Day 1:   Arrive in Melbourne, transfer to your hotel. Enjoy an afternoon half day city sights tour to orientate yourself. Travel through the city center past the Melbourne Cricket Ground to the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Shrine of Remembrance for a photo stop. Continue visiting city highlights including the Docklands waterfront development before travelling by the beach to St Kilda for a coffee stop (own expense). See the iconic Brighton Beach boxes and Melbourne's fashionable suburbs. (4 nights in Melbourne)

 

Day 2:   Today you have a food and wine tour of the Yarra Valley, a world class wine region. Throughout your day, delight in an exclusive private tasting with carefully matched Yarra Valley produce at one of our favourite boutique vineyards. Spend time exploring the region meeting local characters and sampling wine from highly regarded wineries such as Yarra Yering, Coldstream Hills, Pimpernel and Yering Farm. Enjoy a sumptuous lunch at one of the region’s picturesque vineyard restaurants, such as TarraWarra Estate or Oakridge Wines.

 

Day 3:   Serious food lovers are in for a treat. Prepare to be constantly inspired and delighted by this diverse, boot-shaped region; you are now entering Foodie Heaven. Your hosts own 27 acres of charming farm land with red fertile soil that allows them to grow and produce premium quality olives, grapes, herbs and veggies. They also raise sheep, chickens and fish, and turn amazing produce from local farmers into a range of delectable goodies. You'll get a whole new perspective on the concept of Paddock to Plate'. Spend time in the kitchen with the chef; cooking in a wood fire oven, with wood collected from fallen timber on the property. What you do on the day depends on the season; you may try your hand at curing olives grown on the farm, create handmade sausages in natural skins, make mouth-watering gnocchi, master the art of sourdough bread, learn ways to cook with olives and olive oil, or successfully roast and make great coffee. Later you'll sit back, relax and enjoy the surrounds while eating and drinking some of the finest food and wine the Mornington Peninsula has to offer. After lunch take a drive down the road to sample cool climate wines with a favorite wine makes, taste freshly made goats cheese from a local dairy or savor succulent strawberries and cherries from the fruit farms in the area.

 

Day 4:   You start the day with a coffee lovers walking tour.  Melbourne is obsessed with coffee and is one of the great speciality coffee cities of the world. This 2.5 hour walking tour takes you to hidden places that really care about the origin, roast and brewing of the bean - with at least 4 tastings along the way. It's a great way to discover the laneways of Melbourne, discover some of the locals favorite places to hang out and learn about what makes Melbournians tick along the way. And you'll drink some great coffee. Your guide is an ex-barista (and coffee nerd), who will guide you through Melbourne's coffee scene from crop to cup.

 

Spend the afternoon exploring the city. Discover artisan and specialty retailers, and see quirky cafes, independent designers, street art, architecture in and around Melbourne's lane ways. The shopping is very good.

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Day 5:    Transfer to the airport for your flight to Adelaide.  From there transfer onto Barossa Valley. Staying at The Louise (3 nights) you can enjoy Appellation one of Australia’s award-winning restaurants.  Spend the afternoon relaxing, enjoying the pool, spa services or cycling.

 

Day 6:    Todays vineyard and Barossa Valley tour will take you on a picturesque 4WD backroads tour of the valley in luxury vehicles.  Enjoy a behind the scenes look at the Australian viticulture and wine making philosophy and the best views in the valley.  Sample outstanding wines at 5 single vineyard wines and enjoy a long lunch at Cellar Door before heading back.

 

Day 7:     Start your day with Breakfast With The Kangaroos, a private escorted gourmet breakfast in the park surrounded by kangaroos.  This afternoon you will try your hand at being a winemaker.  You get to make your own wine blend at Penfolds under the guidance of a wine educator. Bring your wine back to Appellation restaurant where the award-winning culinary team will create a special course custom paired to your wine to form part of your dining experience that evening. 

 

Day 8:     Leaving the Barossa Valley you will drive to Adelaide (approximately 1.5 hours) and transfer to your short flight to Kangaroo Island, enjoy the scenic views.  Your accommodation is at Sea Dragon Lodge & Villas, a boutique, adults only, eco-friendly retreat where you can enjoy romantic sunsets with spectacular ocean views, farm-fresh local produce, your very own secluded beach and an abundance of wildlife. (3 nights Kangaroo Island – Sea Dragon Lodge & Villas).

 

Day 9:    Kangaroo Island is famous for its food, wine and local produce.  Today you get to experience this first hand.  See the busy Ligurian Bees (originally imported from Italy) produce their amazing-tasting honey at Clifford's Honey, experience some Emu Ridge Eucalytpus Oil and see how the oil is distilled, spend an hour strolling through the township of Kingscote and also have lunch, enjoy some Bay of Shoals wine and a cheese platter, watch a sheep being milked at Island Pure Sheep Dairy and taste their mild cheese, taste the Australian Award Winning Gin 'Old Tom' at Kangaroo Island Spirits, visit Island Beehive before heading back to Sea Dragon Lodge & Villas.

 

Day 10:  You are off to explore Flinders Chase National Park today.  Travel to the western section of the island and discover the remarkable Flinders Chase National Park, one of the oldest and most important national parks in South Australia. Enjoy the opportunity to walk through the park in search for kangaroos, wallabies and a variety of birdlife. See at close range some of the 10,000 healthy fur seals in their colony at Cape du Couedic and discover the formation of the Remarkable Rocks. At Admirals Arch see where the powerful forces of nature have cut through the headland to create this natural geological formation. Enjoy a gourmet picnic lunch served in a secluded bush setting.  Enter the Kelly Hill Conservation Park to see kangaroos and other native wildlife emerge from the safety of the bush land to graze on the open plains.

 

Day 11:   Transfer from your accommodation to Sydney via Adelaide.  Explore the Sydney Opera House on an afternoon tour.  The Sydney Opera House is one of the world's most recognizable landmarks and this is your chance to truly get up-close. Run your hands over the world-famous shell tiles, take a seat in the elegant custom-made white birch timber chairs and marvel at the vaulted ceilings. Visit areas off-limits to the public and capture photographs from rare vantage points. Explore theatres and foyers where more than 1600 concerts, operas, dramas and ballets take place each year.

 

Day 12:   You get to discover Sydney Harbour today on a progressive long lunch. Cruise Sydney Harbour on a luxury cruiser as you discover the beauty of the harbor and dine at some world famous iconic harbor side restaurants. As you cruise past the world-famous landmarks of the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House your crew will be on hand to tell you about the past and modern day history of the harbor. Your entrée and first stop is at the renowned Doyles on the Beach at Watsons Bay.  Your main course is at the Balmoral Public Dining Room. Whilst onboard you will be able to have your dessert from the dessert and cheese platters. There is even an opportunity to stop for a swim if you choose. This cruise is the long lunch and really does show you all the beauty of Sydney Harbour.

 

Day 13:   Journey to Hunter Valley approximately 2 hours from Sydney.  180 years young, this is Australia's oldest and best known wine region and is soaked in history. Our first visit is to a 5-star winery nestled in the Mount View region of the Hunter Valley, a well renowned viticulture area. Sample exquisite wines in your own private area. From here we continue onto Leogate Estate. This opulent cellar door is the perfect place to enjoy that unique taste which only the Hunter Valley and their award winning wines can provide. Here we will enjoy a selection of cheeses to accompany the wine tasting, followed by a tour of the onsite winery to learn of the wine making process. On conclusion of the tour, we enjoy a relaxing 2 course lunch (selection of platters, followed by dessert of choice) accompanied by a glass of wine. After lunch we travel to Keith Tulloch Winery. This small completely family owned winery and vineyard produces wines that express the unique terrain and climate from the ancient soils of the Brokenback Range.

 

Day 14:   This morning you learn about the Aboriginal Dream Time, history and culture and understand the connection between modern Sydney and the Aboriginal dreaming.  Enjoy this leisurely guided walk that is intimate, enlightening and very informative. This afternoon is for adventure with a Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb. This is the opportunity to climb the world famous Sydney Harbour Bridge. You will be led by one of BridgeClimb's professional Climb Leaders, on a 3.5 hour guided journey (including preparation and briefing), to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The Climb takes you along the outer arch of the Bridge on catwalks and ladders all the way to the summit, 134 metres above Sydney Harbour. The steady incline to the summit leaves you free to focus your attention on the surroundings, with the opportunity to witness 360 degree views of Sydney including east to the Sydney Opera House, west to the Blue Mountains and the Harbour city surrounds.

 

Day 15:   You leave Sydney today to begin your journey home. Transfer to the airport for your flight home.