Featuring the National Celtic Festival - Werribee Mansion & Zoo - The Q Train
DAY 1 – Friday 11th 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 12th 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 13th 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 14th 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)