Guide

Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver Guide

Meals

4 breakfasts 1 lunch 1 dinner

Others

Meet a local grazier at Gold Creek Station Hear stories of the Gold Rush era from a passionate local pub owner in Beechworth Watch the penguins and other wildlife at Phillip Island Take on the famous coastal journey, the Great Ocean Road Local Specialists (Guides) Centrally located premium hotels

Transport

Arrival and departure private airport transfers

Accommodation

1 night in Canberra 1 night in Wangaratta 2 nights in Melbourne

Hygieneprotocol

As of December 1st 2021, you must be fully vaccinated to travel with us. Your final vaccine dose must have been administered a minimum of 15 days prior to the start of the trip. This is your second dose of Pfizer, Moderna, or Astra Zeneca, or single dose of Johnson & Johnson. You must be able to show documented proof of vaccination on trip. Your CDC card is sufficient (we recommend saving a picture on your smart phone as a backup option), but please be aware that certain destinations may require you to fill out additional forms online.

Not included:

Others

Other activities and services are not included

Flights

International flights before and after the tour are not included

Optional

Other activities and services are not included

Insurance

Travel Insurance is not included

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Day 1 Day 1: Sydney - Canberra
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Sydney - Canberra

It’s hard to believe that just 1.5 hours from Sydney lies a patch of countryside that could have been transplanted straight from the English Cotswolds. This is Berrima, the oldest Georgian village in Australia. Think atmospheric villages amid rolling hills of grape vines – the Southern Highlands is the closest wine region to Australia’s largest city, after all. And then there are the grand gardens and emerald farms, one of which you’ll visit to meet Craig Starr and his family. Their 400-hectare Gold Creek Station farm is your backdrop for a Be My Guest BBQ lunch and tales about life on the land. This is your start of your Sydney to Melbourne trip, and the entrée to the country’s cool little capital of Canberra, home to Parliament House, where you’ll go behind the political scenes, as well as the Australian War Memorial. Hearing the Last Post is a moving experience, and this Canberra guided tour will linger long after you leave the capital.
Day 2 Day 2: Canberra - Wangaratta
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Canberra - Wangaratta

Thanks to architect Walter Burley Griffin, Canberra is an urban planner’s delight – the city is that well laid out, as you’ll discover when you head to the summit of Mt. Ainslie for panoramic views on a Canberra guided tour. You won’t yet be able to see the mighty Murray River, but you’ll soon cross it en route to Beechworth. From Australia’s longest river to Victoria’s best-preserved gold rush town, Beechworth saw an influx of fortune-seekers from all over the world during the 1850s. Your Travel Director will give you the Beechworth lowdown, then set you on your way to further explore character-filled antiques stores, galleries, leafy parks and gardens, and museums at your leisure. There are plenty of charming cafés and restaurants to refuel in as well, before Wangaratta’s cathedrals beckon.
Day 3 Day 3: Wangaratta - Melbourne
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Wangaratta - 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. The story is remembered on pretty much every city corner, whether in enormous statues or at the town’s well-curated museum. We’ll tell you all the tales – some of them true, many of them hearsay. All of them entertaining. Then we’ll tell you a bit more about Melbourne, like how it’s the home of Aussie rules football, covets some of the country’s best arts institutions, and has a swag of stellar restaurants, cafés and bars. Small wonder it’s known as Australia’s cultural, culinary and sporting capital. Once you have your bearings after a city and Melbourne laneway tour, head off to explore. Forget your map – one of the joys of being in Melbourne is getting lost. Discovering a hidden jazz bar. Stumbling upon a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Finding a gallery that catches your eye. Spending too much in that independent boutique. Enjoy.
Day 4 Day 4: Melbourne Free Time
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Melbourne Free Time

You could spend weeks exploring Melbourne and its surrounds and not tire of the attractions. But you just have today, so make the most of it. We wouldn’t hold it against you if all you want to do is jump on a tram and ride the rails to the city’s character-filled neighbourhoods. Perhaps bohemian Brunswick, or seaside St. Kilda for Polish cakes along Acland Street. But if you want to explore further afield, we’ve got you covered on an optional experience. For a bird’s-eye view of the bay, sign up to scale the Eureka Skydeck, offering dizzying vistas in every direction from almost 300 metres above the street. If you’re an animal lover, then you’ll want to venture to Phillip Island to see hundreds of little penguins pad from the sea along the sand en route to their burrows. It’s a nightly attraction. 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. The flight of cool-climate drops enjoyed here is all you need to ease into the evening. The choice is yours.
Day 5 Day 5: Farewell From Melbourne
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: Farewell From Melbourne

Wait, how did you just pack so much action into a working week? Cities, countryside, farms, wineries, islands… this Sydney to Melbourne trip has been quite the adventure.

5 days tour

Southern Capitals - City Meets Bush (2023/2024, 5 Days)

This tour includes:

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Itinerary of your trip Southern Capitals - City Meets Bush (2023/2024, 5 Days)

Day 1: Sydney - Canberra

Day 2: Canberra - Wangaratta

Day 3: Wangaratta - Melbourne

Day 4: Melbourne Free Time

Day 5: Farewell From Melbourne

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