HOPKINSONS COACHES

In conjunction with

Gladesville and District Probus Club

Presents

THE AND SURROUNDING AREAS

Day 1: (LD): SYDNEY TO GLOUCESTER Wednesday 15 September 2021 Welcome to our 6 day tour to the stunning regions of the Barrington Tops and Scone. Our destination today is Gloucester – a town known as the gateway to the Barrington Tops. It’s a charming place nestled in a valley under a range of impressive monolith hills called The Bucketts. We stop in for lunch at the Raymond Terrace Bowling Club. This afternoon we continue to follow Bucketts Way to Gloucester via Historic Stroud, a town built by the Australian Agricultural Company in 1830. On arrival we are welcomed to the area by a local guide who will take us on an interesting tour of the town. From here we check into our motel for a two night stay.

Lunch at Raymond Terrace Bowling Club and dinner in motel Gloucester Country Lodge Motel | 02 6558 1812 | 3 nights

Day 2 (BLD): FORSTER AND NABIAC Thursday 16 September 2021 Today we head to Forster Tuncurry where we have the opportunity to see one of ’s cleanest lakes - Wallis Lake. The lake stretches for 25 kilometres between Walling at State Forest and a sliver of land separating the lake from the sea. On arrival we visit the Forster Arts and Crafts Centre. This is the largest working Craft Centre in NSW, providing an exciting and fascinating collection of locally made handcrafted pieces. On our luncheon cruise we will be able to enjoy Wallis Lake - crystal clear, pristine waters, home to a rich seafood harvest including the famous Wallis Lake oyster. After disembarking we head across to the nearby town of Nabiac to visit the National Motorcycle Museum of Australia. This is a purpose-built complex housing some 800 motorcycles together with an enormous array of motorcycle memorabilia, toys, an extensive private library and a motorcycle orientated gift shop. Among the favourite machines on display are a Kenilworth scooter (1919), a twin cylinder water-cooled 2 stroke Scott, and a Vincent Black Knight. There is an excellent range of vintage bikes from the early nineteen hundred and of course many interesting later machines. We return to the motel with time to relax and freshen up before dinner.

Breakfast and dinner in motel | luncheon cruise

DAY 3 (BLD): GLOUCESTER and the BARRINGTON TOPS Friday 17 September 2021 Following breakfast this morning we’ll be joined on coach by a local guide who will show us around Barrington Tops. On a clear day the views are spectacular as we travel to , approximately 5000 feet above sea level in the Mount Royal Ranges (subject to road and weather conditions). The view over the Moppy Valley and Scone area is breathtaking. Our tour takes us through the rainforest area, beech forests, snow gums and sub-alpine regions of Barrington Tops. We have time here for a morning walk before our picnic lunches. Heading back to Gloucester we visit the friendly staff at the Hillview Herb Farm. Get set for a taste bud sensation! We will be served afternoon tea followed by a tour of the herb garden and an informative talk on herbs and their many uses. We return to our motel to freshen up before dinner in the motel.

Breakfast and dinner in motel | lunch included

Day 4 (BLD): GLOUCESTER TO SINGLETON Saturday 18 September 2021 We have planned a completely different day to enjoy. On arrival into the Upper Hunter Valley we have arranged lunch at the Denman Hotel, it’s here we will be joined by our local guide for a day of touring in the area. Our sightseeing takes us to Jerry Plains where we have arranged a very special visit to Coolmore ‘Home of Champions’ Stud Farm. Located on over 8,000 acres, including 5,000 of irrigated river flats and undulating paddocks, the pastures have been shown by agronomic studies to be amongst the highest quality in Australia. On arrival, due to the size of the farm, a staff member will board the coach and show us around this very impressive stud farm. Those ‘raised and grazed’ at Coolmore stud farm include the likes of Pride of Dubai, Sea Siren, Special Harmony and Winx. We’ll also visit Godolphin horse stables. We continue our sightseeing which will include some local enterprises of wine tasting.

Breakfast and dinner in motel | lunch at Denman Hotel Charbonnier Motor Inn, Singleton | 02 6572 2333|2 nights

Day 5 (BLD): CAMELS, OLIVES, CHEESE and DEFENCE Sunday 19 September 2021 Today we are in for a unique experience when we visit the picturesque hillside property of Camel Milk NSW. Enjoy an up close and personal meeting with the camels and star stud bull Huey, plenty of photo opportunities to revel in. It will be a real safari experience. We also hear about the history of the property and homestead circa 1800s. There will be an opportunity to purchase camel milk and camel milk products including lip balms and soaps. Not too far away is Pukara Estate, here is it all about olive oils, vinegars and condiments. We are welcomed by a staff member who will guide us through the tastings of the delicious gourmet products. Why not purchase a bottle to take home and enjoy. For lunch we continue testing our tastebuds at Hunter Belle Cheese. There are viewing windows into the cheese making room, maturation room and packing room, allowing us to understand how cheese is made, while a wall mural shows the entire production line of the dairy industry. It’s time to sit back and relax and let our tastebuds dance with the flavours of the region. Later this afternoon we visit the Australian Army Infantry Museum. The exhibition is divided into two areas. The ground floor displays focus on the chronological history of infantry operational deployments, from Sudan in 1885 through to our current deployments. The mezzanine displays focus on the small arms and their associated training aids the infantryman's ‘tools of the trade' and how they have developed and influenced the tactics, techniques and procedures of the Royal Australian Infantry Corps.

Breakfast and dinner in motel | lunch at Hunter Belle Cheese

DAY 6: (BL): LUNCH AND BEER Monday 20 September 2021 After a lovely time in the area it is time now to farewell our hosts and head for home. We travel through the Hunter Valley, one of Australia’s best known wine regions. The region has played a pivotal role in the history of Australian wine as one of the first wine regions planted in the early 19th century. The Hunter Valley Semillon is widely considered the iconic wine of the region but the Hunter produces wine from a wide variety of grapes including Shiraz, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Verdelho. A warm welcome awaits us at Potters Hotel and Brewery. There is no better way to end the day than a cold beer at a brewery – The Hunter Beer Co – right next door to our lunch venue. All of their beers are made on site using traditional brewing equipment and all natural ingredients. They don’t take any short cuts and never skimp on ingredients. We join one of the brewers for a tour. The tour gives a peak behind the scenes, including a sampling of three beers! After a truly enjoyable day we head home with lots of goodies to share.

Breakfast in motel | lunch at Potters Hotel and Brewery

All itineraries are subject to change due to occasional restrictions in opening times/days of some attractions, e.g. churches, wineries etc. We cannot be held responsible for any changes due to closures, inclement weather etc.