9 Day Holly In The Hunter
Departs: Sunday 21st December 2008
TOUR COST: from $2110 pp twin share
Ho Ho Ho...come touring this Christmas and join our Holly in the Hunter Christmas Holiday. Imagine the Hunter Valley and the first things that come to mind are green rolling valleys, fine wines, champion horse studs, dairying and coal but the valley holds much more, and it’s all waiting for you to discover with your Down Under crew. We are based in the same motel for a relaxing five night stay and from it, there’s time to explore hitherto unexplored Scone, Denman, Maitland, Morpeth, Port Stephens and Newcastle. A highlight of our stay is a guided tour of the prestigious Woodlands Stud where the magnificent thoroughbreds are second only to Kentucky in the USA. Many attractions will be revealed by local identities; colonial buildings, historic sites, Rosemount Winery, Pukara Olive Oil Estate, Maitland Gaol, the “War Birds” of Williamstown, and cruising on Port Stephens Bay. Beauty, excitement, charm and never-to-be forgotten experiences that will set the seal on your Holly in the Hunter Christmas Holiday!
DAY 1 HERVEY BAY-BRISBANE-TENTERFIELD (D)
Sunday 21st December: An early start for travelling companions joining between Hervey Bay and Caloundra. Brisbane passengers join at Roma Street Transit Centre at 10.00am and Gold Coast passengers join enroute. All on board our luxury coach for the first day of our Holly in the Hunter Christmas Holiday! Travel to Toowoomba for lunch (own cost) and time to take in the range views from Picnic Point. Our afternoon break will be in Warwick where we can enjoy a “cuppa” at the Abbey of the Roses before completing the day’s tour into Tenterfield and our comfortable accommodation for the night the Henry Parkes Motel.
DAY 2 TENTERFIELD - MAITLAND (BLD)
Monday 22nd December: Travel down the scenic New England Highway. Pass through the Celtic town of Glen Innes and take a morning break in the beautiful city of Armidale. Tamworth, the Country Music Capital of Australia is our next stop for a catered lunch at the Services Club. The afternoon sees us arrive in the Upper Hunter region and the thoroughbred horse studs around Scone. Enjoy a break at the Visitors Centre. Continue on to Maitland with time to settle into our accommodation, the Old Maitland Inn for a five night stay. Freshen up before a well earned dinner.
DAY 3 UPPER HUNTER TOURING (BLD)
Tuesday 23rd December: This morning explore the Upper Hunter Valley. Our first visit is at the Singleton Mercy Convent for a guided tour through the magnificent heritage convent, chapel, gardens and the small Georgian cottage museum. The Sisters provide a refreshing morning tea then we continue our touring through Jerry’s Plains. Here we meet our guide, Craig Benjamin, who has exclusive rights to conduct tours of some of the most prestigious racing studs in the area. We visit Woodlands; the Ingham Family’s breeding and racing operation which has become the most successful ever seen in Australia. Enjoy an insider’s tour of the thoroughbred racing industry.
After our fascinating tour only a short distance into Denman for a barbecue at the historic Royal Hotel. The 1930s Australian country town streetscape has been used as the setting for television shows and films. Later we call into the famous Rosemount Estate for wine tasting set against the striking landscape of rich plains and steep mountain ranges. Last, but not least learn about olive oil production first-hand at the Pukara Estate and enjoy tastings. Back aboard our coach we travel via Muswellbrook back to our motel in Maitland at the end of a full and varied day.
DAY 4 GARDENS, WINE & MAITLAND GAOL (BLD)
Wednesday 24th December: No visit to the Hunter Valley region is complete without a visit to Hunter Valley Gardens. Spread over 25 hectares, the gardens will delight our senses with extraordinary displays of colour and fragrance. Reboard our coach for the short travel to our luncheon venue, the Golden Grape Estate. It is one of the oldest wineries in the region, with an interesting wine museum well worth exploring. Relax after lunch and perhaps try their Golden Tango Cream, popularly known as “love in a bottle”! This afternoon explore historic Maitland. Settled just 16 years after Sydney, it was a rival to the NSW capital as the commercial centre of the colonies. Admire the magnificent examples of colonial architecture including the Maitland Gaol which only ceased operating in 1998. Be regaled by the grisly and grim details of finding this Gaol as your home by our guide who was incarcerated within these sandstone confines. Enjoy a cuppa before we return to our accommodation to relax before dinner.
DAY 5 CHRISTMAS - NEWCASTLE TOURING (BLD)
Thursday 25th December: Awake to a Merry Christmas Day! Exchange festive greetings over breakfast and enjoy your time with your fellow travelling companions. This morning an opportunity to attend Church Services before a great Christmas lunch at our motel. An interesting tour around the Newcastle area has been planned for the afternoon.
DAY 6 DISCOVER PORT STEPHENS (BD)
Friday 26th December: Today we set out on our exploratory tour of the Port Stephens area. Travel through Raymond Terrace to the Tomaree Peninsula. Admire the views of Port Stephens and the ocean from the Nelson Head Lighthouse and marvel at the blue waters of Shoal Bay. Next, join MV Moonshadow for a morning dolphin cruise on the clear crystal waters of Port Stephens. Back ashore at noon, with free time to buy your lunch in Nelson Bay and have a look around this holiday town. On to Williamtown’s RAAF BASE to visit Fighter World. Fighter World is a showcase of Australian fighter history. Experience first hand the day by day operations of an active fighter base during our tour. Afternoon tea will be served during our visit. Late afternoon travel to the historic village of Morpeth. Once a thriving river port it is now classified by the National trust and attracts travellers who are interested in how things were in the “good old days”. We arrive back in Maitland for another enjoyable dinner.
DAY 7 BARRINGTON TOPS & GLOUCESTER (BLD)
Saturday 27th December: Farewell to our Maitland hosts we now head for the high country. Pass through Muswellbrook and at Aberdeen divert into the Lake Glenbawn State Park for a morning tea break. Up over the Barrington Tops to Gloucester. Pass by “Belltrees” the famous property held by the White family since 1831 before climbing into the Barrington Tops National Park. This park features world heritage listed rainforests, wilderness areas and wild scenic rivers. We stop along the way for a picnic lunch at the Polblue Crown Reserve and if you like short walks can be undertaken through the snow gum woodland and tall eucalypt forest. Early afternoon into Gloucester to meet our guide for a town tour and a visit to the Historical Museum. Having got “the feeling” for the Gloucester area we then check into our motel The Bucketts Way Inn.
DAY 8 GLOUCESTER - BALLINA (BD)
Sunday 28th December: This morning we begin our homeward journey. Follow Bucketts Way down to the river town of Taree and join the Pacific Highway north to Port Macquarie for a break in this fast developing holiday town (once a penal settlement like Sydney). Our lunch break will be in Coffs Harbour (own cost) another popular holiday destination. Bypass Grafton on the afternoon tour, then into Ballina and the Ballina Island Motor Inn for our last night on tour.
DAY 9 BALLINA - HERVEY BAY (B)
Monday 29th December: Time to farewell our friendly hosts and begin our journey home across the border back to Queensland. Travel up the coast and across the border at Tweed Heads for a morning break. Gold Coast and Brisbane passengers depart enroute as required. Passengers enroute to Hervey Bay have the option of lunch at Noosa Harbour at the Harbour Master Restaurant (own expense), where harbour views can be enjoyed on one side and riverfront views on the other or passengers can choose free time (please advise option at time of booking). The final leg of your Christmas Holiday sees us arrive back in Maryborough at 5.30pm and Hervey Bay at 6.15pm after a wonderful Christmas tour. Thank you for joining us this Christmas and we trust you will return home with many cherished memories of your Holly in the Hunter.