Exclusive Offer! Taste of Southern Australia Tour with Exotik Journeys
Price: Starting From $4,709CAD Per Person
(Price per person, based on double occupancy, based on August 29 and September 19, 2023 departures.)
Offer: Save $75CAD
Photo: Kangaroo Island, Australia
Taste of Southern Australia 11 Days/10 Nights
(Sydney – Canberra – Wangaratta – Melbourne – Warrnambool – Naracoorte – Kangaroo Island – Adelaide)
This trip fully deserves its name. Expect to sample some of Southern Australia’s most drool-worthy produce – think craft beers, wines, and cheeses – and savour some of its most dreamy landscapes, from the Great Ocean Road’s Twelve Apostles to the sparkling coves of South Australia on a Kangaroo Island tour. In between there are Phillip Island little penguins, Melbourne laneways, the Barossa and Canberra, Australia’s culture-filled capital.
Inclusions:
- 10-night accommodation at 3* and 4* stars hotels
- Return airport transfers
- Travel by luxury coach
- English-speaking experienced travel director and driver guide
- 18 meals: 10 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 1 Be My Guest lunch, 4 dinners with wine, 1 farewell dinner
- Visits and sightseeing as per itinerary
Photo: Panorama of Sydney skyline at sunset
Day 1: Sydney - Canberra
As hard as it is to say goodbye to Sydney, it’s just as easy to say hello to the Southern Highlands. South of the ‘Harbour City’, the bucolic countryside of Berrima awaits – fun fact: this is the oldest Georgian village in Australia. Not far from here you’re welcomed to Gold Creek Station by sheep farmer Craig Starr for a Be My Guest BBQ lunch and tales about life on the land. And what eye-catching land it is, ringed by glorious gardens and deciduous forest that changes colour with the seasons. Your Sydney to Melbourne trip continues onward to the country’s cool little capital, home to Parliament House, where you’ll go behind the political scenes, as well as the Australian War Memorial. Hearing the Last Post on your Canberra guided tour is a moving experience.
Day 2: Canberra - Wangaratta
Get some Canberra perspective from the summit of Mt. Ainslie. You won’t be able to see the Murray River, but you’ll soon cross it en route to Beechworth, Victoria’s best-preserved gold rush town. Get the lowdown on Beechworth over a chat with the publican of the historic local pub, then set you on your way to explore character-filled antiques stores, galleries, and museums at your leisure. There are plenty of charming places to refuel, as well, before Wangaratta’s cathedrals beckon.
Day 3: Wanrangatta - Melbourne
Meandering south toward historic Glenrowan, you’re well and truly in Ned Kelly country – this is where the infamous bushranger and his gang were finally captured in 1880. We’ll tell you all the tales, then a few more about Melbourne, the home of Aussie rules football, some of the country’s best arts institutions, and a swag of stellar restaurants, cafés, and bars. Once you have your bearings, explore as you will. We can help with evening restaurant reservations, as well as Melbourne laneway tours. But there’s something magical about just getting lost in the art-filled alleys of Australia’s second-largest city, discovering underground jazz lounges and rooftop eateries to watch the sun set.
Day 4: Melbourne
You’re on your own today. Well, not really, because your Travel Director is at your service to help arrange sightseeing experiences. After you’ve enjoyed a strong coffee in one of Melbourne’s atmospheric laneways, that is. Adrenaline junkie? Linger in the city, gaining bird’s-eye views from the Eureka Skydeck, the Southern Hemisphere’s highest attraction, looming almost 300 metres above the ground. Animal lover? Venture out on a Phillip Island little penguin tour to see hundreds of these cute creatures’ pad from the ocean along the sand back to snuggle in their burrows for the night. Want to get back to nature? Chug through the lush Dandenong Ranges on the Puffing Billy Steam Train, followed by a sip or two of wine in the Yarra Valley. This cool-climate growing region makes standout chardonnay, pinot noir and sparklings. The choice is yours.
Day 5: Melbourne - Warrnambool
The Great Ocean Road is one of the world’s most epic journeys, a dramatic 240-kilometre union of limestone stacks (Twelve Apostles, we’re looking at you), World Heritage listed rainforest, untouched coastal coves, and sleepy towns, like Lorne and Apollo Bay. It’s hard to know where to point your camera on a Great Ocean Road Melbourne tour. We recommend having it poised to snap shots of the Loch Ard Gorge, the site of a famous shipwreck, and London Bridge rock formations. The latter sandstone arch once resembled its namesake bridge; even after its collapse, it’s still an impressive natural wonder. It doesn’t get any better than this.
Photo: Sunset at the famous Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia
Day 6: Warrnambool - Naracoorte
Emus, kangaroos, koalas, echidnas… oh my! These are just some of the animals you’ll likely spot visiting Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve – housed in a dormant volcanic crater – with an Aboriginal guide. Remarkably, this pocket of paradise was once wasteland, transformed by volunteers. More volcanic history awaits across the South Australian border in Mt. Gambier, home to the crater-filling Blue Lake -- because it’s very blue and it’s a lake. By now you’ll be pretty thirsty, so it’s a good thing the Coonawarra wine region is around the corner. After a few sips, you may find yourself getting deep – literally. Naracoorte’s Alexandra Cave is a maze of delicate needle-like stalactites and massive twisting columns.
Day 7: Naracoorte - Kangaroo Island
The Fleurieu Peninsula region of South Australia is a natural adventure playground, all rolling hills, rugged clifftops, and sandy beaches. Seaside Victor Harbor turns on the charms – there are steam locomotives – before your ferry blasts its horn. All aboard to tour Kangaroo Island. A well-deserved tasting of craft beer awaits at a boutique brewery, the only one on the island. How does sheoak stout sound or a Mexican inspired brew made using a combination of malted barley and flaked rice? We won’t judge you for sneaking in a nap en route to is Kingscote, South Australia’s oldest European settlement and your base for the night.
Day 8: Kangaroo Island
Begin your exploration of fascinating Kangaroo Island today with a visit to the spectacular Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch followed by a guided tour of the AAT Kings sponsored Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary which was badly affected by the 2019 bushfires. Learn what part fire plays within this delicate ecosystem and how the koalas and other wildlife are adapting to their environment. This is followed by a delicious lunch featuring fresh, local produce before joining a local specialist at Seal Bay Conservation Park for a guided walk among a colony of rare sea lions in one of the country’s most important breeding colonies. Tonight, is free at leisure for you to explore.
Day 9: Kangaroo Island - Adelaide
You’ve arrived in the South Australian capital, known for its well-preserved churches and well-admired cuisine. Did you know that Adelaide boasts more restaurants per capita than any other city in Australia? After an Adelaide city tour, the afternoon is yours to see just how many you can sample – we have a few recommendations, including a visit to the epic Central Market, where you can try green ant gin with cheese, among so many other delicacies. This place is the largest covered market in the Southern Hemisphere, with more than 70 stallkeepers showcasing their tasty wares.
Day 10: Adelaide Hills and The Barossa
Pull on your elastic-waisted pants – today is one of indulgences through the Adelaide Hills and the Barossa, dotted with atmospheric towns like Hahndorf, Australia’s oldest surviving German settlement. A Barossa and Hahndorf tour reveals the bountiful food and wine this pocket of the state is known for. And you’ll enjoy a tasting from small batch wine makers from across the valley as well as discovering local flavours at the historic South Australian Company Store, replete with century-old stone buildings enveloped by vines.
Photo: Picturesque wine valley in Barossa, South Australia
Day 11: Adelaide
By day 11, you will have a suitcase full of gin, wine, and cheese; a camera full of dreamy images; and more memories than you can count.