Gateway Getaway

DAY 1 – Friday 11^th June ‘21 (L,D)

Welcome aboard for an exciting Gateway Getaway.   Today we travel to Kangaroo Flat where we have our morning tea stop. Then it’s on to Mount Macedon where we stop for a delightful lunch at Top of the Range Café and enjoy a buffet lunch and explore the trails. Top of the Range Café is at the summit of Mount Macedon, in the amazing Macedon Regional Park and is one of the highest altitude cafes in Victoria at 1,001 metres above sea level. It’s then time to continue our journey as we visit the Geelong Botanical Gardens which were established in 1851 and are the fourth oldest botanic gardens in Australia. After an eventful day we arrive at our accommodation for the next two nights, Quality Hotel Bayside Geelong.

 

DAY 2 – Saturday 12^th NATIONAL CELTIC FESTIVAL (B,D)

After a hearty breakfast we head of the National Celtic Festival. This winter festival is regarded as Australia’s premier Celtic Folk Festival. The National Celtic Festival program offers a broad and diverse range of arts experiences that capture the Celtic culture in its many interpretations within the Australian setting. The setting of the Portarlington foreshore and surrounding township is an ideal location for the festival and showcases the region. Enjoy the market area (approx. 70 stalls), entertainment all day, dance troupes, buskers, pipe bands, food trucks/bars and so much more. We return to our motel for dinner, and a good night’s sleep.

 

DAY 2 – Sunday 13^th THE Q TRAIN–WERRIBEE  (B,L,D)

Following breakfast, we depart the hotel and travel in to Queenscliffe. We enjoy morning tea, and a self-guided tour, at the Basils Farm. The farm site has been home to a number of owners since the mid 1800’s. It contained the only dam in the area which was constructed by the State Government for the local graziers and dairy farmers as it was long before mechanical diggers were invented. It became a catch up meeting place for surrounding farmers to water their stock. We then travel to Queenscliffe to meet The Q Train. Dining on board The Q Train is a unique culinary experience. A restaurant on board a train, departing from the historic Queenscliffe Train Station, and travelling along the picturesque Bellarine Railway. Showcasing food, wine, beer and cider from the local regions. It’s an experience that will be enjoyed by any avid train traveler. We then say goodbye to The Q Train and head to the unique and luxurious Werribee Mansion for our overnight stay. Set among 4 hectares of English gardens, this upscale, 1870s Italianate mansion-turned-hotel is a highlight.

 

DAY 2 – Monday 14^th  WERRIBEE ZOO - HOME (B)

This morning after breakfast we enjoy a tour of the mansion. Experience the grandeur of the Werribee Mansion. Once the working heart of the Werribee Park estate, the remaining bluestone outbuildings of the farmyard provide a start contrast to the elaborate craftmanship of the Chirnside Mansion. Wander down to the heritage orchard and see the work the community and Parks Victoria have put in to preserve and restore the fruit orchard originally planted by the Chirnside family in the late 1800’s. We then leave the mansion and head to another of Werribee’s attractions, The Werribee Open Range Zoo, where we enjoy a safari. We enjoy lunch at the zoo (own expense) and admire animals such as the hippo as well as animals of the grassland, such as zebra, waterbuck, giraffe, ostrich and rhinoceros, as well as the camel and the oryx. There is so much to see. After the zoo it’s time to begin our journey home after an enjoyable ‘Gateway Getaway’ tour.

PRICE: $1,425 per person, based on Twin Share.

(Single Supplement: $310)