Highlights

• All inclusive
• Luxury coach travel
• 3 – 4 star accommodations
• Hotel porterage (we’ll handle your luggage for you!)
• Welcome Reception

Inclusions

• Accommodation – Canberra – Crowne Plaza Canberra (1 Night), Wangaratta – Quality Hotel Wangaratta (1), Melbourne – Crone Plaza Hotel Melbourne (2)
• Meals – 4 Full breakfasts, 1 ‘Be My Guest’ Lunch, 1 Dinner with wine
• US Domestic Flights – (Not included, but can be added to your quote)
• International Flights – Los Angeles to Sydney, Melbourne to Los Angeles (Not included, but can be added to your quote)
• Day Tours – Southern Highlands Journey; Canberra: City Sights tour, Parliament House tour; Mt. Ainslie; Beechworth: Orientation tour; Glenorowan Historic Town; Melbourne: City tour, Laneways tour
• Transfers – Airport to Hotel and Hotel to Airport
• All Taxes and Fuel Levies (Except where noted)

Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Sydney – Canberra

Depart Sydney this morning and travel through the rolling hills and verdant pastures of the Southern Highlands. Pause at historic Berrima to see its convict-era sandstone gaol, then visit Gold Creek Station to meet a local grazier and enjoy a Welcome Reception and Be My Guest Lunch. On arrival in Canberra join a local guide for a tour of Parliament House, the seat of the nation’s government. Built almost entirely of Australian materials, 10,000 people worked its construction. Then visit the Australian War Memorial, which brings together a world-class museum, a shrine and an extensive archive. Get to know your Travel Director and fellow travelers tonight over a shared dinner.

Please note: As this guided tour departs early morning, accommodation will need to be pre-booked for the previous night (not included, but can be included upon request)

Hotel Crowne Plaza Canberra

Be My Guest lunch & Dinner with wine included

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.

Hotel Quality Hotel Wangaratta

Breakfast included

Day 3: Beechworth – Melbourne

Travel to historic Glenrowan, famous as the site of the last stand of bushranger Ned Kelly, who was eventually captured there in 1880 after a siege and shootout with police. Travel on through Kelly country to the southern capital of Melbourne. Stylish, arty Melbourne is both dynamic and cosmopolitan, and it’s proud of its place as Australia’s sporting and cultural capital. Gain some interesting insights on a tour of the city. Perhaps later go for a stroll along the Yarra River to Southbank, Melbourne’s bustling waterfront hub, which is renowned for its restaurants, public art and stylish retailers. Why not enjoy dinner this evening at one of its stylish eateries?

Hotel Crown Plaza Hotel Melbourne (2 nights)

Breakfast included

Day 4: Melbourne

It’s long been felt that Melbourne’s inner city is the most European of any in Australia; the leafy eastern section of Collins Street was dubbed the ‘Paris end’ in the 1950s. There’s a bit of New York in the mix as well, thanks to the city’s well-ordered grid and scattering of grand art-deco buildings. Today Melbourne is yours to explore, so why not consider one of the following optional experiences. You could explore Eureka Skydeck – the southern hemisphere’s highest viewing platform – for stunning 360-degree views of the city. Away from the hustle and bustle, Melbourne’s justly famed 230 laneways penetrate into the heart of the city. It’s here that the inner city’s true nature resides, crammed into narrow lanes with world-beating restaurants, bars and street art. Or if you would like to see something famous then why not take a tour to Summerland Beach on Phillip Island to witness the Penguin Parade, the nightly ritual where the little penguins emerge from the sea and waddle up the beach to their dune burrows.

Breakfast included

Day 5: Farewell Melbourne

Say farewell to your fellow travelers when your holiday comes to an end this morning after breakfast.

Breakfast included