Laneway coffee and street art, one of the world's great coastal drives to the Twelve Apostles, and a wild island of wombats, wine and white sand bays, the cooler, greener, foodie side of Australia.
Into Melbourne, Australia's coffee and culture capital. After the flight we keep it easy, a first flat white in a hidden laneway, a stroll along the Yarra, a rooftop sunset, an early night.
The street art laneways and the arcades, the Queen Victoria Market, the gardens and the NGV, the sports cathedral of the MCG. A day to the Yarra Valley wineries or the Mornington Peninsula hot springs, a degustation dinner.
An evening at Phillip Island for the penguin parade, the little penguins waddling up the beach at dusk in their hundreds, or the Dandenongs and the Puffing Billy steam train through the ferns. A last Melbourne dinner. (Melbourne night 3)
One of the world's great coastal drives, the surf coast, the rainforest of the Otways, koalas dozing in the gums at Kennett River, and the Twelve Apostles, great limestone stacks rising from the wild Southern Ocean. An overnight on the coast.
Back to Melbourne and a short flight to Tasmania, the wild island state. Hobart, the extraordinary MONA museum, the Salamanca market, the harbour and the convict history at Port Arthur, a cool climate wine with dinner.
North west to Cradle Mountain, a World Heritage alpine wilderness of jagged peaks and tarns. The Dove Lake circuit beneath the mountain, the wombats grazing at dusk, a chance to meet a Tasmanian devil at a sanctuary. The wild heart of the island.
East to the white sand and pink granite of the Bay of Fires and the perfect curve of Wineglass Bay in Freycinet, oysters straight from the farm and a cool climate pinot. Tasmania does wild beauty and very good food in the same breath. (Tasmania night 7)
The Tamar Valley wineries near Launceston and the dramatic Cataract Gorge in the middle of the city, a last Tasmanian feast of seafood and sparkling. The clean, green, end of the world charm of the island. (Tasmania night 8)
A last Tasmanian breakfast before your flight home via Melbourne. This is the Australia of cool climates and great coffee, wild coasts and wilder islands, and it tends to become quiet travellers' favourite corner of the country.
Three ways to do the same route: Comfort, Premium or Luxe. Breakfasts in. Mix tiers city by city if you like, it is your trip.
Priced to your dates, your hotel tier and how the two of you like to travel. Ask, the first answer usually lands within minutes.
Plan this trip on WhatsApp → Send to the group chat
