Activities and outings
Our Activities and Outings Officer, Ian, is tireless in organising a wide range of activities and outings.
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AUGUST 2026Quarantine Station The site represents Australia’s longest continuously operating quarantine station, opening in 1832, and operating as a maritime quarantine facility for 152 years, until 16th March 1984. Jill, a passionate and very knowledgeable guide, led our members on a tour of the facility and the day concluded with lunch at the Manly 16 Foot Skiff Sailing Club, with excellent food and views, before returning to the city by ferry. |
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JULY 2026Sistine Chapel Revelations Experience Our July outing was to the Sistine Chapel Revelations Experience held on the forecourt of St. Mary's Cathedral, all up a fascinating and informative experience. Following the Sistine Chapel Revelations, the group moved on to the Castlereagh Club to have lunch. |
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JUNE 2026Visit to Elizabeth Farm Members enjoyed a fascinating visit to Elizabeth Farm at Rose Hill, followed by lunch at the Rose Hill Bowling Club. The visit provided an excellent opportunity to explore one of Australia's most significant historic homes. |
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MAY 2026Sydney Fish Market Tour Fourteen members participated in a tour of the new Sydney Fish Markts, led by Markets Guide Dan. Dan described how fish markets have been in Sydney, at various and in sometimes unsatisfactory situations, since the 1870s. The tour concluded with a leson on the different types of seafood available and how to check for freshness. As a fitting end to the tour, members enjoyed excellent seafood lunches. |
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FEBRUARY 2026Probus 50th Anniversary celebrations Our members enjoyed a brunch in Abbotsford Quarantine Park to help Probus mark a significant milestone in Australia, celebrating 50 years of bringing people together through local clubs built on friendship, connection and shared interests. |
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NOVEMBER 2025Vaucluse House Our November excursion took us to Vaucluse House Museum of History. Vaucluse House was first built as a small stone cottage between 1803-1805. Our tour guide, John, had a most impressive knowledge ofthe home and surrounding buildings. Lunch followed at the Rose Bay Hotel. |
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OCTOBER 2025Kiama by train John Baker gave us a great historic tour of the town, pointing out places of interest and giving us information on the origin of the name Kiama. Friendly locals supplemented this with one offering to take us inside the oldest church in Kiama, and others volunteering to take group shots. Some of us went to the blowhole, lighthouse and miners’ cottages before enjoying a lunch with the entire group. |
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August 2025Cherry Blossom Festival - Auburn Botanic Gardens Undeterred by the rain, 14 members enjoyed a very different day at the Annual Cherry Blossom Festival. Prolific blossoms were still hanging on and the local Council's gardeners had done an amazing job in preparing the gardens, bringing them to their peak for the Festival. |
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July 2025An artful afternoon With yummy drinks and nibbles provided throughout the afternoon and a lovely chat about art in general at the end, this really was a great time for all.
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May 2025La Perouse Nineteen members visited the La Perouse Museum and enjoyed an excellent presentation and a video on the history of the area. After leaving the museum, members were free to explore the area at their leisure, or have lunch at one of the local restaurants. |
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March 2025Art Express at NSW Art Gallery Our members enjoyed the exhibition and there was much discussion about the subject matter, the materials used and the explanatory notes provided. We then adjourned to the Verandah Bar for drinks and a debrief. |
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January 2025Sydney Metro Eleven members joined the first activity for 2025, a tour of the new Sydney Metro from Waterloo to Victoria Cross (North Sydney). The line opened on 19 August, to overwhelmingly positive responses from the public. Meeting on the ‘Grand Concourse” at Central, we then explored each station, alighting at one exit, emerging at street level and walking to the second entrance/exit at the other end of the platform. |
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December 2024Christmas function Thirty seven members enjoyed a very festive Christmas function. The day featured lots of fun with a Christmas joke competition and lucky door prizes. |
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November 2024"Horizon of Khufu" Experience With Virtual Reality headsets on, the immersive experience transported us back to ancient Egypt. Afterwards, we enjoyed discussion over lunch at UrbnSurf, an inland man-made surfing venue at Olympic Park. |
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October 2024Probus Month BBQ brunch We celebrated Probus Month with a BBQ brunch at the Quarantine Reserve. Members enjoyed a sunny day and a delicious brunch with egg, sausage and bacon rolls, as well as fruit, muffins, tea and coffee. A lovely morning recognising the value and importance of our Club in celebrating community and companionship. |
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September 2024Newcastle trip Our group met at Strathfield station and travelled by train to Newcastle. We visited Fort Scratchley, a former coastal defence installation and Newcastle Museum which provided a fascinating look at the life and working conditions at the time of the BHP steel-making in the area. We walked along the waterfront and had lunch at the Honeysuckle Hotel. At around 3pm we caught the Sydney bound train home. |
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September 2024Riverboat Postman Once on board, we were greeted with morning tea, including an Anzac Biscuit. Then followed an entertaining description by the vessel’s skipper of key natural and historical features along the River, including the beached remains of the “Parramatta”, the Australian Navy’s first ship and the unique features on the different settlements. Mail was delivered and collected at most stops. The cruise concluded with an excellent Ploughman’s Lunch. |
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July 2024Hyde Park Barracks Museum What a wonderful experience to learn about Australian convict history! Built between 1817 and 1819,the Barracks are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They were commissioned by Governor Lachlan Macquarie and designed by convict architect Francis Greenaway. |
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June 2024Nutcote ‘Nutcote’ is the home of celebrated Australian children’s author, May Gibbs (1877-1969) at Neutral Bay. Our group enjoyed a guided tour followed by relaxing conversation over a delicious Devonshire tea.
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May 2024North Head After taking the ferry to Manly and exploring there for a while we continued our journey to North Head by bus where we followed the Fairfax Walk. The rich history of the area truly came alive as we strolled through the historic fortifications and listened to stories of bravery and sacrifice. Then it was time for lunch with great food and even better company. |
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May 2024Probus Art Tour of White Bay Power Station Our tour of the revamped former White Bay Power Station coincided with the 24th Biennale of Sydney. The theme of this Biennale is "Ten Thousand Suns". There was an amazing array of artwork, surrounded by remnants of the old Power Station. |
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April 2024Parramatta History Tour Members participated in the Inland Port Walking Tour to the area east of the Parramatta CBD and a guided tour of Hambleton Cottage. Lunch was enjoyed at the 100 year old Albion Hotel. The walking tour along the river explored connections between the local Aboriginals and settlers, how Parramatta was established and how it was the main connection between the town and Sydney. |
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March 2024Tour of North Head - to be rescheduled Our planned tour of North Head was cancelled due to extreme temperatures and will be rescheduled |
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February 2024Quarantine Park Brunch Brunch at the Abbotsford Quarantine Park was extremely well supported. Quarantine Park has become a favourite for members to socialise informally. |
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January 2024State Parliament Visit An excellent lunch in the Strangers Restaurant was followed by a tour of both the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council, with special access to the floors of both chambers as Parliament was in recess. With separate guides for each chamber, both guides were outstanding in sharing the history, symbolism and functioning of the Parliament. |