Victoria: small package overflowing with good things

You can explore many of the incredible treasures the state has to offer on the Road & Rail Discovery Tour of Country Victoria with Travelrite and The Senior next April.

Heading to Anglesea from Melbourne, the train stops in the state's second largest city, bayside Geelong, for a look at the local art gallery.

Staying beachside, we travel on to Torquay, Bells Beach and then to Anglesea for the night.

The magnificent Great Ocean Road comes into view and we visit Lorne, Apollo Bay and Port Campbell, with stops at the Twelve Apostles and London Arch.

A treacherous part of the state's coastline is the Shipwreck Coast which stretches from Cape Otway to Port Fairy. The history, while sobering, is fascinating.

The tour continues on to Warrnambool for a two-night stay and day trips to Port Fairy, Koroit and Tower Hill.

Halls Gap, at the centre of the Grampians mountain range, provides the next overnight stop. Travellers can visit the main tourist sites and enjoy some of the many talking trails.

Next morning we take a short look at Ararat before jumping aboard a train to Ballarat, one of the most important goldrush towns in the country.

We'll be swept back in time at Ballarat's Sovereign Hill, see the city's art gallery and botanical gardens, with the Prime Minister's Avenue of busts a must.

Next stop is Maryborough where the group will board a coach bound for Horsham, the capital of the Wimmera, to visit the botanical gardens and art gallery.

The next day we set out for Swan Hill, visiting several small towns, including Rupanyup, Minyup and Sheep Hills, known for their painted wheat silos, on the way.

At Swan Hill on the Murray River we'll see the Pioneer Settlement before heading to the train station to catch a ride to Bendigo, another town founded on gold.

There we'll enjoy a tour of the Central Deborah gold mine, Bendigo Botanic Gardens and take a ride on the heritage tram.

It's then all aboard for a train ride to Echuca where time is spent at the historic Port of Echuca and the gin distillery. Lunch will be enjoyed on a paddlesteamer on the Murray River.

Our next destination is Yarrawonga/Mulwala for a quick stop and then on to historic Corowa in NSW.

We then cross back to Wahgunyah/Rutherglen in Victoria for a delightful progressive lunch in the vineyards.

The final day of the tour is spent at the Corowa History Museum and Whisky Factory, before heading to Wangaratta and a train to Melbourne.

Road & Rail Discovery Tour of Country Victoria, April 17-29, 2024; from $4295 per person twin share (single $5345).

For more call 1800 630 343 or click HERE