Victoria Country Gardens

Meet your Ross Tour leader at Sydney Domestic Airport for Qantas flight to Melbourne. Head to the beautiful Macedon Ranges for a Welcome Lunch at an 1860 Victorian country house and top culinary school. The private garden of Stone Hill is a perennial masterpiece designed by Michael McCoy. Our trip is perfectly timed for the peak of summer perennials. Travel onto Hepburn Springs and check into your stylish hotel for three nights. Dinner included.

Two exceptional gardens today; Babbington Park where celebrity chef Annie Smithers opens the gates to her prolific private kitchen garden. It’s the source of 90% of the food served in her famous French farmhouse restaurant, ‘du Fermier’ in Trentham, where we will have lunch. Frogmore is next, famous for its well-designed flower borders. You’ll love every inch of this garden: its theatrical setting, corridors into the surrounding landscape and beautiful plant collections.

The beautifully restored Convent Gallery is nestled on the crest of Wombat Hill, overlooking Daylesford; a series of galleries, museum, café, and gift shop.
This is our first stop today, our opportunity to see local, national, and international artworks. Lunch today will be memorable at ‘The Boathouse‘ on Lake Daylesford.

Paul Bangay’s Stonefields ‘superstar’ garden is our first stop this morning; a series of stunning formal garden rooms surrounded by a suite of informal gardens.
Lunch is next at Blackwood Ridge, set in a garden oasis, with time to explore this fine private garden. Travel on to Ballarat, check in to Craig’s Royal Hotel in the city centre.

David Glenn’s Lambley is world-renowned as a benchmark in sustainable gardening. David will explain all aspects of this complex suite of gardens as he leads
us through his masterpiece. Perennials will be in full flower at this time; dreamy, romantic and tough!

A treat today at Ceres Homestead with our host, Jane Charles who has restored this beautiful old property to its glory days! Built in 1864 by Thomas Bath, the first
licensee on the Ballarat goldfields and famously embellished for the visit in 1867 by Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh. Jane will show us her magnificent home,
refurbished outbuildings and her garden. And she will host us at a long table luncheon!

A gentle walk this morning to discover the fascinating history of the gold that gave life to Ballarat and funded its beautiful architectural heritage.
Afternoon visit to Ballarat Botanical Gardens, on Lake Wendouree with its famous conservatory filled with tuberous begonias. Farewell Dinner included tonight.

The Garden of St Erth, planned and planted by Tommy Garnett, is now managed by Diggers Club. Magnificent at this time with late summer flowers and a carefully curated collection of cool climate plants and historic orchards. Continue to Melbourne Airport for homeward flights.