Tours Thornbury

We pick you up from your city hotel and introduce you to Melbourne and why we think it’s special; its cultural diversity, shopping, great food / wine, sport and events, beautiful parks and gardens, and it’s classic historical buildings. Of course if you have a special interest or knowledge of something you would like to see we would be
delighted to include this in our tour.
We start the morning by leisurely driving the streets of cosmopolitan Brunswick and Carlton explaining the heartbeats of this young city. A stroll around the Queen Victoria Markets is popular for tourists and locals, and showcases a vast assortment of goods in a very vibrant atmosphere. The Docklands is Melbourne’s newest precinct and is a perfect example of the modern style of living within the city. Our journey then traverses the many streets and boulevards of Melbourne city highlighting the historical, cultural and geographical changes over time.
Melbourne is a very proud sporting city and home to the unique game of Australian Rules Football. Many International events are staged yearly at various arenas such as the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne Park (home of the Australian Open Tennis) and Albert Park Grand Prix circuit. We travel through this sporting precinct only a couple of kilometers from the city centre.
We stop for morning tea at the Royal Botanic Gardens and visit the Shrine of Remembrance before making our way down to Port Phillip Bay via the Grand Prix circuit. We drive the esplanade and take in the seaside suburb of St Kilda before returning to the city via Melbourne’s finest boulevard, St Kilda Road.
Our Private City Sights tour is a private tour only which departs at 0900 from Melbourne. Pickups are available from all city hotels within Melbourne. Passengers will be returned to their points of departure at 1300 at the completion of the tour.

Tours include :
• 1 x morning tea

• Private group travel

After a pickup from your city hotel, we travel over the infamous Westgate Bridge towards Victoria’s south-west coast. We pass through Geelong, the second largest city in Victoria, before reaching the start of the Great Ocean Road in Torquay. Our first stop for the day is at Anglesea where we observe wild grey kangaroos at the local golf club. Lorne is our next stop for some morning tea and a chance to take in the beauty of the Southern Ocean and surrounding foothills. While winding along this cliff hugging road your guide show you many scenic lookouts and introduce you to the stories behind its creation. A stop at Kennett River allows you the opportunity to see koalas in their natural environment as well as many colourful native birds.
Lunch brings us to the seaside village of Apollo Bay to enjoying some of the gourmet local produce. On our way through the Otway Ranges we make a stop to enjoy a walk through a cool temperate rainforest gully. This forest dates back millions of years to the times that dinosaurs wandered this region. In 1987, a new species of Dinosaur called Leaellynasuara, dating back 100 million years was found on the coastline at Rotten Point. There is also evidence of Aboriginal tribes living of the land in the form of shell middens dating back over 10,000 years. We explain some of the history, culture and conflict that has a resonance with the battles of native peoples world wide.
We arrive at the Shipwreck Coast and visit the Icons of the Twelve Apostles. Here your guide will explain their creation and constant reformation while you get photos and even take a helicopter ride. We then visit ‘Loch Ard Gorge’, the site of the most famous 19th century Australian shipwreck. We retell the entire story from the calm voyage, the tragic wreck, the courageous survivors and their ultimate fate. While hearing the tale you will be able to see and hold some original artifacts, photos and documents from the ‘Loch Ard’ contained in our treasure chests.
We then turn for Melbourne traveling through some of Australia’s most fertile land and the worlds third largest Volcanic plain. We arrive back in Melbourne around 1900.

Tour Details
Our Great Ocean Road tour is a private tour only which departs at 0730 from Melbourne. Pickups are available from all city hotels within Melbourne. Passengers will be returned to their points of departure at 1900 at the completion of the tour.
Tours include :
• 1 x 2 course lunch

• Private group travel

We pick you up at your hotel and start by travelling into the Adelaide Hills. Here we
explore Hahndorf, a traditional German town in the Adelaide Hills and Mt Lofty
Summit with sweeping views of Adelaide. Our journey then takes us through grain
and stock lands towards the town of Keith, where we have lunch and turn south
towards wine country.






We travel through a relatively new wine region of Padthaway towards the World
Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves to learn of the fossil discoveries of ‘MegaFauna’
that make this site so internationally important. We then travel into the scenic
Coonawarra wine region recognized as one of the best Cabernet Sauvignon regions
of the world. After sampling some local wines from this highly awarded region we
continue on to our overnight destination, Mt Gambier.


Tonight, we are accommodated in luxurious rooms at ‘The Barn’, just a short
distance from Mt Gambier. Nestled amongst farmland, this beautiful resort-like
setting boasts an award-winning restaurant famous for its steak variations. Dinner
and breakfast are both included in your stay at ‘The Barn’.






After breakfast on day 2, we travel towards the Shipwreck coast. We start with a visit
to the ‘blue’ crater lake in Mt Gambier then drive on to Port Fairy before visiting
Tower Hill Reserve where we are likely to see Emus, Koalas, Kangaroos and
Echidnas. Our journey then takes us through Warrnambool and Allansford in the
heart of diary country and home of Australia’s oldest diary processing plant.


We then start the Great Ocean Road with the impressive limestone stacks of the Bay
of Martyrs and Bay of Islands. We then visit London Bridge and ‘Loch Ard Gorge’,
the site of the most famous 19th century Australian shipwreck. We retell the entire
story from the calm voyage, the tragic wreck, the courageous survivors and their
ultimate fate. While hearing the tale you will be able to see and hold some original
artefacts, photos and documents from the ‘Loch Ard’ contained in our treasure
chests.Our journey then encounters one of Australia’s icons, the Twelve Apostles. We
explain the creation of these limestone stacks and the constant erosion of this
coastline. Load your camera – there will be plenty of photo opportunities! You will
also have the opportunity to fly high above the coastline, viewing the apostles from a
helicopter (own expense).

Our journey then takes us into the Otway National Park and through to Apollo Bay
and Skenes Creek where we arrive at your villa style accommodation set high on a hill
with great views overlooking the Southern Ocean. These private villas at ‘Chris’
Restaurant and Villas’, set within native forest, offer the perfect environment to relax
and unwind. Dinner is in the award-winning restaurant, famous for its beautiful
modern Greek-Australian menu and superb views.





















N


Breakfast on day 3 takes in the same wonderful views while enjoying a fresh,
continental breakfast.


Our first stop to walk is within the Otway National Park at ‘Maits Rest’. This is a 1km
walk through a cool temperate rainforest gully discovering trees and ferns that date
back millions of years to times when dinosaurs roamed this part of the world.


We then turn towards Melbourne and travel along a very scenic section of the Great
Ocean Road en route to Kennett River for a fantastic viewing of wild Koalas in their
native setting. We also visit many scenic spots for photos and tell numerous stories
behind the making of the road. We stop for lunch at the largest of the seaside
villages, Lorne. This popular tourist town is full of restaurants and cafes and boasts
great shopping and swimming beaches.


After lunch we drive along the surf coast and take in the surf culture of the region
with a visit to Torquay and Bells Beach. We also visit Anglesea Golf Club where we
will likely see Kangaroos in their natural environment. Our journey then takes us
through the historic gateway to the Great Ocean Road, Geelong. We have some
afternoon tea along the re-designed waterfront before turning to Melbourne.


Our journey into Melbourne takes us through farmland on our approach to the city
and then over the infamous ‘West Gate Bridge’ as we welcome you to Melbourne.







4 star accommodation 2 x 2 course dinner 2 x breakfast Entrance fees as per itinerary Cave tour

Our guests on this small group tour are picked up from their city hotel or Federation Square and we quickly depart Melbourne via the West Gate Bridge. We travel through the vast volcanic plains on route to Geelong where you have time to stroll along the beautifully transformed waterfront. We start our journey along the Great Ocean Road at Torquay, stopping at various places along the coast including Bells Beach and our scenic morning tea location.
Our focus then turns to Australian native wildlife as we observe Eastern Grey Kangaroos in the wild. This is one of many opportunities to see and hear about our unique and unusual animals in their native habitat. Our journey then begins travelling the very scenic, cliff-hugging section of the Great Ocean Road. While winding our way along we stop to view sites such as the ‘Memorial Arch’ and tell you of the intriguing story of this incredible road.
Lorne is the largest of the seaside resorts, with its abundance of cafes and restaurants it is a perfect place for a lunch break. You may even find time to have a swim or do some shopping.
After lunch we cruise along the spectacular road, stopping at many scenic spots including Kennett River where we can see koalas and many colourful native birds in the wild. Travelling through Apollo Bay we go into the Great Otway National Park. We take you on a 1km guided walk through a cool temperate rainforest gully to see the world’s tallest flowering plants, prehistoric trees and ferns and unique features such as ‘Yabbie Chimneys’.
We visit Apollo Bay before checking in to ‘Beacon Point Ocean View Villas’. Your private self contained villa is set high on a hill overlooking the Southern Ocean. This amazing setting is a great place to relax and unwind for a couple of hours. We have dinner tonight at the famous Chris's at Beacon Point. This restaurant is the only local restaurant to be awarded a 'Chefs Hat' and boasts an extensive menu that utilizes great local produce in a modern Greek-Australian way.
Our second day starts with breakfast at the ‘locals favourite’ Bay Leaf Cafe. Great coffee, tea and vast breakfast menu make this a perfect way to start another full day. Our journey starts with us travelling through the Otway ranges and onto the ‘Shipwreck Coast’. Our first stop is at Castle Cove overlooking the Aire river valley. Your guide will introduce you to the strong Aboriginal heritage of the region with many tribes living prosperously around the coastline for thousands of years. In the same area millions of years ago when Australia was part of the great southern land, Gondwana, dinosaurs were roaming the land. A unique find along the coast in 1987 uncovered important clues into the world’s pre-historic past.
The 12 Apostles are Icons of Australia’s natural beauty. We arrive as the stacks are lit with the morning sun making them perfect for photos and crowd free. This is a bonus for taking a 2 day trip as the stacks are silhouettes in the afternoon and overcrowded. After hearing of the creation of the stacks and holding some of the limestone rock you can explore the boardwalks or brave a helicopter flight along the coastline (own expense). We then visit ‘Loch Ard Gorge’, the site of the most famous 19th century Australian shipwreck. We retell the entire story from the calm voyage, the tragic wreck, the courageous survivors and their ultimate fate. While hearing the tale you will be able to see and hold some original artifacts, photos and documents from the ‘Loch Ard’ contained in our treasure chests.
Port Campbell is our lunch stop for today. The small fishing village of just 350 is set in a beautiful natural port and has some wonderful cafes and restaurants for food and views.

After lunch we travel to a lesser known but highly impressive area of the Great Ocean Road west of Port Campbell. This section takes in London Bridge, Bay of Islands, Bay of Martyrs, and Boat Bay before our journey turns inland and travels through open farmland towards Melbourne arriving there around 6pm.
Our Private 2 Day Great Ocean Road tour is a private tour only which departs at 0830 from Melbourne. Pickups are available from all city hotels within Melbourne. Passengers will be dropped at any Melbourne CBD location at 1730 at the completion of the tour.

Tours include :
• 3.5 - 4 star accommodation
• 1 x 2 course dinner

• 1 x cooked breakfast

• Private group travel

This 4 day tour has a fantastic combination of coastlines, mountains and history. Within this famous region known as the ‘Great Southern Touring route’ lie amazing natural and historic experiences for you to discover.
Our guests on this small group tour are picked up from their city hotel or Federation Square and we quickly depart Melbourne for Geelong where you have time to stroll along the beautifully transformed waterfront. We start our journey along the Great Ocean Road at Torquay, stopping at various places along the coast including Bells Beach and a place to observe Eastern Grey Kangaroos in the wild. This is one of many opportunities to see and hear about our unique and unusual animals in their native habitat. Our journey then begins travelling the very scenic, cliff-hugging section of the Great Ocean Road. While winding our way towards lunch in the seaside village of Lorne, we stop to view sites such as the ‘Memorial Arch’ and tell you of the intriguing story of this incredible road.
After lunch we cruise along the spectacular road, stopping at many scenic spots including Kennett River where we can see koalas and many colourful native birds in the wild. Travelling through Apollo Bay we go into the Great Otway National Park where we take you on a 1km guided walk through a cool temperate rainforest gully. We visit Apollo Bay before checking in your private self contained villa set high on a hill overlooking the Southern Ocean. This amazing setting is a great place to relax and unwind for a couple of hours. We have dinner tonight at the very popular Apollo Bay Hotel, this restaurant has an extensive menu and utilises great local produce.
Our second day starts with breakfast at the ‘locals favourite’ Bay Leaf Cafe. Great coffee, tea and vast breakfast menu make this a perfect way to start another full day. Our journey starts with us travelling through the Otway ranges and onto the ‘Shipwreck Coast’. Our first stop is at Castle Cove overlooking the Aire river valley. Your guide will introduce you to the strong Aboriginal heritage of the region with many tribes living prosperously around the coastline for thousands of years. The same area continues to reveal a rich pre-historic past; evidence shows dinosaur habitation dating back 106 million years. The 12 Apostles are Icons of Australia’s natural beauty. We arrive as the stacks are lit with the morning sun making them perfect for photos and crowd free. After hearing of the creation of the stacks and holding some of the limestone rock you can explore the boardwalks or brave a helicopter flight along the coastline (own expense). We then visit ‘Loch Ard Gorge’, the site of the most famous 19th century Australian shipwreck. We retell the entire story from the calm voyage, the tragic wreck, the courageous survivors and their ultimate fate. While hearing the tale you will be able to see and hold some original artifacts, photos and documents from the ‘Loch Ard’ contained in our treasure chests. After lunch in Port Campbell we travel to a lesser known but highly impressive area of the Coastline west of Port Campbell. This section includes the limestone formations of London Bridge, Bay of Islands, Bay of Martyrs and Boat Bay and is seen only be a small percentage of the people travelling the Great Ocean Road. Our journey then continues through to Warrnambool and Port Fairy with a visit to Tower Hill Game Reserve for the chance to see Koalas, Kangaroos and Emus living wild within this extinct volcanic crater. We then leave the coast and drive north towards the Grampians National Park. Your accommodation is at the foot of Mt Sturgeon staying and eating at the Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld. This hotel has won many awards for its food and wine including ‘Regional Restaurant of the year 2009’ in Gourmet Traveler Magazine and ‘Country Restaurant of the Year 2009’ by the Age Good Food Guide.
Our third day starts with an incredibly scenic drive between the Serra and Mt William Ranges through to Halls Gap in the heart of the Grampians NP. Our day includes a few short walks at Baroka Lookout, Reid’s Lookout and McKenzie Falls as well as visits to ‘Brambuk’ Aboriginal cultural centre and a rock art site ‘Bunjil’s Shelter’. This is an incredibly beautiful area that is rich in Flora, Fauna, steep scarps and amazing rock formations. The Aboriginal name for this region is ‘Gariwerd’ and it has great significance for the Aboriginal people of Victoria as well as containing 80% of the states Aboriginal rock art. Our journey continues to the gold mining township of Ballarat, once one of the richest towns in the world. We stay overnight at the Lodge at Sovereign Hill, having lunch in the village before watching the sound and light extravaganza ‘Blood on the Southern Cross’. This is a fantastic 90 minute show telling the story of the Eureka rebellion of 1854 where miners and police clashed over excessive mining licence fees.
The morning of our fourth day is spent exploring the village of Sovereign Hill including a visit to the Gold museum and a guided mine tour. This award winning recreation depicts Ballarat in 1854 in great detail. The shops lining the street are all working businesses, the hundreds of staff are in period costume and there is real gold to be found in the creek bed. In the afternoon we visit Ballarat Wildlife Park, home to usual suspects as well as many unique Australian animals including Tasmanian Devils, Crocodiles and other reptiles. We return to Melbourne delivering you to your hotel around 5pm.


Our Great Ocean Road / Grampians and Goldfields tour departs at 0830 from Melbourne. Pickups are available from all city hotels within Melbourne. Passengers will be returned to their points of departure at 1700 at the completion of the tour.

Tours include :
• 3.5 - 4 star accommodation
• 3 x 2 course dinner

• 3 x cooked breakfast
• Entrance fees as per itinerary
• Sound and Laser show as per itinerary

This tour is a wonderful way to travel between these two great cities. This journey starts with the discovery of ancient Australian animals, visits to some of our best wineries and continues through to our most famous coastal road. Along the way you will enjoy great food, stunning views and memorable experiences.
We pick you up at your hotel and start by traveling in to the Adelaide Hills. Here we explore Hahndorf, a traditional German town in the Adelaide Hills and Mt Lofty Summit with sweeping views of Adelaide. Our journey then takes us through grain and stock lands towards the town of Keith, where we have lunch and turn south towards wine country.
We travel through a relatively new wine region of Padthaway towards the World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves to learn of the fossil discoveries of Mega Fauna that make this site so internationally important. We then travel into the scenic Coonawarra wine region recognized as one of the best Cabernet Sauvignon regions of the world. After sampling some local wines from this highly awarded region we continue on to out overnight destination, Mt Gambier. Tonight we are accommodated in luxurious rooms at ‘The Commodore’ which also houses an award winning restaurant for dinner and breakfast.
After breakfast we travel on toward the Shipwreck coast. We start with a visit to the ‘blue’ crater lake in Mt Gambier then drive on to Port Fairy before visiting Tower Hill Reserve where we are likely to see Emus, Koalas, Kangaroos and Echidnas. Our journey then takes us through Warrnambool and Allansford in the heart of diary country and home of Australia’s oldest diary processing plant.
We then start the Great Ocean Road with the impressive limestone stacks of the Bay of Martyrs and Bay of Islands. We then visit London Bridge and ‘Loch Ard Gorge’, the site of the most famous 19th century Australian shipwreck. We retell the entire story from the calm voyage, the tragic wreck, the courageous survivors and their ultimate fate. While hearing the tale you will be able to see and hold some original artifacts, photos and documents from the ‘Loch Ard’ contained in our treasure chests.
We then discover one of Australia’s icons, the Twelve Apostles. We explain the creation of these limestone stacks and the constant wearing away of this coastline. Load your camera – there will be plenty of photo opportunities! You will also have the opportunity to fly high above the coastline, viewing the apostles from a helicopter (own expense).
Our journey then takes us into the Otway National Park and through to Apollo Bay. Here we have dinner at the Apollo Bay Hotel. This is a very popular restaurant with a very extensive menu. We then arrive at your 4 star accommodation set high on a hill with great views overlooking the Southern Ocean. These private villas set within native forest offer the perfect environment to relax and unwind.
The third day sees us leave our tranquil overnight setting to have breakfast at the Bay Leaf café in Apollo Bay. Our first stop is within the Otway National Park at ‘Maits Rest’. This is a 1km walk through a cool temperate rainforest gully discovering trees and ferns that date back millions of years to times when dinosaurs roamed this part of the world.
We then turn towards Melbourne and travel along a very scenic section of the Great Ocean Road en-route to Kennett River for a fantastic viewing of wild Koalas in their native setting. We also visit many scenic spots for photos and tell numerous stories behind the making of the road. We stop for lunch at the largest of the seaside villages, Lorne. This popular tourist town is full of restaurants and cafes and boasts great shopping and swimming beaches. After lunch we drive along the surf coast and take in the surf culture of the region with a visit to Torquay and Bells Beach. We also visit Anglesea Golf Club where we will hopefully see Kangaroos in their natural environment.
Our journey then takes us through the historic gateway to the Great Ocean Road, Geelong. We have some afternoon tea along the re-designed waterfront before turning to Melbourne. Our journey into Melbourne takes us from the west over the ‘West Gate Bridge’, famous for its grandeur and checkered history. We will then escort you to your hotel and welcome you to Melbourne.


Our Private Adelaide - Melbourne tour is a private tour only which departs at 0830 from Adelaide. Pickups are available from all city hotels within Adelaide. Passengers will be dropped at any Melbourne CBD location at 1700 at the completion of the tour.

Tours include :
• 3.5 - 4 star accommodation
• 2 x 2 course dinner

• 2 x cooked breakfast
• Entrance fees as per itinerary
• Cave tour

• Private group travel

This tour has a wonderful blend of coastal beauty, extensive farmland, native animals and gourmet delights.
Our guests on this small group tour are picked up from their city hotel or Federation Square and we quickly depart Melbourne via the West Gate Bridge. We travel through the vast volcanic plains on route to Geelong where you have time to stroll along the beautifully transformed waterfront. Our first stop along the coast is at Bells Beach, a famous surfing beach and a great place to enjoy morning tea.
Our focus then turns to Australian native wildlife as we observe Eastern Grey Kangaroos in the wild. This is one of many opportunities to see and hear about our unique and unusual animals in their native habitat. Our journey then begins travelling the very scenic, cliff-hugging section of the Great Ocean Road. While winding our way along we stop to view the ‘Arch’ and tell you of the intriguing story of this incredible memorial road. Lorne is the largest of the seaside resorts and is a perfect place for a lunch break. You may even find time to have a swim or do some shopping.
After lunch we cruise along the spectacular road, stopping at many scenic spots including Kennett River where we can see koalas and many colourful native birds in the wild. Travelling through Apollo Bay we go into the Great Otway National Park. We take you on a 1km guided walk through a cool temperate rainforest gully to see the world’s tallest flowering plants, prehistoric trees and ferns and unique features such as ‘Yabbie Chimneys’. We visit Apollo Bay before checking in to ‘Beacon Point Ocean View Villas’. Your private self contained villa is set high on a hill overlooking the Southern Ocean. This amazing setting is a great place to relax and unwind for a couple of hours. We have dinner tonight at the very popular Apollo Bay Hotel, this restaurant has an extensive menu and utilises great local produce.
Our second day starts with breakfast at the ‘locals favourite’ Bay Leaf Cafe. Great coffee, tea and vast breakfast menu make this a perfect way to start another full day. Our journey starts with us travelling through the Otway ranges and onto the ‘Shipwreck Coast’. Our first stop is at Castle Cove overlooking the Aire river valley. Your guide will introduce you to the strong Aboriginal heritage of the region with many tribes living prosperously around the coastline for thousands of years. In the same area millions of years ago when Australia was part of the great southern land, Gondwana, dinosaurs were roaming the land. A unique find along the coast in 1987 uncovered important clues into the world’s pre-historic past.
The 12 Apostles are Icons of Australia’s natural beauty. We arrive as the stacks are lit with the morning sun making them perfect for photos and crowd free. This is a bonus for taking a 2 day trip as the stacks are silhouettes in the afternoon and overcrowded. After hearing of the creation of the stacks and holding some of the limestone rock you can explore the boardwalks or brave a helicopter flight along the coastline (own expense).
We then visit ‘Loch Ard Gorge’, the site of the most famous 19th century Australian shipwreck. We retell the entire story from the calm voyage, the tragic wreck, the courageous survivors and their ultimate fate. While hearing the tale you will be able to see and hold some original artifacts, photos and documents from the ‘Loch Ard’ contained in our treasure chests.
Port Campbell is our lunch stop for today. The small fishing village of just 350 is set in a beautiful natural port and has some wonderful cafes and restaurants for food and views. After lunch we travel to a lesser known but highly impressive area of the Great Ocean Road west of Port Campbell. This section takes in London Bridge, Bay of Islands, Bay of Martyrs, and Boat Bay. Our journey then continues through Warrnambool and onto Tower Hill Game Reserve where we may have the chance to see koalas, Kangaroos and Emus. Our journey then continues through picturesque Port Fairy towards Mount Gambier, home of the ‘Blue’ crater lake and numerous ‘sinkholes’.
We then check into our luxurious overnight accommodation at ‘The Commodore’ in Mount Gambier and indulge in the fine food of the region in their award winning restaurant. Dinner and breakfast are both included at ‘The Commodore’.
Our third day starts with a drive through the Coonawarra wine region and a visit to the Naracoorte Caves National Park for a cave tour with a local guide. These limestone caves have an abundance of Stalagmites and Stalactites and are World Heritage Listed Area due to the fossils of the ‘Mega Fauna’ found buried in the Caves. We then continue our journey through another prominent South Australian wine region of Padthaway as we head north through to Keith. We stop here for lunch before joining the highway, travelling through grain and stock land towards Adelaide. This is a vast drought affected area of Australia and is an incredible contrast to the lush forests and coastal pastures we have been travelling in. On our approach to city we visit the very popular tourist village of Hahndorf and Mount Lofty summit for impressive, birds-eye views of Adelaide and surrounds. We arrive in the city at around 1730.


Our Private Melbourne - Adelaide tour is a private tour only which departs at 0830 from Melbourne. Pickups are available from all city hotels within Melbourne. Passengers will be dropped off at any Adelaide CBD location at 1730 at the completion of the tour.

Tours include :
• 3.5 - 4 star accommodation
• 2 x 2 course dinner

• 2 x cooked breakfast
• Cave tour
• Private group travel

This 4 day tour has a fantastic combination of coastlines, mountains and history. Within this famous region known as the ‘Great Southern Touring route’ lie amazing natural and historic experiences for you to discover.
Our guests on this small group tour are picked up from their city hotel or Federation Square and we quickly depart Melbourne for Geelong where you have time to stroll along the beautifully transformed waterfront. We start our journey along the Great Ocean Road at Torquay, stopping at various places along the coast including Bells Beach and a place to observe Eastern Grey Kangaroos in the wild. This is one of many opportunities to see and hear about our unique and unusual animals in their native habitat. Our journey then begins travelling the very scenic, cliff-hugging section of the Great Ocean Road. While winding our way towards lunch in the seaside village of Lorne, we stop to view sites such as the ‘Memorial Arch’ and tell you of the intriguing story of this incredible road.
After lunch we cruise along the spectacular road, stopping at many scenic spots including Kennett River where we can see koalas and many colourful native birds in the wild. Travelling through Apollo Bay we go into the Great Otway National Park where we take you on a 1km guided walk through a cool temperate rainforest gully. We visit Apollo Bay before checking in your private self contained villa set high on a hill overlooking the Southern Ocean. This amazing setting is a great place to relax and unwind for a couple of hours. We have dinner tonight at the very popular Apollo Bay Hotel, this restaurant has an extensive menu and utilises great local produce.
Our second day starts with breakfast at the ‘locals favourite’ Bay Leaf Cafe. Great coffee, tea and vast breakfast menu make this a perfect way to start another full day. Our journey starts with us travelling through the Otway ranges and onto the ‘Shipwreck Coast’. Our first stop is at Castle Cove overlooking the Aire river valley. Your guide will introduce you to the strong Aboriginal heritage of the region with many tribes living prosperously around the coastline for thousands of years. The same area continues to reveal a rich pre-historic past; evidence shows dinosaur habitation dating back 106 million years. The 12 Apostles are Icons of Australia’s natural beauty. We arrive as the stacks are lit with the morning sun making them perfect for photos and crowd free. After hearing of the creation of the stacks and holding some of the limestone rock you can explore the boardwalks or brave a helicopter flight along the coastline (own expense). We then visit ‘Loch Ard Gorge’, the site of the most famous 19th century Australian shipwreck. We retell the entire story from the calm voyage, the tragic wreck, the courageous survivors and their ultimate fate. While hearing the tale you will be able to see and hold some original artifacts, photos and documents from the ‘Loch Ard’ contained in our treasure chests. After lunch in Port Campbell we travel to a lesser known but highly impressive area of the Coastline west of Port Campbell. This section includes the limestone formations of London Bridge, Bay of Islands, Bay of Martyrs and Boat Bay and is seen only be a small percentage of the people travelling the Great Ocean Road. Our journey then continues through to Warrnambool and Port Fairy with a visit to Tower Hill Game Reserve for the chance to see Koalas, Kangaroos and Emus living wild within this extinct volcanic crater. We then leave the coast and drive north towards the Grampians National Park. Your accommodation is at the foot of Mt Sturgeon staying and eating at the Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld. This hotel has won many awards for its food and wine including ‘Regional Restaurant of the year 2009’ in Gourmet Traveler Magazine and ‘Country Restaurant of the Year 2009’ by the Age Good Food Guide.
Our third day starts with an incredibly scenic drive between the Serra and Mt William Ranges through to Halls Gap in the heart of the Grampians NP. Our day includes a few short walks at Baroka Lookout, Reid’s Lookout and McKenzie Falls as well as visits to ‘Brambuk’ Aboriginal cultural centre and a rock art site ‘Bunjil’s Shelter’. This is an incredibly beautiful area that is rich in Flora, Fauna, steep scarps and amazing rock formations. The Aboriginal name for this region is ‘Gariwerd’ and it has great significance for the Aboriginal people of Victoria as well as containing 80% of the states Aboriginal rock art. Our journey continues to the gold mining township of Ballarat, once one of the richest towns in the world. We stay overnight at the Lodge at Sovereign Hill, having lunch in the village before watching the sound and light extravaganza ‘Blood on the Southern Cross’. This is a fantastic 90 minute show telling the story of the Eureka rebellion of 1854 where miners and police clashed over excessive mining licence fees.
The morning of our fourth day is spent exploring the village of Sovereign Hill including a visit to the Gold museum and a guided mine tour. This award winning recreation depicts Ballarat in 1854 in great detail. The shops lining the street are all working businesses, the hundreds of staff are in period costume and there is real gold to be found in the creek bed. In the afternoon we visit Ballarat Wildlife Park, home to usual suspects as well as many unique Australian animals including Tasmanian Devils, Crocodiles and other reptiles. We return to Melbourne delivering you to your hotel around 5pm.
Our Private Great Ocean Road / Grampians and Goldfields tour is a private tour only which departs at 0830 from Melbourne. Pickups are available from all city hotels within Melbourne. Passengers will be returned to their points of departure at 1700 at the completion of the tour.

Tours include :
• 3.5 - 4 star accommodation
• 3 x 2 course dinner

• 3 x cooked breakfast
• Entrance fees as per itinerary
• Sound and Laser show as per itinerary
• Private group travel