Deryn first worked as a tour guide in the mid 1980s for Top Deck Travel, taking young people around Europe while sleeping, cooking and travelling on a double decker bus. In the late 1990s Deryn started tour leading around Australia and overseas.
She has maintained her enthusiasm for new adventures and passion for sharing the travel experience, but these days prefers to explore the world of gardens, art and history in a little more comfort.
For more information on her tours visit Travelrite International
Autumn Colours Garden Cruise to the USA & Canada
11th – 31st October, 2024
Join Deryn Thorpe on an unforgettable Autumn Colours Garden Cruise departing from Montreal on October 11, 2024, aboard the MS Zuiderdam. Witness the spectacular fall foliage in Canada and the USA, with stops in Charlottetown, Halifax, Sydney, Portland, Boston, Newport, New York City, and Philadelphia. This all-inclusive journey includes flights, accommodations, luxury cruise, guided sightseeing, and garden visits, offering an immersive experience in the vibrant hues of autumn. Don’t miss this chance to cruise through the breathtaking landscapes of North America’s eastern coast.
Tour Highlights:
- Tour leadership by Deryn Thorpe
- Sightseeing tours of Philadelphia, New York City and Boston, USA; Halifax, Sydney, Charlottetown, Quebec & Montreal, Canada
- Welcome drinks on MS Zuiderdam
- La Serena farm, which displays wonderful seasonal vegetables
- Anne of Green Gables Museum at Silverbush
- Enjoy a relaxing walking tour of the Colonial Town of Old Sydney
- Visit the 19th-century Halifax Citadel National Historic Park
- Halifax Public Gardens
- Travel to Kennebunk to visit Snug Harbour Farm
- Isabella Stewart Gardner House Museum
- Glen Magna Farms, a three hundred acre retreat for the Peabody-Endicott-Crowningshield families for 144 years
- Blithewold Gardens
- Lyndhurst, the Gothic Revival country house of railway tycoon Jay Gould
- Highline Park, a 1.45 mile section of the former elevated rail spur called the West Side Line
- Brooklyn Botanic Gardens
- Brandywine Valley – Enjoy Longwood Gardens, a kaleidoscopic floral paradise covering more than 1,000 acres
- Bartram’s Garden
- Farewell dinner in Philadelphia
For more information visit
https://www.travelrite.com.au/garden-tours/usa-autumn-garden-tour-oct-2024.php
Garden Tour to Italy & London, including the Chelsea Flower Show
21st May – 11th June, 2024
Join Deryn Thorpe on the Travelrite International Garden Tour to London and Italy including the Famous Chelsea Flower Show. Visiting London, UK; Rome, Siena, Florence, the Italian Lakes and Venice, Italy.
Tour highlights include:
- Leadership by Deryn Thorpe
- Kew Gardens, London’s largest UNESCO World Heritage Site
- The famous Chelsea Flower Show
- Welcome dinner
- Hampton Court Palace and Garden
- Tour around Rome with a local guide
- The wild and romantic Ninfa gardens
- The amazing private gardens of Torrecchia Vecchia Cisterna
- Famous Villa d’Este
- The magnificent gardens of Villa Lante near Viterbo
- Tour around Siena with a local guide
- Enjoy a walking tour of the historical center of Florence
- Villa Balbianello, one of the jewels of lake Como
- Private boat across to Isola Bella, the most spectacular of the Borromean Islands
- Giardini di Giusto; one of finest examples of an Italian garden
- Guided sightseeing tour of Venice
- The iconic Piazza San Marco and its grand cathedral
- Farewell dinner
For more information visit:
https://www.travelrite.com.au/garden-tours/london-italy-garden-may-2024.php
Garden Tour to the South Island of New Zealand
18th – 30th November 2023
Join Deryn Thorpe for a spectacular Garden Tour of the South Island of New Zealand, visiting Christchurch, Omarama, Queenstown and Dunedin.
Tour Highlights:
- Tour leadership by Deryn Thorpe
- Christchurch Botanic Gardens
- Welcome dinner
- Travel to the pretty village of Akaroa
- The Giant’s House a 6★ garden created by Josie Martin
- Fisherman’s Bay Garden
- Visit Amberley House, established in 1876
- Flaxmere gardens, rated 6★ by the NZ Garden Trust
- Lake Tekapo
- Visit Trotts Garden rated 6★ by the NA Garden Trust
- Journey to Queenstown, the magnificent holiday capital of New Zealand
- Lake Wakatipu
- Visit Da’Vella Gore’s two acres of English garden
- Chantecler, a 40 acre property with 12 acres of themed garden styles
- Visit A Wild Dream
- Four acre Birchwood Garden
- Explore the city of Dunedin
- Dunedin Botanic Gardens, the oldest public garden in NZ
- Visit New Zealand’s ‘castle’
- The historic, Jacobean-style Olveston House
- Farewell Dinner
For more information visit travelrite.com.au
Hi Deryn, a belated thank you for the Ballarat and Melbourne Garden
Tour – it didn’t only live up to expectations, it exceeded them! It was a
wonderful week, made even better by your expert guidance and relaxed
manner. A highlight for me was meeting Phillip Johnson, he is such an
inspiration.
Lynne, Fremantle
Thanks for the superb French tour. It was very interesting both
historically and horticulturally and you made everyone in the group feel
very welcome and relaxed. You managed everything in such a relaxed and
friendly way that it felt like we were a group of friends travelling
together rather than an ‘organised tour’. I have already recommended
your tours to my friends.”A bientot”
Aline, Mosman Park
I booked on to the Melbourne and Ballarat tour rather on a whim, as I
wanted to see Paul Bangay’s garden. However our tour took us to so many
wonderful gardens, thank you. My sincere thanks for the planning,
knowledge and commitment you put into our tour. You are an excellent
tour guide, good with a group and not intrusive, and it was a very happy
week indeed.
Anne, Melbourne
I had the pleasure of being part of an Italian Garden tour with Deryn
as the horticultural guide in May 2014. Deryn’s plant knowledge with
historical context complimented the beautiful gardens and places that we
visited. Her relaxed style, gentle good humour and sense of fun ensured
that we all had a wonderful experience.
Caroline, Mt Lawley