Melbourne Flower Show Tour

Our tour commences today with a transfer from Hamilton to Auckland International Airport for our early afternoon flight to Melbourne. Upon arrival in Melbourne, we board a private coach for the transfer to the Vibe Hotel Melbourne Docklands, which is located just outside the CBD area but close enough to take in the city views and the Docklands waterfront area. Tonight, we have a welcome dinner in the hotel restaurant.  

Accommodation: Vibe Hotel Melbourne Docklands, Guest Rooms – 5 nights

Breakfast will be served in the hotel restaurant, then we take a sightseeing tour to introduce us to Melbourne. Within the parks and gardens around the city centre are many gracious buildings such as the Old Treasury Building and the Exhibition Building, built for the Great Exhibition of 1880. Melbourne also has many beautiful gardens within easy reach of the city. We take a drive past the MCG (the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground) and Melbourne Tennis Centre (where the Australian Open Tennis is played each year), the parklands and the War Memorial, the stately old buildings in town and the odd-looking Federation Square. Mid-morning we arrive at the Melbourne Botanic Gardens for a guided tour followed by some free time to look around the gardens and the Shrine of Remembrance. The Gardens extend over 38 hectares and house a collection of more than 8,500 species of plants from around the world, while also serving as a natural sanctuary for native wildlife. The remainder of the day is free to explore Melbourne at your leisure.   

Today is festival day! We head to the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show. Set against the stunning backdrop of the world heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building and the picturesque Carlton Gardens, this prestigious show is an absolute “must-see” event. The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show boasts over 300 exhibits, showcasing the best in horticulture, nurseries, landscape design, gardening, floristry, and cut flowers. You’ll also find a wide array of related products and services, making this event a comprehensive celebration of all things green and beautiful. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or simply a lover of nature’s beauty, this show promises an inspiring and enriching experience for all. Your general admission ticket is included, with any additional show experiences at extra cost. Enjoy ample time to explore the show at your leisure before meeting the coach at a designated time to transfer us back to our hotel, where we will come together again for dinner.  

Our day begins with a drive to Coldstream which is the location of the former home and garden of one of Australia’s most celebrated icons, world-famous opera singer Dame Nellie Melba. We take a guided tour of Coombe Melba Estate Gardens: seven acres of stunning gardens landscaped over a century ago. A grand cypress hedge was planted around the property, creating intrigue and mystery for over 100 years until 2014, when the gardens were opened to the public for the first time. Not too far away is Alowyn Gardens which started life as a blackberry-infested paddock. Designed with shade and comfort in mind, it’s been developed into six distinct areas, and for those who love a beautiful garden, it will bring enjoyment as well as an educational experience. We enjoy lunch in the café amongst the Maple trees. Our afternoon garden visit is to Cloudehill Gardens and Nursery – a must-see garden at the top of The Dandenongs Ranges. Some 20 garden compartments are threaded through glorious 80-year-old European beech, magnolias, maples and a collection of fabulous Himalayan tree rhododendrons, all beautifully grown and a testament to the lush, moist soils of the Dandenongs. 

This morning, we head to Geelong on the Bellaraine Peninsula. From our hotel we have a short walk (15-minutes) to the Docklands Ferry Terminal where we board the Portarlington Ferry for a scenic crossing of Port Phillip Bay. Relax and enjoy the scenery, as we travel from the heart of Melbourne straight to Portarlington where our coach will be waiting to meet us. Situated on Corio Bay, Geelong, for most of its history has been one of the great wool cities of Australia and the nearly 200 buildings in the area, classified by the National Trust, keep residents and visitors mindful of the city’s heritage. Arriving at the Geelong Botanic Gardens we take a guided tour, then have some free time to purchase lunch before heading to the Werribee Park Mansion. The mansion has long been regarded as Victoria’s finest rural homestead. Completed in 1877 it was built in the Italianate style by pioneering pastoralists, the Chirnside brothers from Scotland. We take a self-guided tour, then look through the Victorian State Rose Garden before heading back to Melbourne. This evening, we enjoy a farewell dinner at a local restaurant near the Docklands Marina, just a short 10-minute walk from the hotel.  

Breakfast will be served in the hotel restaurant. With our bags packed full of wonderful memories, we head to Melbourne Airport for our midday flight back to Auckland, arriving into Auckland in the early evening.