Australian Natural Treasures Touring Thornbury Restaurants

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.





















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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