9 days - $1725 per person
Includes GST
Motel Accommodation and all Meals
Departure Date:
Tuesday March 4th 2008
Day 1 You are welcomed aboard your unique, purpose built and air-conditioned
bus for departure from West Beach at 7.30 am.
We travel along the South Eastern Freeway through the Adelaide Hills to
Tailem Bend and Keith –in the Tatiara (or good ! ) Country.
Leaving the Dukes Highway just after Horsham, we take the Wartook and Zumpstein’s Road through picturesque valleys to The Grampians National Park.
There are good vantage points looking over The Grampians as we make our way to Halls Gap. Overnight: Kookaburra Lodge Motel—Halls Gap
Day 2
Continuing through The Grampians NP, we stop at Lake Bellfield , which provides the local water supply, then continue on to the small township of Dunkeld at the base of Mt Abrupt, and the southern tip of The Grampians National Park.
The towns of Penhurst and Mortlake are passed on our way to Camperdown and Colac. Overnight: Colac Central Motel—Colac
Day 3 An hour’s drive brings us to Geelong on Corio Bay, where we take the Bellarine Highway to Queenscliff. And now it is time for a cruise ! - as we embark on the ferry for a 40 minute voyage across Southern Port Phillip to Sorrento, on the Mornington Peninsula. At Frankston we meet the South Gippsland Highway, taking us to Leongatha and the picturesque town of Fish Creek,—our base for the next 3 days!
Overnight: Wilson’s Promontory Gate Motel - Old Waratah Road Fish Creek
Day 4 A day on the Promontory!
Our motel is a short drive from the gates of Wilson’s Promontory National Park.
The 30km drive from the Park entrance to Tidal River is one of Victoria’s most scenic, with breathtaking coastal scenery appearing between a constantly changing landscape.
Kangaroos, emus and wombats are often seen in the grassy open plains the north of the Park. The Loo-Errn Track is an easy walking loop, winding along the bank of Tidal River.
Sections of raised board walk protect the delicate habitat,
and there is access to the footbridge over Tidal River. Other easy walking tracks include Lilly Pilly Link Track, and beach walks along Squeaky and Whisky Beaches, and Picnic Point.
Day 5 Time to discover some of the charming villages of the South Gippsland !
A scenic drive through Tarwin Lower (home of the 35 metre long picnic table) to the coastal hideaway of Venus Bay with 5 superb surf beaches. Following the coast of Bass Strait further west, we come to the popular seaside destination of Inverloch. A 12 kilometre scenic coastal drive from Inverloch to the seaside
community of Cape Patterson, passes through Bunurong Marine Park. Spectacular views can be enjoyed from spots along this coastal road, and there are various natural coastal and marine attractions along this route to stop and explore, such as Eagles Nest, Twin Reefs, Shack Bay, The Caves and Flat Rocks.
Coal Creek Heritage Village is built on the site of an original black coal mine in Korumburra, South Gippsland. Depicting life in a Coal Mining Town between the 1870s - 1920s, Coal Creek Heritage Village has grown in size since its humble beginnings, to now occupy over 30 acres of bushland, with over 60 exhibits including a Coal Mine and various miners cottages. A small locomotive meanders through the tranquil bushland, as a dedication to the importance of the South Gippsland Railway in pioneering the region.
Leongatha is located literally "between the mountains and the sea" in the foothills
of the Strzelecki Ranges, and after passing through this Town (The largest commercial centre in the South Gippsland), we follow the Great Southern Rail Trail to Koonwarra, Meeniyan and the hamlet of Buffalo to Fish Creek.
Overnight: Wilson’s Promontory Gate Motel - Old Waratah Road Fish Creek
Day 6 Hidden well within the green, rolling hills of the Strzelecki Ranges, the meandering Agnes River cascades over rocks into a deep picturesque gorge. At 59 metres, Agnes Falls are the highest single span falls in Victoria.
We drive to the Falls Scenic Reserve through Toora and Silcock Hill, the approach road providing extensive views across Corner Inlet to the peaks of Wilson’s Promontory. A short walking track leads from the car park to a viewing area overlooking the Falls. Hidden high up in the Strzelecki Ranges to the northeast of Foster is the 1625-hectare Tarra Bulga National Park. The Park can be described as the emerald of the
Strzelecki’s, with its towering old-growth native trees, fern-filled gullies, trickling streams and splendid waterfalls, all in shades of green. The other fascination in this area is the Grand Ridge Road! For 132 Kms it snakes its way along the ridges of the Strzelecki Ranges, providing striking views across emerald farmland to the Latrobe Valley in the north, and to Bass Strait in the South. For much of the journey the road is engulfed within a forest of ferns and under towering trees, emerging into the sunlight to another sweeping valley view. We pick up the The Grand Ridge Road near Gunyah, and travel about 50 Kms along it to the Tarra Bulga National Park.
A 1.2km walk brings us to the impressive Corrigan’s suspension bridge, which stretches through the rainforest canopy, affording spectacular views of the lush fern gully on the forest floor below.
Our return is through the Tarra Valley to Yarram and the coastal towns of Alberton, Welshpool and Toora.
Overnight: Wilson’s Promontory Gate Motel - Old Waratah Road Fish Creek
Day 7 We commence our journey home, but there is still much more to see !
Leaving Geelong, we head to Torquay and the start of The Great Ocean Road! The magnificent coastal scenery continues through Anglesea and Lorne to Skenes Creek, near Apollo Bay.
Overnight: Skenes Creek Lodge Motel—Skenes Creek
Day 8 More magnificent scenery today, as we continue along The Great Ocean Road to
Port Campbell. The amazing works of nature include the “12 Apostles”, London Bridge, Loch Ard Gorge. We follow the coast road through Warrnambool, Portland and Nelson to Mt Gambier.
Overnight: Limestone Coast Motel Mt Gambier
Day 9 What more fitting way could there be to return home than through the Coorong! -
a saline lagoon more than 100kms in length separated from the Southern Ocean by the sand dunes of Younghusband Peninsula, and with interesting towns like Beachport, Robe and Kingston to travel through!
We arrive in Adelaide at 6pm.
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