2023/24 - A 5 Day Coach/Air Tour to the South Australian Riverland

Select any Monday from now until March 31, 2024 and we will make arrangements for your Club to travel on this great value tour, showcasing the best of the South Australian Riverland. Quiet, ground floor accommodation with walk in showers, live entertainment, a Murray River Cruise and much, much more!

Inclusions

• 4 nights at the Comfort Inn & Suites Riverland

• 4 fully cooked breakfasts, 4 x2 course dinners, 3 lunches

• Happy Hour (discounted drinks) each night at the Barmera Country Club

• Lunch cruise on the Murray River with entertainment

• Loxton Historic Village

• Wilkadene Woolshed Brewery

• Renmark & The Historic Overland corner Hotel

• Coach touring – pickup/drop off from Adelaide Airport

Day 1 (LD): To Barmera (Monday)

All aboard the Riverland Express! Our short non stop flight (to be confirmed) will have us in Adelaide by late morning. Our touring coach will be waiting. We are off to the beautiful Riverland town of Barmera on South Australia’s Lake Bonney where, over a 4 night stay, we will meet some local characters and sample some local Riverland produce. We bypass the Barossa Valley and head to Waikerie, which means in the local aboriginal language, Rain Moth. There is a small gallery here named the Rain Moth Gallery which is worth a look – and a short heritage walk to the Murray River is available from the gallery (walk or coach option). Lunch today is at the Waikerie Hotel in the centre of town – a modern country pub with an open dining room and entertainment facilities. This afternoon we continue to Barmera – our base for the next 4 nights. Our accommodation is surrounded by the Barmera Golf Course with every room enjoying a view over the course. It is a very quiet location, well away from the town centre and the highway. All the rooms are at ground floor level with walk in showers. (Meal Inclusions: Pub lunch at the Waikerie Hotel/Welcome dinner)

Comfort Inn & Suites Riverland - Tel 08 85882888 – 4 nights

Day 2 (BLD): Exploring the Riverland (Tuesday)

Barmera is a popular holiday resort town situated on the shores of Lake Bonney. This morning we will see the monument dedicated to Sir Donald Campbell who attempted to break the Australian water speed record on Lake Bonney in the 1960’s.

We also call at the Country Music Hall of Fame before the short drive to Berri - another of the four major Riverland towns. Here we have arranged to join the “Fay” a newly renovated, fully air conditioned river cruising boat for a cruise, with lunch & entertainment, on this wide section of the Murray River. This afternoon we drive to nearby Glossop to visit Bella Lavender Estate. We have arranged afternoon tea with time to take a walk in the garden and check out their range of products for sale such as homemade soap, shampoo lip balm and arthritis cream. After an interesting day we return to the motel. Happy Hour in the restaurant is from 5pm and dinner will be served at 6.30pm. (Meal inclusions: Breakfast & dinner in the motel/Lunch cruise on the “Fay”)

Day 3 (BLD): Loxton & Wilkadene Woolshed (Wednesday)

One of the other major Riverland towns is Loxton - and that is where we are heading this morning. Loxton on the Murray was first settled by people of (predominantly) German origin, who were escaping religious persecution. This proud German heritage is still evident today. Much of the town’s fascinating history is on display at the Loxton Historical Village. The town was not settled until Cobdogla Station was established in the 1850’s. A William Loxton was a stockman on the Station who lived with his wife Mary, in a slab hut on the riverbank. A replica of this hut was built in 1970 on its original site. This was the beginnings of the Loxton Historical Village.

Lunch today has been arranged at the historic Wilkadene Woolshed Brewery just past Renmark. Located on the banks of the River Murray, Wilkadene was a famous sheep and wheat station, built and run by the Wilkinson family until being bought by the Freeman family in 1988. Wilkadene shearing shed, with its white ant resistant native pine posts, supplied paddle steamers with chaff, by way of a chute from the shed down the cliff to the river. The early settlers in this area were dependent on the paddle steamers for everything from food and household goods to their religious requirements.

The movement of all paddle steamers was noted in the daily diary, often four or five would pass in a day. On our way back to Barmera we stop near the tiny village of Paringa (Paringa is from an Aboriginal word meaning "big bend in the river"). It is here, at Lock 5, that we have our afternoon break. Navigating the Murray River wouldn’t be possible without the series of locks and weirs dating back to the 1920s and 1930s. Fourteen locks are still in use today. Lock 5, just upstream from Renmark, is a great example of one of these locks. We then cross the Paringa Suspension Bridge, opened in 1927 and travel back to Barmera. Dinner tonight is at the local Barmera Club (Meal Inclusions: Breakfast in the motel/Light lunch at Wilkadene/Dinner at the Barmera Club)

Day 4 (BLD): Renmark & The Overland Corner (Thursday)

We have planned some time in Renmark this morning with a visit to Olivewood - a homestead and museum containing relics from 1887. Olivewood traces the story of the Chaffey Brothers who were instrumental in introducing irrigation to the area. Nearby is Angoves Winery, the largest privately owned winery in Australia. Established in 1886 and commencing operation in 1910, it is noted for a large variety of premium wines and brandy. Today, the fifth generation of the winemaking family carries on the business. We enjoy a talk and a taste. Lunch today will be at the Historic Overland Corner Hotel - near where the early drovers used to camp in the 1800s. The hotel was built from sandstone cut from a nearby quarry and in the 1870's it was not unusual for as many as 30,000 sheep and several mobs of cattle to be camped here overnight. We enjoy lunch here before returning to Barmera. (Meal inclusions: Breakfast & farewell dinner in the motel/Pub Lunch)

Day 5 (B) Heading Home (Friday)

We farewell our hosts at Barmera this morning and begin the trip home. We make a stop at the award winning Banrock Station near Kingston on Murray. Banrock Station lies at the junction of the Banrock Creek and the Murray River. The property was purchased by BRL Hardy in 1994. The 1650 hectare property has just 250 hectares devoted to premium grape varieties such as Semillon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. The remaining land, including 12.5 kilometres of river frontage, adjacent to the Banrock Lagoon and wetlands, is being returned to its native state. We have arranged morning tea here overlooking the wetlands. From here we return to Adelaide Airport for our flight home (to be confirmed) (Meal inclusions: Breakfast in the motel)

Tour Price

The tour price ($1,594 per person sharing a twin or double room + return air from Melbourne) is dependent on a minimum of 35 paying customers. Should the numbers not reach the minimum of 35 the following prices apply –

Min 30 - $1,658 per person/Min 25 - $1,744 per person/Min 20 - $1,881 per person

Add $270 for a guaranteed single room (On application)

Flights Melbourne/Adelaide/Melbourne (to be confirmed) to be added to the tour price.

(Price valid until 31 March 2024)

Tour Inclusions

Tour Price includes accommodation as per the itinerary, meals as indicated (B= Cooked breakfast, L= Light or packed lunch, D = Buffet or limited choice dinner), deluxe touring coach with seatbelts, attractions/entries as noted & return airport transfers.

Next Steps

To arrange a tour for your club simply contact Alex Corones from Australian Road Journeys on 0488 117 682 with your preferred date of travel – he will do the rest! When everything is confirmed, ARJ will provide printed itineraries for distribution to interested club members.

Read some testimonials from past groups here.

Tour Conditions

A deposit of $350 per person is required to secure your booking. This deposit is fully refundable until 60 days prior to the day of departure. Final payment is required 45 days prior to the day of departure. Bookings cancelled within 14 days prior to the day of departure are non-refundable. No additional cancellation fees apply.

Personal Travel Insurance is strongly recommended.

The Itinerary may be subject to change without notice. Whilst every effort is made to adhere to the itinerary as provided, Australian Road Journey’s reserves the right to alter the touring and attractions as dictated by circumstances and conditions outside the company’s control. Alterations may be made to ensure the smooth running of the tour.  Every attempt will be made to ensure alterations do not adversely affect the operation of the tour. Australian Road Journey’s will not be held responsible for weather based cancellations or those closures made at the venue’s discretion. All itineraries are subject to change due to occasional restrictions in opening times/days of some attractions, e.g. churches, wineries etc.