6 Days  Melbourne - Adelaide 6 days/5 nights.    Every Monday  

6 Days  Adelaide - Melbourne 6 days/ 5 nights .  Every Monday. (Reverse Itinerary)

Boutique/Hotel/B & B Accommodation

Please note this is a Geman Speaking Tour. English speaking tour on request

 To March 2007  Prices on application.

Day 1.  Melbourne - Ballarat

We will pick you up from your Melbourne City Hotel around 8.30am. A pleasant drive to the historic City of Ballarat follows with a City tour of Ballarat next on the agenda. We will be visiting Australia’s award winning and most significant outdoor gold museum Sovereign Hill where the 1850 gold rush comes alive again. Learn about the thrill and hardship diggers have experienced from all over the world in those early days. Taste a Cornish pasty for lunch at the New York Bakery on Main Road. One can pan for gold, see the impressive steam engines and steam driven pump at work, watch skilled tradesmen manufacturing beautiful craft and join us on a underground mine tour to wonder back in time in the afternoon. Around 5.30 pm, we’ll check in at the Sovereign Hill Lodge. After a welcome drink you will enjoy a hearty and traditional dinner at the legendary Charly Napier Hotel on Main Road before you anticipate the re-enactment of the Eureka Stockade. The fascinating Sound and Light show tells the story of a handful of diggers fighting the cruel and corrupt Government over claim taxes.

Accommodation: Sovereign Hill Lodge

Meals: Lunch and dinner

Entries: Sovereign Hill Historic Park and Sound and Light show.

Day 2.  Ballarat - Apollo Bay/Aire Valley

After Breakfast, we will continue our great Southern tour and drive across appealing country side to Geelong, the gateway to the Southern Ocean at 9.00am. We will stop at various Lookouts along the Great Ocean Road and learn more about the past and the tragedies of the unforgiving shipwreck coast. After lunch, which is held near the Lighthouse at Airies Inlet, join us for a hike along the beach. Some time later we will proceed on our journey along the meandering and spectacular Great Ocean Road. After a short drive you will experience some of the remaining parts of stunning Southern tropical rainforest at Mait’s Rest before we reach Apollo Bay with its lovely views. Overnight stay and dinner at Apollo Bay

Accommodation: Coastal Motel, Apollo Bay (or similar)

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Entries: National Parks

Breakfast at 8.00am. After a short drive we will come very close to the rugged rock formations of The Twelve Apostles and the site of the tragic shipwreck at Loch Ard Gorge. Learn more about the tragic shipwreck of the Loch Ard more than a 120 years ago. Lunch at Port Campbell which was first used by sealers and whalers. In the early afternoon we will be visiting The London Bridge and learn more about the razor blade sharp lime stone cliffs at The Grotto. We leave the coast and continue our journey to Dunkeld, one of the many Scottish settlements in the area, beautifully nestled on the Southern foothills of the magnificent Grampians National Park. We proceed northbound and follow the Serra ranges and Mount William ranges all the way to Halls Gap where we will stay overnight. Dinner is served at the excellent Kookaburra Restaurant and local specialities may be tasted. A comprehensive selection of local wines is also available.

Accommodation: Colonial Motor Inn, Halls Gap (or similar)

Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Entries: National Parks

Day 4.  Grampians National Park

Today, we start exploring the Grampians National Park after a hearty breakfast at around 8.00am. Firstly, we will be hiking through rugged forests to the summit of The Pinnacles with stunning views all around. The more adventurous can challenge themselves to stand right on the edge of the Nerve Test. A tasty lunch in Halls Gap follows before we visit lofty Lookouts with some of the most spectacular views Victoria has to offer. Reeds Lookout is definitely worth a visit before we hike to The Balconies where one may stand near the Jaws of Death. The roaring waters of the McKenzie Waterfalls are next on the agenda before returning to Halls Gap. The remaining time before dinner is at your leisure. Stroll through friendly Halls Gap, swim in one of the nearby crystal clear lakes or simply just relax.

Accommodation: Colonial Motor Inn, Halls Gap (or similar)

Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Entries:: National Parks

Day 5.  Halls Gap - Grampians National Park - Glenelg River - Robe

Breakfast at 8.00am. We cut across the Grampians National Park to the western district and proceed to Hamilton. From Hamilton our journey takes us to The Glenelg National Park and its meandering River all the way to Nelson. If weather permits, we may explore this mighty, meandering River by boat or we’ll be visiting the Princess Margaret Rose Caves carved out of lime stone, on a rainy day. Lunch at Nelson Pub or picnic lunch depending on the weather situation. Later in the afternoon we’ll be visiting Mt. Gambier’s blue crater lakes and the Umpherstone sink hole. Via Milicent, Woakwine cutting will give you an idea of the hardship and effort of early settlers in draining and cultivating their share of land, we will reach Robe, our destination for today - a Chinese immigrant settlement established in the 1850's.

Accommodation: Lake View Motel, Robe (or similar)

Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Entries: National Parks, boat trip on Glenelg River or Princess Margaret Rose Caves

Day 6.  Robe - Adelaide

Breakfast will be served at 8.00am. Today's first stop are The Granites, where we will explore some beautiful sand dunes and go for a walk along the deserted beaches of the Southern ocean. Feel the power of the ocean with its dangerous undertows and listen to the impressive roar of the incoming- or outgoing tide. After lunch, where local fish usually can be tasted, we will proceed to Wellington and cross the mighty Murray River on a ferry. Historic Bleasdale Vineyard is definitely worth a visit and let us wonder back in time. Via Murray Bridge we will reach Adelaide later in the afternoon where we shall transfer you to your City Hotel.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Entries: National Parks, Wine Tasting at Bleasdale Winery

Note: Please bring good walking shoes, rain coat, warm jumper for cool days and a hat.