Day One: Canberra & The Arboretum

Board your luxury Coach with a morning tea break along the way & arrival by lunch time. Canberra is a city created by Federation and remains as a lasting symbol of our national identity. Everywhere you turn you will find new exhibitions, events and activities exploring our sense of nationhood. Today visit a fascinating attraction: the Arboretum located at the western end of Lake Burley Griffin, just six kilometres from the centre of Canberra. There is a café where you can purchase lunch. Although in its development stage here you will see one of the world’s largest living collections of rare, endangered, and significant trees. Winner of the World Architecture Festival for landscape, the National Arboretum surrounds visitors with panoramic views, stunning architecture and the natural beauty of trees and gardens from Australia and around the world. There is also the National Bonsai and Penjing Collection located here alongside the impressive entry pavilion. The views over Canberra from this western vantage point are unique & a great contrast to your later stop at Mt Ainslie Lookout with incredible views looking down over the War Memorial all the way to Old Parliament House & new Parliament House. This afternoon check into the Novotel Canberra positioned in the heart of Canberra. Your contact number will be Ph: (02) 6245 5000 . Enjoy a delicious dinner each night & a cooked breakfast in the mornings. (L,D)

Day Two: NSW Snowfields – Cooma, Jindabyne & Thredbo Alpine Village

This morning be prepared & well rugged up for the day to the Snowy Mountains as you can likely to see & be in the snow. First stop is in Cooma at the Snowy Hydro Information Centre providing an outstanding display of the history of the Snowy Scheme & an informative video with time to purchase some morning tea at this impressive facility. Onto Jindabyne with a quick comfort stop at the Snowy Region Information centre. Then leave the lake behind, & enter Kosciuszko National Park, the largest National Park in NSW. Kosciuszko National Park has the highest mountains in Australia, the famous Snowy River & its alpine areas contain plant species found nowhere else in the world. From Jindabyne your scenic journey takes you to our most famous winter playground, Thredbo Village. Located at 1370metres above sea level, nested in the valley below Mount Kosciuszko and alongside the Thredbo River it is a picture postcard setting – a place of cobbled walkways, lodges, clothing & gift stores & coffee shops where you can purchase lunch today. Although we do not recommend it for our average passenger for the adventurous with excellent mobility there will be time to treat yourself to a ride on the Chairlift to Eagles Nest, perched around 600 metres above the village. If you do decide on this ride wear something warm. (Coats, hats, gloves & scarfs are a must) The chairlift ride is not included in the tour price as it is not suitable for everyone. It is not recommended to go if you have any mobility problems. On the return journey from Thredbo, visit the Wild Brumby Schnapps Distillery. Sample the impressive range of Schnapps after your day in the crisp cool mountain air. Maybe take some home with you – made from locally grown fruits of the south west slopes, the flavours are delicious. Return to Canberra in time for dinner at the hotel. This day is subject to the weather forecast & if the weather forecast is for unsuitable weather than it will be replaced with another day in Canberra, if the forecast is for blizzard conditions in the snowy mountains. (B,D)

Day Three: Canberra’s key attractions including the Last Post Ceremony at the War Memorial

This morning enjoy a scenic coach tour of Canberra, past many of the city’s major landmarks & attractions. Your driver will offer to drop off & pick up at several key attractions including Parliament House, the Portrait Gallery, Art Gallery, High Court, National Library & also at the Commonwealth Exhibition Centre so you can choose what you would like to visit today. You can walk between a number of the venues on the south side of the Lake & lunch facilities are available at each venue. The coach will pick up again at each of these locations at a designated time around mid-afternoon at a time to be advised by your driver. This afternoon the last stop will be at the Australian War Memorial where you will stay on & witness the Last Post Ceremony at 4.55pm at the end of the day. If you do miss the pick-up time & if you need to get a taxi the Hotel the address is 65 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra & it is about an 8 to 10 minute drive from the city & Parliament House area. (B,D)

Day Four: Floriade & Tulip Tops

Canberra is a city created by Federation and remains as a lasting symbol of our national identity. Everywhere you turn you will find new exhibitions, events and activities exploring our sense of nationhood. This morning, we make our way to Floriade, Australia’s iconic spring festival in the heart of the nations capital. Here, you’ll have time to wander through breathtaking massed flower displays, vibrant garden beds, and creative installations that showcase the very best of the season. Then, we continue on to visit Tulip Top Garden just off the Federal highway, on our way out of Canberra. The 10acre garden of magnificent tulips and other spring flowers creates a spectacular display each spring & is only open at this time of the year. Hundreds of spectacular blossom trees nestle between the flowers provide a magic pathway to the cascading waterfall and watercourse in the hidden valley. You can either purchase a light lunch from here at Tulip Tops, before we make our way home to Sydney. (B,L)

Please note that on our Canberra tour, the order of scheduled attractions is subject to change based on the availability of the suppliers/attractions.