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Embark on the Ultimate 3-Day Coastal Journey
Leave the city behind and embark on an unforgettable three-day journey from Adelaide to Melbourne. This premium guided tour showcases the very best of Australia’s southern coastline, combining world-class wine, ancient rainforests, and dramatic coastal scenery. 🐨
Day 1: Adelaide Hills, Caves and Coonawarra Wine
Your journey begins with a convenient hotel pick-up before travelling into the scenic Adelaide Hills. Explore the historic German village of Hahndorf and take in sweeping views of the city from Mount Lofty Summit. Travel through rich agricultural lands to Keith for lunch, then head south into wine country. Discover the World Heritage-listed Naracoorte Caves to learn about the fascinating ‘MegaFauna’ fossil discoveries. Afterwards, sample highly awarded Cabernet Sauvignon in the world-renowned Coonawarra wine region before arriving at your overnight destination in Mount Gambier. 🍷
Tonight, relax in luxurious rooms at ‘The Barn’, a beautiful resort-like property nestled amongst peaceful farmland. Indulge in a delicious dinner at their award-winning restaurant, famous for its exceptional steak variations. Both dinner and breakfast are included in your stay.
Day 2: The Shipwreck Coast and Twelve Apostles
After breakfast, visit Mount Gambier’s famous blue crater lake before driving to the historic fishing village of Port Fairy. Explore Tower Hill Reserve, a beautiful volcanic crater where you are likely to spot wild koalas, emus, kangaroos, and echidnas. Travel through the heart of dairy country to the start of the Great Ocean Road. Marvel at the dramatic limestone stacks of the Bay of Martyrs and Bay of Islands, and visit London Bridge and Loch Ard Gorge. Here, you will hear the gripping tale of Australia’s most famous 19th-century shipwreck and even hold original artefacts from our treasure chests. 🌊
Next, witness the iconic Twelve Apostles and learn about the constant erosion shaping this spectacular coastline. Capture incredible photos or choose to take an optional helicopter flight (own expense) for a bird’s-eye view. End your day in Apollo Bay at ‘Chris’ Restaurant and Villas’, where your private villa offers stunning views of the Southern Ocean. Enjoy a spectacular modern Greek-Australian dinner at the award-winning onsite restaurant.
Day 3: Otway Rainforest, Wild Koalas and Melbourne
Savour a fresh continental breakfast while taking in the magnificent ocean views. Your first stop is Maits Rest in the Otway National Park for a gentle 1km walk through a cool temperate rainforest gully, home to ancient trees and ferns dating back millions of years. Travel along a highly scenic section of the Great Ocean Road to Kennett River to spot wild koalas in their native habitat. 🦘
Stop for lunch in the vibrant seaside town of Lorne, then continue along the surf coast to visit Torquay and the world-famous Bells Beach. We will also visit Anglesea Golf Club, where kangaroos roam freely in their natural environment. Enjoy afternoon tea along the beautifully redesigned Geelong waterfront before crossing the West Gate Bridge into Melbourne.
Premium Tour Inclusions
- 4-star luxury accommodation at ‘The Barn’ and ‘Chris’ Villas’
- Two 2-course dinners at award-winning restaurants
- Daily breakfast
- All national park and cave tour entry fees
- Guided Naracoorte Caves tour
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Glen picked us up at our hotel and we were lucky enough to be the only couple booked that day so got a private tour! Unfortunately there was torrential rain and fog on day one, which disrupted our views, however Glen still managed to time our stops/adjust around the weather to make it an enjoyable day nonetheless. We tried to have a sense of humour about it and he even took us to a craft beer tasting as an alternative activity.
Spectacular dinner at Chris' and simple but decent cottage accommodation.
Did our rain forest walk in the morning and Day 2 was much better weather Glen made sure we had lots of time wherever we wanted to spend it; and we had spectacular views of the 12 apostles and coastline.
We highly recommend this tour to those looking for a more personal experience and a relaxed pace. Glen was an extremely knowledgeable and easy-going guide, and a very safe driver. (Someone in another review mentioned long silences but we appreciated having some quiet time vs having someone talking non-stop for 8-9 hours. ) The choices for meal stops were excellent and the mini-van was comfortable for the long days in the car. Thanks again for a great experience!
Pros: Hotel pickup; great communication; reasonable pricing; well planned itinerary; some hidden, special treats; wildlife, amazing views, fantastic dinner; lovely rest stops; small group; personal guide who is respectful and caring.
Cons: Uncomfortable van seats; long periods of silence (To explain further, I'm loquacious and I like tidbits of information as part of my tours. Glen, our guide is reserved, he offered interesting info at stops, but seldom spoke unless a specific question was asked, and no music or background noise to break the silence, this made day one very long and somewhat boring) We rode back with Eddie who was much more jovial and talkative, a better fit for our personalities; terrible accommodation selection - yes, great views but tired, old, dusty and unkept).













