afternoon tea. Tonight is our final night at the WREST POINT HOTEL CASINO, and our Farewell Dinner will be held here.                                                                                                           (B/MT/AT/D)                                                                                                                                                         

HOBART- MELBOURNE –PERTH.

Today is the day that you are free to explore Hobart (if you would like more time, consider staying on an extra night or so, especially if you want to take a coach tour to Port Arthur).

This morning, from 9 am, you may choose to explore the famous Saturday markets at nearby historic Salamanca Place. Hundreds of stallholders lay out their wares, and the choice is incredible! There is fine Tasmanian art and craft, trash and treasure, books and buskers, fresh flowers and fruit, laughter and music. The Georgian stone warehouses are home to good restaurants, exciting galleries and working studios of Tasmania’s arts community. Nearby you have the chance to see Antarctic Adventure, Time Warp House and the Maritime Museum. For those leaving today, we will board mid afternoon transfer to Hobart airport. We depart Hobart, flying Qantas at 4 p.m, arriving for a short stopover in Melbourne, before tranferring to the Qantas flight to Perth. Welcome home!                                 (B)                                                                      

Tour Price
(including GST per person twin share.)