Grampians & Silo Art Tour

DAY 1

ALBURY / WODONGA - HORSHAM MONDAY 24TH MARCH, 2025
Welcome aboard Martins touring coach for departure from Lavington Shopping Centre Griffith Road 7.30am, Albury Railway Station 7.45am, Wodonga Plaza Smythe Street 8.00am and Wangaratta Coles Perry Street 8.50am for our 4-day tour to the North-West Wimmera Region to look at the stunning Art Silos and the Grampians. We make our way to Violet Town for our morning break, then head to Colbinabbin for a look at the Art Silos depicting the significance of railways in the Colbinabbin district. Our lunch stop is just outside Bendigo at the Marong Family Hotel, before continuing on to the St Arnaud Silo painted by Kyle Torney in August 2020. Titled ‘Hope’, Kyle has told the story of three pioneer residents of St Arnaud - a former gold mining town - situated between Ballarat and Mildura. This afternoon we look at the Rupanyup Silo and our final stop today is at the Murtoa Stick Shed, constructed using over 560 natural mountain ash poles and is 270m in length. Soaring to 19m in height and a width of 60m, it gives the impression of a vast forest inside, and the sheer volume of this empty building, given its bush-style construction methods, is overwhelming.
Accommodation: Best Westlander Motor Inn, Horsham Ph: (03) 5382 0191 (3 Nights)

DAY 2

EXPLORING THE AREA TUESDAY 25TH MARCH
This morning venture north through Dimboola to the small town of Rainbow and take a look at the Albacutya Art Silo 10 kilometres north of the township. The silo was painted in 2021 by Melbourne artist Kitt Bennett and was inspired to create an artwork that tells a story of growing up in the country as a youth. From here we head to Yurunga Homestead for a tour followed by lunch. Yurunga Homestead is an elegant, typically rural, Edwardian home-made of brick and limestone with an elaborate cast-iron veranda, brick trimming, pressed-steel ceilings and a special room under the house for use in heat waves. This afternoon we stop in Nhill at the Aviation Heritage Centre, established to capture Nhill's proud aviation history, spanning more than 100 years. In particular, it's a tribute to more than 10,000 young men and women who trained at the Nhill RAAF Base during World War II. Our day concludes as we head back to Horsham with a stop at the lookout at Pink Lake before arriving at our motel.

DAY 3

THE GRAMPIANS WEDNESDAY 26TH MARCH
Departing Horsham, we make our way to Stawell for a visit to the Stawell Gift Hall of Fame. This museum gives us an insight into the race that made the town recognized, but also is a treasure trove of memorabilia dating back to 1878.  Take a look at the multimedia clips and archives for fascinating facts like the long knickerbockers that runners wore in the late 1800’s. Next we head to Pomonal and visit local Glass Blower – James McMurtie. His glass works will be on display and hopefully on the day we can see a glass blowing demonstration and hear a talk about these stunning creations. Lunch is nearby at the Pomonal Estate Winery, then visit the Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre. Here we get an excellent overview of the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park as it explains the Park’s exceptional environment and Aboriginal Culture. Our touring this afternoon takes us to several of the best lookouts in the northern part of the Grampians National Park – Reeds Lookout and Mackenzie Falls – all easily accessible and all with sensational views.  The area is likened to a giant botanical garden, filled with one third of Victoria’s fauna. In fact when Major Thomas Mitchell first visited the area in 1836 as the Surveyor General of New South Wales he was apparently speechless at the imposing sight that met his gaze from the top of what we now know as Mount William

DAY 4

HORSHAM - WODONGA / ALBURY THURSDAY 27TH MARCH
Following breakfast, we farewell our hosts and head to Boort and take a look at the amazing creations of The Spanner Man – John Piccoli. From Boort we head to Echuca for our lunch cruise on the PS Canberra, a 110-year-old paddle steamer powered by a 1923 wood-fired steam engine. Relish the elegance and nostalgia of a bygone era as you cruise along the majestic Murray River. Following our cruise we head for home, arriving back in Albury late afternoon.

TOUR COST

$1348.00 Per Person Twin / Double Share
$1600.00 Single Supplement

INCLUDES

Coach Travel for duration of tour
Accommodation on basis as booked
Meals as indicated on itinerary
Entrances to attractions and cruise as per itinerary

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner