3 Day Adelaide to Melbourne

Tour Details

Operator

Natural Treasures Tours

Destinations

Melbourne, Great Ocean Road, Otway Ranges, Coorong National Park, Princes Highway, Torquay and Bells Beach

Departs From

Adelaide

Tour Description

Day 1

We pick you up at your hotel and start our journey by traveling up into the Adelaide Hills.
Here we explore Hahndorf, a traditional German town in the Adelaide Hills and Mt Lofty Summit with sweeping views of Adelaide.

We then travel along the Coorong National Park which has an abundance of waterbirds and spectacular scenery.
We have lunch at Kingston at the end of the Coorong.

Our travels then take us to the World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves. Option - Cave tours are available. We finally end the day travelling into the scenic Coonawarra’ wine region. Here you will be able to taste some of the award winning wine and food in some of the regions many fine wineries.

We overnight at Chardonnay Lodge deep in the heart of the Coonawarra. We have dinner in the adjoining ‘Poplars’ restaurant eating some of the fine local produce.

DAY 2

After breakfast, we travel into the Shipwreck coast. Our first stop is at Mt Gambier with a visit to the blue lakes. We then discover Tower Hill Reserve where we are likely to see Emus, Koalas, Kangaroos and Echidnas. This reserve is a wildlife haven and the home of an Aboriginal Cultural Centre.

Before lunch we visit London Bridge and the less visited but equally impressive limestone stacks of the Bay of Martyrs and Bay of Islands.

We then travel on to discover the Twelve Apostles and learn of how they were created. Load your camera – there will be plenty of photo opportunities.

A short drive further along the coast takes us to Loch Ard Gorge, the site of the most infamous shipwrecks along this coast. While sitting in the cave where the two survivors took shelter, your guide retells the story reading from the diary notes of Tom Pearce and Eva Carmicheal. Original photographs and artifacts from the ship are passed around while the tragedy of the ‘Loch Ard’ is brought to life.

We continue our drive through the Otway National Park with its majestic Mountain Ash forest while learning of the rich Aboriginal heritage of the region and the early contact period with European settlers.

While in the National Park you will have an opportunity to discover the peace and tranquility of a secluded tree fern gully in the Otway rainforest. Who knows, we might across the Spotted Tailed Quall, the beautiful King Parrot or even a Wallaby.

We then arrive at you 4 star accommodation set within native forest close to Apollo Bay. This property offers the perfect environment to relax and unwind. Following dinner, we take you on a ‘Rainforest by Night’ walk to see the magical glow worms (weather permitting).

DAY 3

We leave our tranquil overnight setting and turn towards Melbourne. We visit the Kennett River for a fantastic viewing of wild Koalas in their native setting. Our drive then takes us along the very scenic and world renowned cliff-top drive of the Great Ocean Road. We tell of the story behind the making of the road and take plenty of time, stopping at all the best spots. We lunch in Lorne where we visit Erskine Falls. After lunch we drive along the surf coast and take in some of the surf culture of the region with a visit to places like Torquay and Bells Beach. We also visit Anglesea Golf Club where we will hopefully see Kangaroos in their natural environment.

Our journey then takes us through the historic gateway to the Great Ocean Road, Geelong. This city has spent many millions of dollars on its waterfront and has its own superb harbour. We have some afternoon tea along the ‘East Beach’ development before turning to Melbourne.

Our journey into Melbourne takes us from the west over the ‘West Gate Bridge’, famous for its grandeur and checkered history. We will then escort you to your hotel and welcome you to Melbourne.