3 Day Melbourne to Adelaide

Tour Details

Operator

Natural Treasures Tours

Destinations

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

Departs From

Melbourne

Tour Description

DAY 1

We leave the city via the West Gate Bridge and discover rural Victoria before we make our first stop at Anglesea Golf course. Don’t worry, we are not here to play a round of golf, instead you get your first introduction to the unique Australian fauna, the Eastern Grey Kangaroo, who usually are willing to pose for a photo!

At Lorne we stop for morning tea and enjoy the scenery of the Southern Ocean and beautiful surrounds. A short distance out of Lorne, we stop for our first ‘treasure chest’ and reveal the story behind the making of the Great Ocean Road.
Further along, at Kennet River, we take a detour and look for Koalas in their natural environment. We arrive at the township of Apollo Bay for lunch at 1300.

After lunch, 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.

DAY 2

After breakfast, we travel along the Shipwreck coast to discover how the Twelve Apostles 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.

Lunch is in the coastal township of Port Campbell. This old fishing port has some great cafes and restaurants in a very picturesque setting.

After lunch we visit London Bridge and the less visited but equally impressive limestone stacks of the Bay of Martyrs and Bay of Islands. Our journey continues through Warnambool, visiting the Tower Hill State Game Reserve set inside an extinct volcanic crater. This reserve is a wildlife haven and the home of an Aboriginal Cultural Centre.

Passing through Port Fairy we continue our journey on to Mount Gambier, home of the Volcanic Blue Lakes. Here we turn inland and make our way to Penola, the gateway to the Coonawarra Wine region.

Day 3
In the morning we travel through the Coonawarra’ scenic winery region, we taste some of the award winning wine and food in some of its many wineries.

Traveling north, we discover ancient fossils and ‘Mega Fauna’ at the World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves. Option - Cave tours are available. We then traverse to the coast and have lunch in the seaside village of Kingston.

Our Journey towards Adelaide explores the Coorong National Park. An abundance of waterbirds and spectacular scenery guides us into the outskirts of Adelaide where we visit Hahndorf, a traditional German town in the Adelaide Hills and Mt Lofty Summit with sweeping views of Adelaide. Welcome to Adelaide, a relaxed and friendly city.