Join the Historic Houses Association to discover how British architecture helped create the grand Victorian villas, gracious Italianate houses, Federation homes and garden suburbs we know today.

The verandahs, towers, bay windows, decorative ironwork, timber detailing and civic buildings that form the backdrop to Australian life did not emerge by chance. They were part of a rich cultural journey that began in England and Wales and were transformed under Australian skies. 

On this exclusive, small-group study tour, led by Mark Sabolch, get up close to where these ideas were born:

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•    Wander the dreamlike lakeside pathways of Stourhead
•    Discover the elegance and confidence of the Italian Renaissance recreated in Victorian Britain at Cliveden 
•    Be enthralled by Queen Victoria's beloved Italianate retreat, Osborne House, the grand dwelling that inspired countless Australian homes
•    Trace at Bedford Park the origins of the Queen Anne Revival that ultimately blossomed into Australia's Federation style 
•    Visit the home of William Morris, whose passion for craftsmanship helped change the way the modern world thinks about beauty, heritage and the value of handmade things
•    Marvel at the Victorian Italianate style in Central London
•    Behold the UNESCO World Heritage site Queen's House, Greenwich 
•    Explore towns that have survived for centuries, including Reading, Cheltenham and Bath 
 

Please note this is a small group tour and places are strictly limited. Note flights are not included. 

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For the full itinerary click here and for terms & conditions click here.

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To book, click here

The HHA Member Family in Tasmania opened their doors on our summer tour. 

Acton House, Claremont House and Wentworth House highlighted heritage conservation, we visited Ross, Evandale and Bothwell and learned about the landmark Narryna and the Hobart Penitentiary. 

Guided tours of Kilgour, Clarendon, Woolmers and Brickendon - some of the State's finest historic properties - were experienced.

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To see photos click here

Regional Restoration was a long weekend in regional NSW exploring the historic homesteads and buildings of some of our HHA Members.

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We delved into the history of Dr Crookston's house in Camden, admired the restoration of both 'Lynburn' and 'Claremont Manor' in Goulburn and took a guided tour of 'Hillasmount' in Bannaby. 

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'Montrose' and 'Balcony Rose' in Crookwell were also part of our packed itinerary.

The last days of infamous bushranger 'Captain Moonlite' were the focus of this HHA Study Tour.

  

Andrew George Scott, self-styled Captain Moonlite, and James Nesbitt met in prison and reunited on the outside in 1879. With four others, they “stuck up” Wantabadgery Station, between Wagga Wagga and Gundagai, but in the shootout Nesbitt was mortally wounded.

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Scott was later hanged at Darlinghurst Gaol for the murder of Constable Edward Webb-Bowen during the gunfight.

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Our winter escape featured many of the places in the Captain Moonlite story and was guided by Dr Rachel Franks, Librarian at the State Library of NSW and author of An Uncommon Hangman, the biography of Moonlite's executioner, Robert ‘Nosey Bob’ Howard.

Guests marvelled at the remarkable bluestone heritage of regional Victoria, visiting 'Clontarf' (c1862) in Castlemaine, 'Duneira' (c1872) in Mt Macedon and the 1860 Malmsbury Viaduct, the largest masonry structure in Victoria.

 

Four nights in Kyneton, and day trips to surrounding towns, included the following tour highlights:

* exclusive Historic House and property visits

* old-world charm and National Trust–listed streetscape in Maldon

* 19th-century houses in Kilmore, once described as “the typical Irish centre of the colony of Victoria”

* antique shops, mineral springs and 19th-century botanic gardens in the delightful town of Kyneton​​

From 7 to 24 October 2024, and covering roughly 4,000 years of engaging history, stimulating art and impressive architecture.

 

In Athens, we visited the unforgettable marble buildings of the Acropolis, other archaeological sites and museums, plus some outstanding 19th-century Neo-Classical houses.

 

In southern Greece, we travelled through the picturesque landscape to visit the Late Bronze Age citadel of Mycenae, the harbour town of Nafplio with its Venetian, Turkish and Greek overlays, the Byzantine citadel town of Mystra, the fortified tower houses of Mani (the ultimate in neighbourhood disputes), the site of the ancient athletic games at Olympia, and the revered sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi.

 

On the island of Crete, we explored 3,500-year-old palaces and on Thira contemplated the power of the volcano which blasted a huge caldera out of the island. Plus we enjoyed local cuisine and sample wines from the resurgent Greek wine industry.

 

John Wade, a former archaeologist and museum curator, led the tour.

Twelve HHA members and guests were treated to blue skies, fabulous food and wine and exceptional guides on our study tour of Auckland and the Bay of Islands.

 

The jam-packed itinerary included visits to 15 properties over ten days (including those belonging to Heritage New Zealand) with the group soaking up the history of the first contact between two cultures in the early 1800s.

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Our study tour took guests back to this era to learn more about the relationships and visit many of the locations where events took place, such as Marsden Cross, the site where Samuel Marsden performed the first Christian service in the presence of Ruatara (1814) and the Treaty Grounds (where on 6 February, 1840, the first Treaty of Waitangi signatories were recorded.) 

 

Other highlights included heritage strolls around Mt Eden, Devonport and Warkworth and dinner at historic places such as the Warkworth Hotel and Duke of Marlborough in Russell. Plus we experienced geothermal hot springs, sailing on a tall ship in the Bay of Islands, and a delightful trip to Mansion House on Kawau Island on the Mail Run!

In May, Dr James Broadbent AM led a study tour of England focusing on the Arts and Crafts Movement that transformed the architecture, garden design and decorative arts of late 19​th​ Century and early 20​th​ Century Britain.

 

The group visited the Home Counties, the West Country and the Cotswolds. 

 

Subsequently, Dr Broadbent led a group that visited ancient sites, historic gardens, landscapes, “ruins in demesnes deserted”, private country houses and public museums in the counties of Kilkenny, Waterford, Cork, Kerry and Limerick.​

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Both tours were fully booked.