Backroads, Silos and the Great Ocean Road 2025
Join us as we get off the beaten track and discover the incredible art painted on silos and water towers through New South Wales and Victoria. We explore the Grampians and journey along the Great Ocean Road beside the rugged and windswept Southern Ocean and Shipwreck Coast.
15 Day Tour
Monday 24 March - Monday 7 April 2025
Tour Cost (GST inclusive):
$7,195 per person twin share
$1,550 single supplement
Inclusions
- Luxury Coach Travel in our Business Class Coach
- Entry and guided tour of Taronga Western Plains Zoo
- Zoofari experience including safari truck tours
- Entry and guided tour at Dundullimal Homestead
- Entry to CSIRO Australia Telescope National Facility
- Guided tour and lunch at Catania Fruit Salad Farm
- Tasting at De Bortoli Wines
- Entry, cruise and show at Swan Hill Pioneer Settlement
- Guided tour at Sea Lake
- Entry to Sir Reginald Ansett Transport Museum
- Entry and show at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum
- Guided tour of Port Fairy
- Lunch and tram ride at Portland Cable Tram Depot Museum
- Entry to Otway Fly Tree Top Walk
- Entry to Australian National Surfing Museum
- Entry to National Wool Museum
- Gourmet Dining experience onboard The Q Train
- Economy flight from Melbourne to Brisbane
- 14 nights accommodation
- 14 cooked breakfasts, 14 two course dinners, 9 lunches
Tour Itinerary
Day 1: (LD)
Brisbane to Moree
Mon 24 Mar 25
Welcome to our Backroads, Silos and Great Ocean Road Tour. Silos are drawing crowds to small country towns so our tour also features a number of silos and water towers, each with a different artist and different story to tell. We meet our fellow travellers and friendly Blue Bus Tours crew as we embark on our trip. We have a travel day ahead as we make our way to Moree for our first night on tour together.
Day 2: (BLD)
Moree to Dubbo
Tue 25 Mar 25
Leaving Moree, we spend the morning on the coach until we reach Coonamble, a town brimming with cultural significance. As we arrive, you’ll be greeted by the Coonamble Water Tower, an impressive structure adorned with vibrant artwork that tells the tales of the town’s history and celebrates its diverse culture. Marvel at the incredible colours and imagery. After lunch we travel to the beautiful Macquarie Valley to find Dubbo and the Taronga Western Plains Zoo – home to more than 1,100 animals from around the world, many of them endangered species. The zoo allows many of the animals to roam freely and to be viewed without the visual barriers of fences, bars or glass, instead using a system of dry and water-filled moats. The unique Zoofari Lodges can only accommodate half our group at a time, so half of us will check into the Lodge where we enjoy the memorable experience of sleeping right beside the stunning savannah. The rest of the group will check into a hotel in town before swapping tomorrow.
Day 3: (BD)
Dubbo
Wed 26 Mar 25
Our first “zoo group” will awaken to a magical experience! An African-inspired breakfast awaits them before the rest of us arrive. Then with everyone on the coach we take a drive around the zoo and welcome a zoo guide onboard who will explain the open range layout and some of the behind-the-scenes operations of the zoo. After time to purchase lunch (own expense) we travel to Dundullimal Homestead, a well-preserved colonial property bearing testimony to the hardships and conditions of colonial life. We’ll be taken on a guided tour, where we’ll visit the slab house and stone stables that remain on the property. We will all enjoy this experience together before the second “zoo group” stay overnight at Zoofari.
Day 4: (BD)
Dubbo to Griffith
Thu 27 Mar 25
We have a leisurely morning as the second “zoo group” soak up the Lodge atmosphere before meeting on the coach for our morning drive through to Parkes. Just outside of town we stop to visit the CSIRO Radio Telescope, known as “The Dish”, where we explore the astronomy and space science exhibitions. Travelling to Weethalle, we’ll stop at the impressive silo. Painted by Melbourne based artist, Heesco, the large-scale mural is a tribute to the rich agricultural heritage of the small community. From here we continue to Griffith.
Day 5: (BLD)
Griffith
Fri 28 Mar 25
Griffith is a thriving country town designed by Walter Burley Griffin, the architect of Canberra. A local guide joins us on the coach this morning for a town tour. Our next stop is Catania Fruit Salad Farm. The family-owned business produces a variety of fruits and nuts which we can sample on our tour. During our visit we’ll learn about the life and times of the pioneers, see how irrigation systems deliver water to the farms and how crops are grown and harvested. This is also our lunch location. Our final stop is to a local winery for a delightful tasting.
Day 6: (BLD)
Griffith to Swan Hill
Sat 29 Mar 25
This morning, we travel across to Hay where we stop to view the magnificent art tribute to the servicemen and women of Australia adorned on the local Water Tower. On arrival to Swan Hill we visit the Pioneer Settlement Museum, Australia’s first outdoor museum. The Settlement was founded to portray the development of inland Australia between 1830 and 1930 and contains over 50 historic buildings, many of which carry on the business of 90 years ago. We’ll wander through living history from saddlers and blacksmiths at work to stagecoaches and steam engines as well as enjoy a cruise aboard the Paddleboat Pyap. Following dinner, we return to the Pioneer Settlement for the Heartbeat of the Murray sound and laser show. This amazing show utilizes water, light, laser, sound and special effects to tell the fascinating story of the Murray River – from 30 million years ago to today.
Day 7: (BLD)
Swan Hill to Horsham
Sun 30 Mar 25
Heading through the Mallee District, we make a brief stop at Lake Tyrell before continuing to Sea Lake – Victoria’s largest Salt Lake. We then visit Sky Mirror Gallery which showcases local photography before commencing our tour through Australia’s largest outdoor gallery, the Wimmera Mallee Silo Art Trail where we’ll be amazed by a series of large-scale mural portraits painted onto silos. We first travel to Lascelles, where the silo depicts members of a local family that have lived and farmed in the area for four generations. Travelling via Woomelang, we see some of the local street art before stopping for lunch at Hopetoun Community Hotel. Look out for the large and colourful wall mural in the centre of town depicting aspects of local history. We continue to the silo in Rosebery which represents the Mallee region’s past, present and future. Our final silo today is in Brim and was the first silo artwork to appear in Victoria. It depicts a multigenerational quartet of female and male farmers. It was this silo that inspired the establishment of the Silo Art Trail. We continue to Horsham, our home for the next three nights.
Day 8: (BD)
Silo Art Trail
Sun 31 Mar 25
Today we continue to discover the Silo Art Trail. Our first silo today in Sheep Hills was painted by Melbourne based artist Matt Adnate. The indigenous themed mural represents the passing of knowledge from generation to generation. In St Arnaud, Kyle Torney painted an adjacent pair of steel grain storage silos, titled “Hope”, as well as a number of street art murals around town that we will see today. We travel to Rupanyup where Russian street artist Julia Volchkova, created the silo to celebrate the people of the region featuring two members of the Rypanyup Football and Netball Clubs. We step away from the silos and into some local history as we arrive in Murtoa for a fascinating visit to The Stick Shed. It is the only remaining emergency grain store built during World War Two and is an enduring testament to Australian bush ingenuity and a symbol of the Australian wheat industry. We return to Horsham for time at leisure this afternoon.
Day 9: (BLD)
The Grampians
Tue 1 Apr 25
Today we explore Grampians National Park and visit some of the best lookouts such as Boroka Lookout and Reeds Lookout – both with sensational views. Next, we visit MacKenzie Falls, the most iconic and spectacular waterfall in the National Park. See the beauty and power of the Falls from a variety of lookouts and walks that cater to a range of abilities. Meandering across the western side of the park, we enjoy a late lunch at The Wander Inn before returning to Horsham.
Day 10: (BLD)
Horsham to Warrnambool
Wed 2 Apr 25
We bid farewell to Horsham and journey south to Hamilton. Here we visit the Sir Reginald Ansett Transport Museum which tells the story of Reginald Ansett who built his empire from a passenger service between Hamiton and Ballarat (road) and Hamilton and Melbourne (air) in the 1930s. After lunch at a local café, we travel to Warrnambool. On arrival we explore the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum. This delightful complex authentically recreates the appearance, atmosphere and activities of a small coastal 19th century port. It presents and preserves material, artefacts and vessels relating to Australia’s early maritime history. We return to the village tonight for a spectacular nighttime sound and laser show, “Shipwrecked”, which recreates the tragic story of the Loch Ard Shipwreck that took place in local waters more than 120 years ago.
Day 11: (BLD)
Port Fairy & Portland
Thu 3 Apr 25
This morning we travel to Port Fairy. The town’s rich maritime history and colonial character have been faithfully preserved and it still seems like a small fishing village. Seaman’s bluestone cottages rub shoulders with gracious administrative and commercial buildings. Fine antique shops, pubs and restaurants are all housed in original Victorian buildings – 50 classified by the National Trust. We continue to Portland, the oldest European settlement in Victoria and the only deep-water seaport between Adelaide and Melbourne, making it a major centre for sea transport of goods and produce from the surrounding area. Here we visit the Portland Cable Tram Depot, where it’s all aboard the tram to follow the scenic track running along Henty Beach with wonderful views of the deep-water harbour. After a fantastic day we return to Warrnambool.
Day 12: (BD)
Great Ocean Road
Fri 4 Apr 25
Today we embark on one of the best drives in Australia, the Great Ocean Road. Our drive features views of the beautiful Bay of Islands, London Bridge and Loch Ard Gorge. Then its onto the iconic Twelve Apostles – a group of magnificent rock stacks rising from the ocean. This afternoon we wind our way through the Otway Ranges and stop at the spectacular Otway Fly, the longest and highest canopy of its kind in the world. There is a 600m elevated walkway that provides unrivalled views of the unique beauty of the region’s flora and fauna from the rainforest floor up into the soaring heights of the treetops. After a truly incredible day we continue to Apollo Bay and onto Skenes Creek for our overnight accommodation.
Day 13: (BD)
Apollo Bay to Geelong
Sat 5 Apr 25
The natural beauty of this area continues as our morning’s drive hugs the seaside cliffs that snake along the wild and windswept Southern Ocean. From Skenes Creek we continuing to Lorne where the township is built amongst a forest with native trees stretching down to the water. We have time to wander the town before continuing to Anglesea. From here we stop at the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie where you might like to purchase some of their delicious products. In Torquay, we visit Surf Museum, home of the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame. Through the colourful and exciting permanent displays of an extraordinary collection of surfcraft, important artefacts and interesting memorabilia, the museum commemorates Australia’s fantastic surfing heritage. Our final stop is Geelong, our base for our last two nights on tour.
Day 14: (BLD)
Q Train
Sun 6 Apr 25
After a leisurely morning, we visit the National Wool Museum. Historically, Geelong was one of the great wool cities of Australia and nearly 200 buildings in the area, classified by National Trust, retain the city’s heritage. The museum showcases the Australian wool story – from the sheep’s back to the clothes rack and from the birth of the industry in the 1840s to its place in the world today. We make our way to Drysdale Railway Station to board The Q Train for an exceptional lunch. Our incredible train journey will take us to Queenscliff and back to Drysdale while enjoying an exceptional degustation of fresh local produce, all cooked and prepared onboard the well-appointed kitchen car. Travelling along the beautiful Bellarine Railway, we are offered views of rolling hills, olive groves and the bay. The Q Train will pause at Suma Park Historic Homestead, before travelling alongside beautiful Swan Bay. We return to Drysdale Railway Station to reboard our coach and we return to our hotel after a memorable day.
Day 15: (B)
Geelong to Brisbane
Mon 7 Apr 25
Our incredible tour featuring silo art and the spectacular Great Ocean Road has come to an end. With our bags packed, we are transferred to Melbourne airport for our flight back to Brisbane.