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Botanica

Canberra’s Floriade, New South Wales Tulips & Private Gardens in Spring

Sydney Return

Trip Code: BTNF6
6 Days
19 September 2023

Trip Highlights

Attend Floriade

See the remarkable range of flowers and exhibits at Australia’s biggest celebration of spring.

Arno King

Learn from Your Guide

Explore private gardens with your experienced Botanical Guide, Arno King.

National Gallery of Australia

Admire ancient and modern works, including the world’s largest collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art.

  • Trip Inclusions
  • Map & Itinerary
  • Similar Trips

Trip Inclusions

  • Five nights’ accommodation in centrally located four-star hotels, plus 11 meals
  • Visit Retford Park in Bowral, and attend the town’s tulip festival
  • Spend time exploring the Floriade Festival in Canberra
  • See Canberra’s sights, including the National Gallery of Australia
  • Visit private gardens of Canberra, including Tulip Top Gardens, along with the National Arboretum Canberra
  • Explore private gardens of the NSW coast, including the spectacular Merribee garden
  • Tour the gallery and home of Australian artist Arthur Boyd
  • Visit Mickey Robertson’s Glenmore House garden

Map & Itinerary

Trip Notes

  • Itinerary and inclusions are subject to change
  • Fitness Rating: Low
  • Group Size: 15 – 25 guests
  • Prices are for land only, flights not included
Map
Sydney Return

Designed exclusively for our guests

Bowral Tulip Festival

Visit Tulip Time festival and the spectacular display of 75,000 mass planted tulips in Corbett Gardens, Bowral.

Floriade

Visit the Commonwealth Park in Canberra as it celebrates spring with a mass of blooms.

Depart your Sydney hotel at 8.30am and travel to Bowral in the Southern Highlands. On the way, visit the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan. Next, visit the private garden of Mickey Robertson, Glenmore House. After Mickey and her husband, Larry, purchased the original farmhouse, they gradually restored and extended it, with the various outbuildings being repurposed to fit in with the gardens. Enjoy lunch at the garden before travelling on to Bowral. Enjoy a Welcome Dinner this evening. 

Stay: Two Nights, Bowral, Briars Country Lodge or similar

Daily :
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

Bowral Tulip Festival


Today we visit two beautiful private gardens and meet their owners. Explore Retford Park, owned by the Fairfax family for over 50 years. The family played host to notable visitors here, including members of the British and European royal families. This afternoon, enjoy Bowral’s Tulip Festival, an annual event of spring blooms.

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner

Floriade


Arrive in Canberra and visit Floriade, the annual flower and entertainment festival. We then enjoy a sightseeing tour of Canberra, culminating in spectacular views as we approach the peak of Mt Ainslie. This afternoon, we will visit the National Gallery of Australia.

Stay: Two Nights, Canberra, Peppers Gallery Canberra or similar

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner

This morning, visit the private Tulip Top Gardens, which has one of the best bulb displays in Australia. Afterwards, take a tour of the National Arboretum, one of the world’s largest living collections of rare trees. This afternoon, visit the Australian National Botanic Gardens, featuring a scientific collection of native plants from all parts of Australia.

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner

Depart Canberra for Bundanon to visit the gallery and homestead of Australian artist Arthur Boyd. Wander through the English-style gardens and iconic landscape that inspired Boyd. View artworks from the collection in the original 19th-century Bundanon Homestead and in Arthur Boyd’s studio. 

Stay: Nowra, Parkhaven Resort or similar

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner

This morning we visit the impressive gardens at Merribee. Explore the series of formal garden rooms, including the Rose Garden, the hedged Potager Garden, the walled Snow Pear Garden, the Cottage Garden, Crepe Myrtle Walk, the Herb Garden, the Lavender Paddock and the Bunya Bunya Copse. On our return to Sydney, we will visit another private garden before arriving back at the post-tour hotel at around 5.00pm. 

Daily :
  • Breakfast

Would not hesitate to recommend Botanica and we are already looking into our next adventure.

Brochure