Enrolment in Excursions is done in the same way as enrolling in all other courses. Please enrol online using the Membership system or by visiting Reception. Telephone or email enrolments are not accepted. Excursions are for Members of U3A Hawthon only.

All tour fees are payable at the time of enrolment, either online or at Reception.
Bookings close 14 days prior to tour departure date.

For cancellations made 14 days or less prior to the scheduled departure, no refund will be made.

You will be enjoying the Australian landscape on an open-air bus tour. From the Red Sand Garden, journey along the east coast of Australia, around the riverbend, before winding back through the Peppermint Garden, taking in the beauty of the native bush.

A drink, light snack or lunch is available at the Boon Wurrung Café which is located adjacent to the Visitor Centre. Please wear your U3A badge for identification.

Wednesday, 17 March

Time: 11.30am

Enrol in: 26EXC001
Cost: $12
Meet: The Visitor Centre
Transport options: By car about 50-minute drive from Glen Iris. The west gate entry is on the corner of Ballarto Road and Laurie Cleary Lane. The address is 1000 Ballarto Rd, Cranbourne.
Public transport. Train to Cranbourne Station (6k from the Gardens) The Cranbourne Gardens Shuttle Bus (free) can be booked for transport between the station and the gardens. Book online on the Cranbourne Gardens website or phone 5990 2262.

Limit: 14 members

Occupying the landmark former Royal Mint building, the Hellenic Museum continues to be a prominent cultural destination in Melbourne. Hundreds of objects spanning over 8,000 years of Greek history are on display in the museum’s galleries, in addition to numerous contemporary exhibitions.

We will have a 1 hour “Rituals: Gifts for the Gods” tour which brings together over 100 exceptional artefacts from 15 world-renowned collections, including many objects which have never before left Greece.

Please wear your U3A badge for identification.

Enrol in: 26EXC002

Date: Wednesday 15 April
Meet: Inside the Museum foyer, 280 William Street
Time: 10.00am
Cost: $15
Limit: 18 members

Transport options: The Museum is directly opposite Flagstaff station.

This is the home of Australia’s most significant landmark and national infrastructure for research. Thousands of scientists from industry and academia benefit from gaining access to state-of-the-art instruments every year.

We will have a 90 minute tour commencing around a model of the Synchrotron and then go to the technical floor where we will observe different beamlines and research examples. There is no seating during the tour.

ANSTO provides Visitor Safety Information which will be forwarded to members on enrolment.
Café on site.

Please wear your U3A badge for identification

Monday, 18 May

Enrol in: 26EXC003
Time: 9.50am
Meet: Meet in the foyer. 800 Blackburn Road, Clayton.
Limit: 18 members

Cost: $19

Payment for this excursion must be completed on enrolment. You can pay on-line, by bank transfer or at Reception.

Yakult is a probiotic fermented milk drink. The hi-tech facility incorporates food processing equipment designed for manufacturing Yakult, including Yakult’s distinctively shaped bottles, filling and packaging lines, culture and quality control rooms. The facility has four flights of stairs, with facilities available (for those using wheelchairs , walking sticks, crutches, etc.)

Please wear your U3A badge for identification

Enrol in: 26EXC004
Date: Thursday 18 June
Time: 11.00 am
Where to meet: 10 Monterey Road, Dandenong South. At the front of the factory
Free parking at the front of the factory.
Cost: No charge
Limit: 20

The current exhibition is ‘Photography : Seeing is Believing’ which is a rich immersion into the ever-changing world of ‘art’ photography. The exhibition showcases over 50 photo-based works from its collection, revealing how artists transform every stage of the photographic process – with camera, without camera, digitally and through AI. While traditional photographers document the world, this exhibition reveals how artists use photography to creatively question and challenge it.

Please wear your U3A badge for identification

Enrol in: 26EXC005

Date: Tuesday 21 July
Time: 11.00 am
Where to meet: 3 Lumley Court, Prahran Street
parking in Williams Road. Please do not use Lumley Court or other side streets for parking.
Cost: $35.00, includes a generous morning tea. Pay on enrolment
Limit: 25

Melbourne Town Hall, is one of the city’s most iconic buildings. Learn about the building’s unique history as you stand in rooms once visited by royalty. The town hall consists of many rooms, including the Grand Council Chambers with its beautiful architectural features. You’ll even get to stand on the Portico Balcony where the Beatles stood in 1964, waving to thousands of screaming fans below.

Please wear your U3A badge for identification

Enrol in: 26EXC006

Date: Friday 7 August
Time: 10.45am for a 11.00 am start
Where to meet: Town Hall Visitor Hub – cnr Swanston & Little Collins Street
Getting there is easy via trams, buses or trains. Flinders Street Station is a mere 300-metre walk away
Cost: No charge
Limit: 10

Explore the newly restored areas of the architectural wonder that is Mandeville Hall, with architectural historian, Steve Stefanopoulos OAM.

Discover the magnificent features, exquisite interiors and opulent rooms of the internationally significant Toorak mansion. End the guided tour with a glass of sparkling wine and sandwiches and sweet slices.
Please note there are steps involved and no lift or ramp access.

Please wear your U3A badge for identification

Date: Monday 21 September
Time: 1.50pm for a 2.00pm start
Where to meet: 10 Mandeville Crescent, Toorak
Transport options: Parking available in Mandeville Crescent. Tram No. 72, stops either 38 or 37.
Cost: $50. Pay on enrolment
Limit: 25

We are delighted to be able to offer a visit to the home of Emeritus Professor Christopher Browne who is the Secretary of Rare Books Melbourne and who has been a book collector for more than 55 years. Chris has a collection of around 13,000 books at his home some of which are housed in fine old book- cases dating back to mid 19th century. His many interests include children’s books from the late 18th century, some signed volumes by Jane Austen, Dickens, Thackeray and more. Chris also collects French Art deco art glass (Lalique and Etling especially).

He will give a brief opening talk outlining what rooms we can visit etc. and will choose some items for a short “show and tell” session. Light refreshments will be served.
Please wear your U3A badge for identification

Date: Thursday, 29 October 2026
Time: 4.00pm – 6.00pm
Where to meet: The address will be provided prior to the excursion to enrolled and paid members. It is near the corner of Burke and Toorak Roads
Transport options: 72 Tram, Burke Road
Cost: $15 Pay on enrolment
Limit: 15

On the walk we will hear about Gladys Machin, the first lady Mayor of Glen Eira, Squizzy Taylor, gangster of the 20s,William Holmes, who felt a failure in providing for his family and thought they would be better together in the afterlife, The amazing artist Penleigh Boyd, whose life was cut short in a road accident, William Robert Guilfoyle, Australian landscape gardener and botanist but best known as the architect of the Melbourne Botanical Gardens, Charles Lawrence who took the 1st Aboriginal Cricket Team to England in 1861, Sir Thomas Bent, controversial politician and land speculator, Premier of Victoria from 1904 to 1909, Sir John Monash, engineer and Military Commander of the 1st World.

Please wear your U3A badge for identification.

Date: Tuesday, 10 November 2026
Time: 9.45am – for 10am start
Where to meet: Front gates of Brighton Cemetery in North Rd. The cemetery is on the corner of Hawthorn Road and North Road, Caulfield South
Transport options: Easily accessible by tram along Hawthorn Road. Short walk to front gate. Ample parking on North Road. No restrictions
Cost: $15 including morning tea. Pay on enrolment
Limit: 15 members