Young's Cherry Festival and Beyond 2022

Interstate guest arrive into Sydney this is a free day and breakfast is included for the next day.



Accommodation - Ibis Sydney

This morning we greet our friendly coach captain and tour escort from Southern Star Coaches and depart on our tour to Young during its annual Cherry season. Once our morning pick-ups have been made and the bags are loaded, then we are all set to go! From Sydney we travel through the Southern Highlands and stop for lunch at the Binalong Hotel, and then this afternoon its onto Young and a visit to The Lambing Flat Folk Museum. One of the most impressive reminders of the gold rush era in Australia has to be the “Roll up Flag” and we can see it in Young. Like the “Eureka” flag from Ballarat the “Roll up Flag” symbolises an exciting period in Australia’s development. Few Museums can boast such an item but the Lambing Flat Folk Museum not only houses the flag but a wealth of other valuable items. From here we check in to our motel for the next 5 nights and meet again over dinner.



5 nights at Heritage Motel - Cootamundra

Young is the largest cherry growing area in the Southern Hemisphere with an annual production in excess of 500,000 cases. Each year 76% of the total Australian cherry crop is produced by 254 individual growers at Young. As well the large Australian market, fresh cherries are exported to markets in Asia, the Arab states, Europe and Britain. This morning we meet our local guide for our town tour of Young, then visit Poppa’s Fudge & Jam Factory for a tasting and demonstration. For the sweet toothed there is a huge range of delicate chocolates and tempting lollies as well as their well-known freshly made fudge. All the fudges, jams and chutneys from Poppas Fudge Factory are made in store from fresh produce. This afternoon is spent at The Rustic Maze and Country Garden. Set on a working property dating back to the 1850s, a visit to the Rustic Maze is like stepping back in time. Immerse yourself in the rich history of the area, explore the unique maze with its hidden treasures and wander through the beautifully maintained gardens.

Today we will be heading to the small township of Temora that is located just under an hour away. Our first visit will be at the Temora Aviation Museum - a public museum displaying military aircraft of historical significance to Australia.

The museum has devoted displays to the pilots who have risked their lives flying in defence of Australia. Aircraft here are kept in airworthy condition and flown on a regular basis, making it a memorable aviation museum experience. Next, we are off to visit the Temora Rural Museum. There is an extensive Rock and Mineral Museum and a range of working agricultural machinery. The complex also features a number of reconstructed or replicated buildings, including a slab cottage that was Sir Donald Bradman’s first home, a small church, an ambulance station, a country dance hall and a two-storey replica of an old flour mill with working machinery, including the ten-tonne, 156 hp twin cylinder diesel engine which has been restored. This will be our lunch venue and we can spend time looking through the collection before departing for Cootamundra.



Sir Donald Bradman was born here in 1908. He and his parents moved to Bowral three years later. We stop off at Bradman Cottage, his birthplace which now houses Bradman memorabilia and interesting material on the history of Cootamundra. While on the cricket subject, we will also see the Captain’s Walk, a collection of bronze sculptures of Australian test cricket captains. A life size statue of Sir Donald Bradman takes pride of place in the park. After an interesting day we head “home” to our accommodation with time to relax before dinner.

From Cootamundra we head to nearby Greenethorpe for a visit to the historic Iandra Castle. Iandra, in its scale and grandeur, is evidence of a prosperous time in Australian rural history. Iandra was established by George Henry Greene from 1878 and at its peak Iandra’s 3000 acres was made up of 640 acre individual share farms. Soon after the turn of the century, Iandra produced the largest yield of wheat for that time - 100,000 bags, worked by the largest workforce seen in NSW of 500-600 men. We’ll see the historic stables, church and cemetery and wander its expansive gardens set amongst huge Moreton Bay fig trees. We return to Young for some free time to purchase lunch, and this afternoon we visit the Hawkesbury Working Kelpie farm. Here we see a demonstration of working Kelpies that are considered the backbone of rural Australia and are one of the most important aspects of farming today and yesteryear.

We have some free time at leisure this morning and then we are off to Allambie Orchard. We enjoy morning tea here and we may have a chance to do some cherry picking (purchase by the kilo at own expense). At Ballinaclash Orchard we have the opportunity to look through the packing shed as well as enjoy lunch, make sure you leave room for the cherry pie! Following our lunch we will have tie to explore more of Young before stocked with our cherries we return to our motel and have our final night dinner together.

This morning we head to Cowra, the town made famous by the POW Camp located here during WWII and the now famous “Cowra Breakout”. This morning we visit the Cowra Japanese Gardens and Cultural Centre Designed by internationally renowned landscape architect Ken Nakajima, the 5 hectare Japanese Gardens follows the edo style walking garden of the Shugakin Imperial Villa in Kyoto built between 1655 and 1659.



The garden itself is designed to represent the landscape of Japan and features a stream cascading in waterfalls into two large ponds. Meandering paths and wooden bridges allow us to explore and view the gardens at ease. The Cultural Centre displays Japanese art history and crafts and has become known as the centre of Japanese Culture in Australia. We have plenty of time here to wander or relax and enjoy morning tea. For lunch we head to Bathurst and the famous castle-like mansion, Abercrombie House. Built in the 1870’s, the home contains some 40 rooms and the beautiful gardens that are listed as part of the National Estate.

Last day for interstate guests breakfast is included.



Accommodation - Ibis Sydney