Sightseeing between Adelaide & Melbourne NRMA Insurance Test Matches

Monday 22nd December
Lunch included
Departing Adelaide we make our way through the Adelaide Hills and cross Australia’s longest river – The Murray River. We stretch our legs in Tailem Bend, then follow the coastal drive through an area called the Coorong. The whole area is a superb natural bird sanctuary with vast numbers of waterbirds such as Pelicans, Ducks, and Cormorants. Our lunch stop is at a local hotel in the coastal town of Kingston, then we head to Mount Gambier, where we can take a look at the marvellous Blue Lake and the Umpherston Sinkhole Gardens before checking into our hotel.

Accommodation: Presidential Motel, Mount Gambier
Standard Rooms – 1 night

Tuesday 23rd December
Breakfast included
Leaving South Australia, we enter Victoria and our morning stop is in the town of Portland. It is the only deep-water seaport between Adelaide and Melbourne, making it a major centre for sea transport of goods and produce from the surrounding areas. A large, sheltered harbour provides calm waters for a marina, wharves and shipping berths. We board the Portland Tram Car for a tour around town, then have some free time to purchase lunch. From Portland we now head via Port Fairy to the Tower Hill State Game Reserve. The 614 hectare reserve is situated in the crater of an extinct volcano which formed thousands of years ago when a violent eruption created the funnel-shaped crater which was later filled by the lake. The reserve is home to many native Australian animals, such as kangaroos, koalas, wombats and some very bold emus! We’ll drive through the reserve via a one way scenic road, over a land bridge to the main body of land which is virtually surrounded by Tower Hill Lake. From here it’s a short drive into Warrnambool and we visit the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village before checking into our hotel for the night.

Accommodation: Deep Blue Hotel & Hot Springs, Warrnambool
Run of House Rooms – 1 night

Wednesday 24th December
Breakfast included
Known as one of the best drives in Australia, the Great Ocean Road hugs the seaside cliffs that snake along the wild and windswept Southern Ocean. Leaving Warrnambool, we make several stops this morning to admire the stunning coastline. The area is also known as the Shipwreck Coast and we can see why so many shipwrecks occurred on this harsh stretch of coastline. We stop for lunch in Apollo Bay, then meander through the coastal towns of Lorne and Torquay, before arriving into your Melbourne accomodation late afternoon.

Enjoy an evening at leisure on Christmas Eve!

Monday 22nd December
Lunch included
The Barossa Valley is one of the world’s best known wine valleys located just 60 kms north of Adelaide. Departing Adelaide from our central location we head into the Barossa Valley and have our morning break in Tanunda before we take in the views from Menglers Hill. From here we head to one of the Barossa Valleys most iconic wineries – Seppeltsfield. The winery was established in 1851 and despite a severe economic depression for the wine industry generally in the 1870s, Seppelts continued to expand and a new winery was built in 1888. Today it is one of the most famous wineries in Australia. We will embark on a Heritage Tour of the gardens, grounds and heritage buildings, then enjoy lunch and a tasting. Next, we visit Yalumba Wines – one of Australia’s best-known vineyards and wineries. Our visit includes a tour of the Cooperage and a wine tasting.

Accommodation: Barossa Weintal Hotel, Tanunda
Run of House Rooms – 2 nights

Tuesday 23rd December
Breakfast included
Leaving the Barossa for our days touring in the Clare Valley region we arrive for our first visit of the day at visit Martindale Hall. We take a tour of the stunning pastoral mansion and hear the colourful history where a rumoured 14 servants (4 of which lived in the hall) were on call 24 hrs a day to look after the needs of two people! Such was the extravagant upper-class lifestyle of the wealthy pastoralist!! Following our tour we venture into the town of Clare for some free time to purchase lunch. This afternoon we visit 2 local wineries in the Clare Valley before returning to the Barossa. Winemaking in the Clare Valley stretches back over 160 years and today there are more than 35 cellar doors in the region – each quite distinct in its approach to winemaking. Celebrated for its Rieslings, the Clare Valley also produces world-class reds, including Shiraz and Cabernet.

Wednesday 23rd December
Breakfast included
Following breakfast, we depart the Barossa and make our way to the Adelaide Airport for our flight to Melbourne.

Upon arrival at Melbourne Airport, transfer to your Melbourne Hotel for Christmas Eve at leisure.

Monday 22nd December
Transfer from your Adelaide hotel to Adelaide Airport for your flight to Melbourne.

On arrival in Melbourne we visit Woodlands Historic Park, home to Woodlands Homestead and Living Legends racehorses. Woodlands Homestead is a unique and treasured heritage building that now houses an extensive art collections, historic artefacts and horse racing memorabilia. Living Legends is home to some of Australia’s finest retired champion racehorses including Melbourne Cup winners and other champions. We take a tour here before heading to the outer Melbourne suburb of Doncaster where we check into our accommodation for the next two nights.

Accommodation: Mercure Melbourne Doncaster Hotel
Standard Rooms – 2 nights

Tuesday 23rd December
Breakfast included
This morning we make our way to the town of Yarra Glen, set amongst beautiful vineyards. We are welcomed to the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery with tastings of their milk, white and dark chocolate. We have some time to look over the chocolate goodies. Next we travel to Healesville and visit the Healesville Sanctuary, a bushland haven for Australian wildlife. Here we can meet some iconic Australian animals like koalas, platypuses, wombats and Tasmanian devils. The Sanctuary is also home to the Australian Wildlife Centre, a hospital which treats more than 2000 sick and injured native animals every year and is an important training centre for wildlife veterinarians. Lunch is available to purchase at one of the sanctuary’s cafes and we have free time to look through the Sanctuary at leisure. To finish the day, we visit the family owned, Rochford Wines. Situated in one of the most stunning regions in Australia, with breathtaking panoramic views of the Great Dividing Ranges we relax over a wine tasting before returning to our hotel.

Wednesday 24th December
Breakfast included
Breakfast will be served in the hotel restaurant and then we head for the hills – literally, as we travel through the eastern suburbs of Melbourne to The Dandenong Ranges. We take a ride through the lush mountainside from Belgrave on the historic “Puffing Billy” steam train. Disembarking at Lakeside Visitor Centre & Museum, we have some free time to purchase lunch and look through the Lakeside Museum before the return train ride to Belgrave. From here our coach will meet us and travel into Melbourne and commence our hotel drop offs.

Monday 22nd December
Transfer from Adelaide hotels to Adelaide Airport for your flight to Melbourne.

From Melbourne airport we travel though the outer Melbourne suburbs, south through Werribee and Geelong to arrive in Queenscliff. This afternoon we will board the Ferry across Port Phillip Bay from Queenscliff to Sorrento, the main township of the Mornington Peninsula. Its not far from here to the small coastal town of Flinders where we check into our accommodation for the next two nights. Adjacent to our accommodation is the Flinders Hotel where dinners are available at passengers own expense.

Accommodation: Quarters at Flinders Hotel
Run of House Rooms – 2 nights

Tuesday 23rd December
Breakfast and Dinner included
Breakfast served at Flinders Hotel.

We have a slightly later start to the day, as tonight we will be returning late back to our hotel. It is just over a 90-minute drive to Phillip Island and we arrive at noon to watch the daily Pelican Feeding in the town of San Remo. Here we can also purchase some lunch before our first visit on Phillip Island at the Churchill Island Heritage Farm. In 1976 Churchill Island was bought by the Victorian Conservation Trust and it is now managed by the Phillip Island Nature Park. The island is a working farm with highland cattle, sheep, ducks, chickens and Clydesdale horses.

We continue our touring this afternoon, as we take a scenic drive along the Island, passing the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit before arriving at the Nobbies Centre. This area offers spectacular coastal scenery as well as viewing the offshore seal colony at Seal Rocks. Heading back towards Cowes we visit the Phillip Island Koala Conservation Reserve, then its time for dinner at the Rusty Waters Bar and Restaurant. Prior to sunset we arrive at the Phillip Island Penguin Parade Visitor Centre. Just after sunset, the penguins cross Summerland Beach to return to their sand-dune burrows – Penguins Plus Viewing. To see the Penguins come out of the surf in small groups and waddle up the beach is a unique and fascinating spectacle. At the end of the Penguin Parade we re-board the coach and head back to Flinders.

Wednesday 24th December
Breakfast will be served at Flinders Hotel before we visit the Cape Schanck Light House, one of the most picturesque locations on the Mornington Peninsula.

The Lighthouse and the Lighthouse Keepers Cottages are part of an historical site that has remained unchanged and undisturbed for more than 140 years. We take in the stunning views before heading to the Arthurs Seat Base Station. Here we board the Eagle Chairlift to the Summit and lookout – the highest point of the Mornington Peninsula. At 300 metres it provides spectacular panoramic views of Port Phillip Bay. On a clear day the view extends as far as the city skyline, the You Yang Mountain Ranges and Mount Macedon. We stop for some free time to purchase lunch in Mount Martha and follow the Esplanade through to Brighton and St Kilda for our final stop for the day. Mid-afternoon we commence our hotel drop offs in Melbourne for a Christmas Eve at leisure.

Monday 22nd December
Lunch and Dinner inlcuded
We have an early start to our Kangaroo Island tour and travel from Adelaide through the Southern Vales wine region to Cape Jervis, the departure point for the Sealink Ferry service to Kangaroo Island. It takes 40 minutes to complete the crossing to Penneshaw and once the coach is unloaded, we head to the Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Distillery for lunch and a guided tour.

Eucalyptus Oil distilling was once one of Kangaroo Islands major industries. It began in the 1880’s, and was a supplementary income for the farmers clearing their land for sheep farming. In the 1930’s it reached its peak with 48 stills employing over 600 people and over the eucalyptus distilling era there were around 100 stills on the island. This afternoon we head to Kingscote, the largest town on Kangaroo Island before arriving at our accommodation at American River. The area was named after American sealers that stayed on this part of the island for four months in 1803 and there is a memorial plaque in the main town to commemorate this. We have time at leisure this afternoon before dinner in the onsite restaurant.

Accommodation: Mercure Kangaroo Island Lodge, American Rover
Run of House Rooms – 2 nights

Tuesday 23rd December
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included
Our first visit for the day is at Seal Bay for a guided walk amongst the Sea Lions. Seal Bay has been home to an Australian Sea Lion population for thousands of years, and offers one of the most exceptional nature-based experiences in the world. There are no enclosures or cages at Seal Bay. Instead, we are taken into the heart of the colony where our experienced guides will teach us about these endangered animals. From Seal Bay we now head to Raptor Domain for the Free Flight Birds of Prey presentation followed by lunch. This is a rare opportunity to see and interact with some of Australia’s incredible birds in up close encounters. Our local guide joins us again this afternoon as we explore the Western part of Kangaroo Island inside the Flinders Chase National Park. The park’s coastal scenery includes Admirals Arch, Remarkable Rocks and an excellent boardwalk where we can see a colony of New Zealand Fur Seals Below.

Wednesday 24th December
Breakfast included
We have an early start this morning as we make our way back to Penneshaw and connect with the 8.30 ferry service to Cape Jervis. Back on the mainland we express to the Adelaide Airport for our flights to Melbourne.

On arrival, transfer from Melbourne Airport to your Melbourne hotel for Christmas Eve at leisure.