Southern Wine & Wildlife 2023
Inclusions
- 3 nights aboard the Great Southern, Brisbane to Adelaide, including all meals, beverages and Off Train Experiences in Coffs Harbour, the Hunter Valley region and regional Victoria
- Transfer from Adelaide Parklands Terminal to hotel
- 5 nights’ accommodation in Adelaide, including breakfast daily
- 1-day Northern Barossa Valley Voyager tour, including tastings and lunch
- The Iconic Penfolds Experience tour, including a three-course lunch with matching wines
- Return flights from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island
- Return hotel to airport transfers in Adelaide to meet the return flight
- 2-night Kangaroo Island in Style tour, including flights to and from the Island, accommodation, most meals and personalised touring
- 10 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 5 dinners
Highlights
- Enjoy a special beachside dining experience in Coffs Harbour
- Savour the flavours and sights of the picturesque Hunter Region
- Immerse yourself in cosmopolitan Melbourne or regional Victoria
- Discover the history of the Barossa Valley
- Enjoy cellar door tastings, and a delicious lunch with a glass of wine to accompany it
- Visit the original Grange Cottage at Penfolds
- See Penfolds’ underground cellars
- Indulge in an exclusive selection of Penfolds’ most coveted wines
- Wildlife experience at Seal Bay Conservation Park
- Explore Flinders Chase National Park, Admirals Arch and Remarkable Rocks
| Cabin | Fare Type | Jan - Feb 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Gold Twin | Advance Purchase | $6,760 |
| Gold Twin | Everyday | $7,230 |
| Gold Twin | Fully Flexible | $7,605 |
| Gold Single | Advance Purchase | $7,665 |
| Gold Single | Everyday | $8,100 |
| Gold Single | Fully Flexible | $8,450 |
| Platinum | Everyday | $9,290 |
| Platinum | Fully Flexible | $9,875 |
Today, you’ll set off from Brisbane on your epic adventure covering Australia’s south-east. Settle into your cabin and prepare for your first meal on train before arriving into Coffs Harbour for a spectacular beachside dining experience in the evening. (L,D)
OVERNIGHT: 3 nights Great Southern
After your first night on the train, wake up to a sumptuous breakfast that will set you up for a day of exploring. Choose from wine tasting in the Hunter Valley, exploring Port Stephens by sea or by land, or perhaps opt for a walking tour of Newcastle, discovering its history, vibrancy and stunning coastal views. (B,L,D)
After enjoying a delicious breakfast on board and a relaxing start to the day travelling through Victoria’s high country, you’ll have a choice of Off Train Experiences. Discover regional Victoria or visit cosmopolitan Melbourne. There are plenty of options to choose from. See the city from high above at Melbourne Skydeck, take a tour of the Melbourne Cricket Ground or Old Melbourne Gaol, enjoy free time to explore the city yourself or escape the city entirely. (B,L,D)
Upon arrival into Adelaide, you will be transferred to your hotel. The day is yours to explore the city. Home to over 900 restaurants, pubs and cafes, and a lively food and wine scene, there’s much to discover in South Australia’s leafy capital. (B)
OVERNIGHT: 4 nights Mayfair Hotel
Today, your boutique wine and food touring continues, with a visit to the historic Northern Barossa, with its 80 cellar doors. Enjoy running commentary from your driver as you make your way towards the fabulous Barossa Valley region and prepare to visit one of the oldest vineyards in the world, where Shiraz vines were planted in 1843. Throughout the day, you will be guided through some of the best wines South Australia has to offer. Whether you prefer red or white, there will be something to tantalise and delight, with tastings at three wineries and a delicious lunch, with an accompanying glass of wine. (B,L)
As far as gourmet experiences go, you are about to indulge in one of Australia’s best. The legendary Penfolds Magill Estate, where some of the world’s great wines are produced, is your venue for an epicurean adventure you’ll never forget.
Make your way from the hotel to Penfolds Magill Estate by your own arrangements, ready to enjoy tastings, including Grange, in the Estate’s private rooms, before heading to the Magill Estate Cellar Door for a sumptuous lunch. (B,L)
Explore more of Adelaide at your leisure. If you’d like to get to the source of that gourmet experience by visiting another wine-growing region, McLaren Vale is the perfect option. (B)
McLaren Vale Winery Experience – $210 per person
This tour to McLaren Vale along the beautiful Fleurieu Peninsula includes four cellar door experiences and a delicious lunch. Lunch is a considerably generous regional platter sourcing fresh local produce with cheese, smoked hams, small goods, olives, Dukkah & olive oil and freshly baked bread. The region is best known for its Shiraz, but expert vignerons will explain why Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay grapes also thrive in this unique microclimate.
Depart from Adelaide Airport for your flight to magical Kangaroo Island, where you will be met by your guide. Then, begin your two days on the island enjoying the ‘Island Life’ tour. Island Life provides a taste of the way of life in this bucolic spot, where things take time, drivers’ wave as they go by and passers-by stop for a chat.
Have a cuppa with some home-made treats before taking a walk down a country track through towering Eucalyptus trees, where koalas snooze overhead or chew languidly on leaves. Listen for the sounds of the bush – brightly coloured honeyeaters and brilliant parrots, cicadas or perhaps just the sound of silence. You’ll travel through the island’s most productive countryside to the north coast and walk through the bush with your guide, learning what makes that noise and whose tracks those are. Watch for small wallabies, a kangaroo found only on Kangaroo Island, and a variety of other birds, plants and animals.
Lunch is at a private bush camp, where you’ll enjoy a delicious meal featuring King George Whiting – a local sea fish, fresh salads and fine South Australian wines. At Seal Bay Conservation Park, take a private tour with your guide among Australian sea lions on a beautiful sandy beach. Watch pups nursing or playing in the surf and old bulls bearing the scars of territorial disputes and learn about their unique breeding biology.
After a day of touring, you will return to your accommodation, with dinner included at your hotel. (B,L,D)
OVERNIGHT: 2 nights Mercure Kangaroo Island Lodge
Begin the day travelling through some of the regenerating landscapes of Kangaroo Island. Learn about fire ecology and how nature deals with this natural hazard. Some of the native flora species only flower following fire.
Travel into Flinders Chase National Park and explore the massive shapes of Remarkable Rocks, a natural sculpture perched impossibly on top of a granite dome plunging into the ocean. Then, you’ll break for an elegant picnic lunch in the bush, or if weather permits, on a spectacular clifftop. Evidence of the power of the Southern Ocean swell continues at Admirals Arch, a coastal grotto that provides a haul out for a large colony of Long-nosed Fur Seals, which swim effortlessly through the crashing waves.
After your last day of touring, you will return to your accommodation, with dinner included at your hotel. (B,L,D)
This morning, you’ll be transferred to the airport for your return flight to Adelaide. Arriving in Adelaide, you will be transferred to your city accommodation to leave your bags and spend the remainder of the day at your leisure.
The evening is free to explore some of Adelaide’s many dining and entertainment precincts. (B)
OVERNIGHT: 1 night Mayfair Hotel
After breakfast, check out of your accommodation, bringing your epicurean adventure to an end. (B)
Alternative Journeys
