Today we visit Young, known as The Cherry Capital of Australia for the annual National Cherry Festival. Young is the largest cherry growing area in the Southern Hemisphere with an annual production in excess of 500,000 cases!

The streets will be bursting with colour, sounds of music and the taste of fresh local produce. Our first stop for the day is Allambie Orchard.

We enjoy morning tea here and we may have a chance to do some cherry picking (purchase by the kilo own expense). At nearby Glencara, home to the Rustic Maze and Country Garden, we enjoy lunch in the Old Shearers Quarters Café before some time to look through the maze and gardens. Glencara is the name of the circa 1910 historic homestead on their property ‘Lower Coolegong’ which continues to be held by descendants of the Maroney family – currently run by the sixth generation: operating as a cropping farm, along with a mob of Dorper sheep. There is some interesting history associated with the area and the property, and we’ll hear some stories here today.

Your afternoon is at leisure in Young where you are free to explore the festival before returning to Yass sharing stories of our day.

After breakfast we farewell Yass and make our way through to Millthorpe.

Here we stop for a visit and lunch at the Millthorpe Museum. Millthorpe was known as Spring Grove until 1884 and still retains all of its charm of yesteryear. The museum has a fascinating history of pioneering days, gold discovery and mining displays and a huge collection of farm machinery. The Good Templars Hall houses many treasures – Victorian and Edwardian pieces as well as a pistol and fossicking pick belonging to John Lister.

This afternoon we make our way home with many wonderful memories of our 3-day holiday travelling with friends.