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Southern Capitals: City Meets Bush

4.0/5 Based on 1 Reviews No Booking FeesDedicated Travel Advisor
Fully Guided Coach Group Short Break Scenic
Our Price From 2,399 Per Person
Exclusive Savings 451 Per Person
 Trip Length
5 Days
 Trip Starts
Sydney
 Trip Finishes
Melbourne
5 Day Southern Capitals: City Meets Bush Itinerary (AAT Kings)
Countries Explored: Australia
Trip Style
First Choice
Departures
Accommodation
4 - 4.5 Star
Max. Group Size
49
Guide Level
Fully Guided
Trip Code
ESBM

Overview

Read reviews and enjoy exclusive savings on AAT Kings 5 Day Southern Capitals: City Meets Bush. You can drive between Melbourne and Sydney in a day. But what fun would that be? In between Australia’s two largest cities on this epic Sydney to Melbourne trip, take in the dreamy landscapes of the Southern Highlands, the country’s cool little capital on Canberra guided tours, and historic gold rush towns. With plenty of time for fun-fuel adventures, like a Melbourne laneway tour or Phillip Island penguin tour, of course.

Itinerary

It’s hard to believe that just 1.5 hours from Sydney lies a patch of countryside that could have been transplanted straight from the English Cotswolds. Think atmospheric villages amid rolling hills of grape vines – the Southern Highlands is the closest wine region to Australia’s largest city, after all. And then there are the grand gardens and emerald farms, one of which you’ll visit to meet Craig Starr and his family. Gold Creek Station farm is your backdrop for a Be My Guest BBQ lunch and tales about life on the land.

This is your entrée to the country’s cool little capital of Canberra, home to Parliament House, where you’ll go behind the political scenes. Tonight, join your Travel Director for a Welcome Dinner. (L/D) Stay: Crowne Plaza Canberra

Thanks to architect Walter Burley Griffin, Canberra is an urban planner's delight - the city is that well laid out, as you'll discover when you head to the summit of Mt. Ainslie for panoramic views on a Canberra guided tour. You won't yet be able to see the mighty Murray River, but you'll soon cross it en route to Beechworth. From Australia's longest river to Victoria's best-preserved gold rush town, Beechworth saw an influx of fortune-seekers from all over the world during the 1850s.

Your Travel Director will give you the Beechworth lowdown, then set you on your way to further explore character-filled antiques stores, galleries, leafy parks and gardens, and museums at your leisure. There are plenty of charming cafés and restaurants to refuel in as well, before Wangaratta's cathedrals beckon. (B) Stay: Quality Hotel Wangaratta

Meandering south toward historic Glenrowan, you're well and truly in Ned Kelly country - this is where the infamous bushranger and his gang were finally captured in 1880. The story is remembered on pretty much every city corner, whether in enormous statues or at the town's well-curated museum. We'll tell you all the tales - some of them true, many of them heresy. All of them entertaining. Then we'll tell you a bit more about Melbourne, like how it's the home of Aussie rules football, covets some of the country's best arts institutions, and has a swag of stellar restaurants, cafés and bars. Small wonder it's known as Australia's cultural, culinary and sporting capital.

Once you have your bearings after a city and Melbourne laneway tour, head off to explore. Forget your map - one of the joys of being in Melbourne is getting lost. Discovering a hidden jazz bar. Stumbling upon a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Finding a gallery that catches your eye. Spending too much in that independent boutique. Enjoy. (B) Stay: Crowne Plaza Hotel Melbourne (2 Nights)

You could spend weeks exploring Melbourne and its surrounds and not tire of the attractions. But you just have today, so make the most of it. We wouldn't hold it against you if all you want to do is jump on a tram and ride the rails to the city's character-filled neighbourhoods. Perhaps bohemian Brunswick, or seaside St. Kilda for Polish cakes along Acland Street. But if you want to explore further afield, we've got you covered on an optional experience.

For a bird's-eye view of the bay, sign up to scale the Eureka Skydeck, offering dizzying vistas in every direction from almost 300 metres above the street. If you're an animal lover, then you'll want to venture to Phillip Island to see hundreds of little penguins pad from the sea along the sand en route to their burrows. It's a nightly attraction. Want to get back to nature? Chug through the lush Dandenong Ranges on the Puffing Billy Steam Train, followed by a sip or two of wine in the Yarra Valley. The flight of cool-climate drops enjoyed here is all you need to ease into the evening. The choice is yours. (B)

Wait, how did you just pack so much action into a working week? Cities, countryside, farms, wineries, islands… this Sydney to Melbourne trip has been quite the adventure. (B)

Trip Inclusions

  • The Australian capital holds some of the country’s greatest stories, whether of politics at Parliament House (your guide knows the secrets) or history at the humbling War Memorial.
  • Gold rush towns always come with stories about infamous bush rangers and love scandals. Hear them when you arrive in historic Beechworth.
  • Crisp air, blue skies, the melody of sheep… there’s nothing like being on a 400-hectare working farm. Meet Craig Starr and his family for a BBQ and a yarn or two.

  • Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver Guide
  • Local Specialists (Guides)
  • Centrally located premium hotels
  • Arrival and departure private airport transfers

  • 4 Full Breakfasts
  • 1 Dinner with Wine
  • 1 Be My Guest Lunch

  • Warm layers in cooler months
  • Camera
  • Comfortable walking shoes
  • Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat
  • Water bottle

  • Day Prior: Flight to arrive any time into Sydney Airport
  • Day 5: Flight to depart any time from Melbourne Airport

  • Canberra Parliament House Tour - Low level fitness required. Comfortable walking pace tour of Parliament House. Lift options available moving between floors.

  • Accommodation, itinerary and inclusions subject to change.
  • Prices are for land/cruise and internal flights as specified only. Flights not specified are not included.

Trip Reviews (1) Most Recent 'Southern Capitals: City Meets Bush' Reviews

4.0
AVG. RATING 4.0 / 5
1 Review
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Worry free holiday from Sydney to Melbourne 0 , East Sussex, United Kingdom, Nov 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed this trip, Especially the visit to Craig's sheep farm. The meal he put on for us and his talk on sheep rounding up and shearing were great and the place had a pleasant welcoming, homely feel. Immersing ourselves in the history of Ned Kelly and his gang as we visited the places where his story took place really made us feel the harshness ...read more of the times when they lived and how injustice could soon turn to tragedy. Unfortunately, heavy rain in Melbourne dampened the last day of the trip curtailing excursions but then we can't order the weather. Travelling by coach certainly teaches you the distances and nature of the terrain journeyed over.
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