Tours

Victoria Police Museum

13 May 2024 What a lovely day it’s been! We stopped for morning tea at the Treasury Gardens, so people could enjoy the sunshine, and have a quick look at Captain Cooks Cottage and the Conservatory. We actually hoped to have time to go into the Cottage but our time schedule was fairly tight so it was a walk around it. (Actually the main reason we stopped there was because there was a loo there and the Police Museum does not have such a thing. We do know what our age group priorities are!).

We spent just over an hour at the Museum – it still was not enough time to see everything, it’s a very interesting place. Then we had an easy drive to The Watergate Hotel in Taylors Lakes. We’ve been there a few times before and the smorgasbord lunch is always great – a big variety and nicely prepared.

We left there about 1.45pm and we arrived back at the club about 2.40pm after a pleasant, safe drive. It was a beaut day. Keith

Marysville

5 March 2024 Our bus trip to Marysville was lovely! The weather was a perfect Autumn day, the drive was pleasant, and Bruno’s Sculpture Park was terrific. It’s a bit hard to describe. You walk along these narrow little bush tracks and everywhere you turn you find sculptures in front of you, and behind you, and all around you – it’s lovely. There are about 200 sculptures of different types in the park. Bruno came out and chatted – and chatted!, but, that was good too. We overstayed our time there so we didn’t get to the Falls. Then it was back to Healesville RSL for lunch, and it was slow, but one of the nicest meals we have had on our trips. It was a beaut day all round.

Gulf Station

20 November 2023 We actually had a great day at Gulf Station. It’s a farm just outside of Yarra Glen which was in operation from the 1840’s to the 1950’s. It supplied the gold miners around the area, then the town, as it grew, with meat of all sorts and many vegetables. It was in the hands of just one family for most of those years. The property is – largely - still in it’s original state. It’s now in the care of the National Trust, so we had three very knowledgeable guides who gave us a detailed tour for two hours. It was one of the most interesting spots we have been too. We then had lunch at York on Lilydale and back to the Club right on 3pm.

Werribee Park Mansion

19 June 2023 Remember how wet it was last Monday? Well 35 of us went on a BUS TRIP!!!

We were going to leave the Club at 9am, then travel to the Werribee Park Mansion with a morning tea stop along the way. However - with the rain pelting down – we decided to have a cuppa at the Club before we left instead of braving the rain. So we left just after 9am. The further we travelled West, the less rain we had, and by the time we got to Werribee there was no more rain, and there was none for the rest of the day.

Werribee Park Masion was built in the 1840’s for a squatter who had made his money with sheep around the Western District. It cost $120,000 – a huge amount of money in those days and it is enormous! Parks Victoria now own it and they have 40 rooms open for inspection – this is about half of the house as the rest is now a hotel. The family certainly lived in a grand manner. They had 30 staff to look after them and the grounds.

The house and the grounds are absolutely lovely. It costs $8 to enter but it’s well worth it.

We then drove to Taylors Lakes and had a lovely buffet lunch at the Watergardens Hotel. We went there a couple of times with the Club before lockdown, and the meal is still excellent.

Our driver – Roger – then drove us home via Diamond Creek and Kangaroo Ground. It was a really pleasant day. Dianne did a great job organizing the it all.

Portsea Quarantine Station

3 April 2023. What a great day, perfect weather, a new bus, good driver and great company. What more could you ask. I could have spent the whole day there, it was so interesting . Not only the historic buildings. We got to see a baby echidna meandering around, also a fish feeding frenzy right against the shore wall, also the Spirit of Tasmania making her way past. Then on to the RSL Rosebud for lunch. Can recommend the meals. We were very satisfied with the meal and the service. On the way home our bus driver Kevin, took us up over Arthurs Seat, with a photo stop on the way. We were lucky to see a classic Chevie parked at the stop as well. All this and still back by 3pm