Australia

South Australia & Victoria: A Gourmet Discovery

When

October - March

Price

From £9,750pp excl. flights
(based on 2 ppl sharing)

How long

10 nights ideal length

Between the scorched sands of the Red Centre and the tempestuous waters of the Southern Ocean, Australia’s south coast offers up chic metropolitan cities, sprawling natural beauty and a world-class food and wine scene. Spend 10 nights tasting your way through Adelaide and Melbourne, Kangaroo Island and the Mornington Peninsula and discover why we just can’t stay away. Between boutique wine tastings in the legendary Barossa Valley, canapes with kangaroos down on Kangaroo Island and a tasting trail down Melbourne’s Flinders Lane, we’ll pepper your stay with luxurious lodges and boutique getaways and enviable restaurant reservations for every meal. Spotlighting homegrown produce every step of the way, this is a real taste of South Australia and Victoria.

Welcome to Wine Country

Kickstart your taste tour of South Australia in Adelaide where a toast at the rooftop Hennessy Bar at your base at The Mayfair Hotel will get your trip off to a stylish start. Settle into one of the charming rooms of this boutique hotel ready to explore the surrounding wine country tomorrow. In the morning, you’ll head out to one of Australia’s most well-known wine regions, the Barossa Valley. In the company of a specialist wine guide, we’ll arrange private tastings at boutique wineries and a tutored lesson in the well-known Penfold wines, to get your sommelier skills up to scratch. In the home of home-cooking matriarch Maggie Beer, we’ll then arrange a leisurely lunch at one of the top-notch local restaurants here before you swing by Maggie’s farmshop for a spot of afternoon tea.

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Tomorrow, the wine discovery continues out in the McLaren Vale as you visit some of the premium wineries and food producers out here. Small in size, but big in flavours, this region produces some of Australia’s best wines and its Shirazes are not to be missed. Heading back to Adelaide each evening, you’ll have your pick of world-class restaurants to choose from – though some of our favourites include Press* Food & Wine and The Apothecary 1878 where the wine lists are enough to leave any sommelier salivating, even a newly minted one.

Kangaroos & Canapes

After three nights in Adelaide, you’ll then head south to the wilds of Kangaroo Island and the striking architectural beauty of Southern Ocean Lodge. A microcosm of diverse landscapes and native wildlife, by all means, make the most of your three nights here and get out and explore – but at sundown, we’ll arrange a truly unmissable experience. Set off on foot through the natural bushland to catch sight of kangaroos at home in the wild before finding a secluded spot and settling down to some simply unmissable sundowners in their company. In the morning, we’ll then whisk you off on a foodie tour of the island, uncovering the diversity of the produce, the passion of the producers and the true spirit of paddock to plate cuisine. As your guide transforms into a chef come lunch and serves up a delicious seafood bbq, the homegrown nature of the island becomes simply inescapable.

Elope to Jackalope

From Kangeroo Island, it’s over to the Mornington Peninsula across the state border in Victoria. Check in at Jackalope, one of Australia’s hottest hotels with its slick design and mouth-watering cuisine and slip away to one of the sultry ‘lairs’ after a showstopping meal at Doot Doot Doot. Tomorrow, the Peninsula is yours to explore with its sweeping beaches, charming farm gates, cutting-edge artists’ trails and art galleries and, of course, the boutique winery or two. Do them all, or none at all and simply enjoy the indulgence of Jackalope. Tomorrow, it’s back to the city.

The Melbourne Menu

End your trip with two nights in the culinary hotbed of Melbourne. Staying at the Park Hyatt you’ll have the city at your fingertips, or tastebuds, and as you join an expert guide the next morning you’ll get the chance to take it all in on a private food, art and laneways tour. A city that changes around every bend of the Yarra River, pick up a coffee at Queen Victoria Market as you set out to discover leading art galleries and a renowned street art scene before diving into the heart of Melbourne’s foodie reputation on Flinders Street. From underground cheese rooms to artisan gelato, there are so many outstanding outposts down this most famous of laneways, you’ll simply have to try them all. If you have room after, head straight to Cumulus Inc for lunch before checking out the hidden cocktail bar scene in the Chinese and Greek precincts.

Appetite well and truly satisfied, it’s farewell to the culinary delights of South Australia as you head home with a newfound appreciation for your own local food scene.

Where to rest your head

Southern Ocean Lodge

Ever wanted to feel like you’re on top of the world? Well at Southern Ocean Lodge, that’s how you’ll feel. Or at least on top…
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Jackalope, Mornington Peninsula

Just like the mythical creature from which it takes its name, Jackalope represents a rare and wonderful hybrid that we're all dying to catch sight…
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