DAY 1  SUN 17 NOV

HOME TO ADELAIDE

Meet your Ross Tour Leader at Sydney Domestic Airport for your flight to Adelaide, or join us in Adelaide. First up is the Adelaide Botanic Garden. Then we transfer to your hotel to settle in and meet this evening for our Welcome Dinner in the hotel restaurant.

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Adelaide

DAY 2 MON 18 NOV

ANLABY STATION

To Anlaby Station this morning, the oldest Merino stud in South Australia. Established in 1839, this once grand pastoral estate employed 14 gardeners! Our private tour includes the shade house, glasshouse, walled garden, rose garden & terraced lawns. Soak up life on this fascinating property at lunch. This afternoon we head to Maggie Beer’s famous Pheasant Farm at Nurioopta. Taste Maggie’s famous wine & cheese.

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Adelaide

DAY 3 TUE 19 NOV

PRIVATE GARDENS

A day to meet three passionate gardeners! Al-Ru Farm is first this morning at One Tree Hill. Irrepressible Ruth Irving is a clever & passionate gardener. Her garden is an exuberance of poppies, iris, perennials & roses. Walk through her wisteria arbour into a restrained formal white garden. Ashgrove Iris Garden is next, a treat for those who love the magical combination of roses & iris. Meet Diane Michalk, iris collector, who will show you why Iris is called “The Rainbow Flower”. Last stop is a new garden, made with incredible attention to detail. Travel back to Adelaide.

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Adelaide

DAY 4 WED 20 NOV

ADELAIDE HILLS

No photos could ever fully capture the wonder and whimsy of Irene Pearce’s ‘Tickle Tank’. Every inch is filled with colour and form, mosaics and sculptures; with careful planting to create a series of vignettes. Next ‘The Cedars’, the home where Hans Heysen painted many of his famous landscapes. After a special high tea, we will visit the garden that has been recreated with the roses, zinnias and many of the flowers that both Heysens loved to paint.

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Adelaide

DAY 5 THU 21 NOV

CARRICK HILL

Carrick Hill is Australia’s most intact 20th C. heritage house museum & garden. Roses play a large part in this historic garden with formal rose beds & three separate rose gardens: one for Old Garden Roses, one for modern Hybrid Teas & the third is devoted to Alister Clark roses.

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Adelaide

DAY 6 FRI 22 NOV

ADELAIDE AND KANGROO ISLAND

Head south this morning to Cape Jervis & take the Sealink ferry across to Kangaroo Island, an unspoiled refuge, internationally famous for its pristine wilderness & wildlife. Kangaroos & Tammar wallabies wander the island. Echidnas & goannas scuttle in the undergrowth & koalas doze in the trees. Visit a local garden with lunch included at Emu Lavender Bay. Check into the Aurora Ozone Hotel overlooking Nepean Bay at Kingscote.

Aurora Ozone Hotel, Kingscote K.I.

DAY 7 SAT 23 NOV

SEAL BAY

Begin the day at Seal Bay with incredible views of the extraordinary coastline & sea lion colony. This is the only place in the world where you can see these Australian sea lions at close quarters. You’ll be given unique insights into how these endangered animals fish, surf, rest, interact with their pups & defend their territory. Lunch included today at Rockpool Cafe.

Aurora Ozone Hotel, Kingscote K.I.

DAY 8 SUN 24 NOV

FLINDERS CHASE NP

We cross the island to the rugged wilderness of the iconic Flinders Chase National Park. Spend the afternoon exploring the stunning coastal park with special note of the bush regeneration. The spectacular Admirals Arch & wind-sculpted Remarkable Rocks are two of the outstanding landmarks you will see today.

Aurora Ozone Hotel, Kingscote K.I.

DAY 9 MON 25 NOV

KANGAROO I.L TO MCLAREN VALE

Take the ferry from Penneshaw to Cape Jervis, then on to McLaren Vale this morning. First stop is our Farewell Lunch at Bec Hardy Wines. Tipsy Hill, McLaren Vale is next with sweeping views across the McLaren Vale vineyards to the Mount Lofty Ranges. Planted 20 years ago by Margaret Burrell & designed by landscape gardener, Pam Hailstone, the garden is surrounded by vineyards on all sides, & terraced with a real sense of the Mediterranean. Dinner included tonight.

Serafino Hotel, McLaren Vale

DAY 10  TUE 26 NOV

ADELAIDE TO HOME

A cruise this morning from Goolwa to discover the Spirit of the Coorong, a magnificent wetland at the mouth of the Murray River. The Coorong Wetland Lagoon stretches 100km from the  Murray Mouth. Then head to Adelaide airport for your homeward flight.