Capital Blooms

This short getaway from Sydney sees you leave the skyscrapers behind and venture into the countryside of the Southern Highlands, all heritage villages, vineyards and manicured gardens. The allures all unite in Berrima, the best-preserved Georgian town in Australia – look no further than its convict-era sandstone gaol. Despite its gloomy history, the building is awfully pretty to look at. All this touring is hungry work – thankfully, a barbecue lunch awaits on the grounds of working sheep farm Gold Creek Station, where you’ll learn about life on the land from someone who works it every day. Speaking of working hard for the money, 10,000 people spent years constructing Parliament House, the architecturally eye-catching seat of the nation’s government that was constructed largely from Australian materials. Your Canberra tour guide will take you behind the scenes and reveal all the secrets.

There are more than a million glorious bulbs on display at Floriade, an explosion of colour transforming the banks of Lake Burley Griffin as well as Canberra’s suburbs. The month-long affair – the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere – was originally designed to celebrate Australia’s Bicentenary and Canberra’s 75th birthday. It has become so popular that it is now a regular on the city’s event calendar. You’ll see why. Browse immaculate flower beds in various patterns and themes, then enjoy entertainment, market stalls and a lively spring vibe. After Floriade, another floral bounty awaits at the National Arboretum, an enormous hilltop space where a local guide will share with you the amazing work being done by horticulturists when it comes to plant conservation and boosting botanical diversity. Spanning more than 250 hectares, the Arboretum is one of the world’s largest living collections of rare, endangered and significant trees. The site is also home to the iconic Margaret Whitlam Pavilion and the renowned National Bonsai and Penjing Collection.

Yet more flowers await in the Southern Highlands, where Bowral's Corbett Gardens play host to 75,000 tulips. The aptly named Tulip Time Festival here will inspire you to buy some tulips to plant back home - it's that eye catching. Before you board your coach for your return to Sydney, you'll have time at leisure in the Southern Highlands village of Mittagong.