Private Gardens of Melbourne

PRIVATE GARDENS OF MELBOURNE

Garden DesignFest and Mornington Peninsula with Jennie Churchill

Designed to coincide with the acclaimed Melbourne Garden DesignFest, this tour will explore a wonderful selection of private, botanic and heritage gardens in Melbourne and Mornington Peninsula.

Begin with two full days of Melbourne Garden DesignFest where you will go inside some of Melbourne’s finest professionally designed gardens and meet the owners and designers. Then it is off to the Mornington Peninsula for more superb private gardens, an award-winning sculpture collection, two famous heritage estates and a special native garden.

AT A GLANCE…

• Be inspired by Melbourne Garden DesignFest, Australia’s leading open garden show of private, designed gardens
• Enjoy leisurely visits to Cruden Farm and Beluera, two of Victoria’s most famous heritage gardens
• Discover the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne, a vibrant Australian garden
• Enjoy the fine local cuisine, wines, hospitality and private gardens of the Mornington Peninsula

ITINERARY

Fri 11 Nov 2016 / Arrive Melbourne
Arrive in Melbourne and check-in to your hotel located moments from the Southbank Promenade.

Tour arrangements begin at 7 pm with a welcome dinner at a local restaurant with Jennie Churchill and fellow travellers. (D)

Sat 12 Nov – Sun 13 Nov /Melbourne
Over two days visit an astounding selection of gardens open exclusively for the 7th Melbourne Garden DesignFest. Over 20 superbly designed gardens by some of Melbourne’s most acclaimed garden designers will be on show, with the designers on hand to meet and talk with visitors about their garden and answer any questions. (BL)

Melbourne Garden DesignFest
Started under the patronage of well-known gardening identity, John Patrick, this biennial event commenced in 2004 and attracts local, interstate and international visitors.

The last Melbourne Garden DesignFest (2014) continued the tradition of accounting for every possible taste – from family to formal, traditional to artistic and native to Hollywood. In all 26 gardens, all designed by landscape professionals including Paul Bangay, Fiona Brockhoff, Rick Eckersley and Steve Taylor were on show.

Melbourne Garden DesignFest is arranged by the Rotary Club of Kew to raise funds for local, national and international charities. In past years, the Rotary Club of Kew has, through Garden DesignFest, raised some $200,000 to provide much needed funding to a number of very worthwhile charities.

Mon 14 Nov / Melbourne – Red Hill
Depart Melbourne and travel to the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne. After 20 years of planning, construction and planting, the Australian Garden is a place of beauty, enjoyment and education. Encompassing 363 hectares, the site includes some of the most important bushland and wetlands in the region.

After lunch continue to nearby Langwarrin for a visit to visit Cruden Farm, Dame Elizabeth Murdoch’s famed garden legacy. More than eighty years in the making and the heart of a working farm, the garden at Cruden Farm is a small piece of country set amid dense suburbia.

Continue to the Brooklands of Mornington, located in the Mornington village.
Dinner tonight at your hotel. (BLD)

Tue 15 Nov / Mornington Peninsula
Today spend the day visiting three delightful private gardens on the Mornington peninsula.

Enjoy lunch in nearby Sorrento, with time to meander around this historical village, the first European settlement in Victoria.

Return to your hotel for an evening at leisure. (BL)

Wed 16 Nov / Mornington Peninsula
Enjoy a morning at Beleura House, an Italianate villa built around 1863 by James Butchart but most famous as the summer residence of Sir George Tallis and his family from 1916 to 1996. The house is of national significance and the gardens retain pre-1900 elements.

Return to the Mornington Village for a chance to leisurely explore its delights.

Tonight celebrate the conclusion of the tour with a special farewell dinner at a local restaurant. (BLD)

Thu 17 Nov/ Mornington Peninsula – Home
After checking out of your hotel transfer to Melbourne CBD or Airport.

On the way, stop to visit McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park. The park is set on sixteen hectares of bush and landscaped gardens, displaying over 100 permanent sculptures.

Drop-off in Melbourne CBD or at Melbourne Airport not later than 2.00 pm in time for flights departing after 3.30 pm. (B)

• BG1602-Private Gardens of Melbourne with Jennie Churchill Download

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TOUR PRICES in $AUD

Per person twin-share $3400

Single supplement* $750
*Single travellers may request to share. Please advise at time of booking.

Deposit per person AUD 500

Final payment due 27 September 2016

Tour code BG1602

Fitness level Moderate
Please see booking conditions for fitness level definitions.

Flights
Please contact Renaissance Tours for assistance.

Tour price includes
• Accommodation in 4-star hotels with private facilities and daily breakfast (B)
• Meals as per itinerary (L=Lunch, D=Dinner) including special welcome and farewell meals. Wines with meals.
• Comprehensive sightseeing and garden visits including entrance fees as per itinerary
• Transfer to Melbourne CBD and Melbourne Airport on departure
• Air-conditioned, deluxe transportation throughout
• Gratuities for local guides and drivers
• Hotel porterage (one piece per person)

Tour price does not include
• Transfers on arrival (taxis readily available)
• Items of a personal nature, including telephone, laundry etc.
• Travel insurance (recommended)
• Flights to/from Melbourne (please contact Renaissance Tours for any assistance)

Your hotels****
Melbourne – The Travelodge Southbank
Mornington – Brooklands of Mornington