Taste of Southern Australia | AUSTRALIA Tours & Travel

Country

Australia

Duration

11 Days/10 Nights

Travel Type

Escorted Tour

With AAT Kings

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 also 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 in double occupancy
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

Exclusions

International/domestic flights and airport taxes – Gratuities to hotel personnel, guides and drivers – Optional excursions – Beverages unless noted in the itinerary – Any other services not specified in the inclusions.

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.Onward to the country’s cool little capital, home to Parliament House, where you’ll go behind the political scenes. Tonight, join your Travel Director for a Welcome Dinner.

Meals : Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation : Crowne Plaza Canberra, 4* or similar

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.

Meals : Breakfast

Accommodation : Quality Hotel Wangaratta, 4* or similar

DAY 3 WARANGATTA - 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.

Meals : Breakfast

Accommodation : Crowne Plaza Hotel Melbourne, 4* or similar

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.

Meals : Breakfast

Accommodation : Crowne Plaza Hotel Melbourne, 4* or similar

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.

Meals : Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation : Deep Blue Hotel & Hot Springs, 4* or similar

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.

Meals : Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation : William MacIntosh Motor Lodge, 3* or similar

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.

Meals : Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation : Aurora Ozone Hotel, 3* or similar

DAY 8 KANGAROO ISLAND

If you like alliterations, you’ll love today’s attractions: first stops are Remarkable Rocks (because these rust-hued monoliths really are) and Admirals Arch, home to an immense colony of raucous fur seals. AAT Kings-sponsored Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary was badly damaged by the 2019 bushfires; your Kangaroo Island tour reveals the part fire plays within this delicate ecosystem, and how koalas and other wildlife adapt to their environment as it regenerates. More wildlife greets you at Seal Bay Conservation Park, where enormous sea lions barrel down the sand to the water. This is one of the most significant breeding colonies in the country. A well-deserved tasting of craft beer awaits at a boutique brewery, the only one on the island. How does a Golden Ale sound? Your destination is South Australia’s oldest European settlement, Kingscote.

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation : Aurora Ozone Hotel, 3* or similar

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.

Meals : Breakfast

Accommodation : Crowne Plaza Adelaide, 4* or similar

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.

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation : Crowne Plaza Adelaide, 4* or similar

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.

Meals : Breakfast

HOTEL OPTIONS OR SIMILAR

Canberra

Crowne Plaza, 4*

Wangaratta

Quality Hotel, 4*

Melbourne

Crowne Plaza, 4*

Warrnambool

Lady Bay Resort , 4*

Naracoorte

William MacIntosh Motor Lodge, 3*

Kangaroo Island

Aurora Ozone Hotel, 3*

Adelaide

Crowne Plaza, 4*

Rates in CA$, per person, starting from, in double occupancy	Land Package
Departures 2024-2025-2026	3* and 4*
March 5, 2024	5640
April 11, August 29, October 17, 2024	5733
November 21, 2024	6021
February 6, March 20, April 10, August 28, October 16, 2025	6690
November 20, 2025, January 8, February 5, March 5, 2026	7015

Single room supplement	On request

**Prices in this document are for information only; they were issued at press time, for the current year. Please note that due to exchange rates and temporary promotions, they can increase or decrease at any time. Contact your travel agent for the price and promotion of the moment. Prices include the contribution of customers to the Compensation Fund for clients of Quebec travel agents.

Taste of Southern Australia – Detailed itinerary