Off the Beaten Track

Explore parts of Australia via the gateways of Melbourne and Sydney as you explore the untamed wilderness and isolated islands, such as Tasmania and Lord Howe.  Stay in luxury lodges in peaceful isolation on this special itinerary.

Day one – arrive Melbourne
A representative will meet you and take you to your hotel for a restful day or evening at your own pace.

Overnight: The Crown Towers

Day two – Melbourne
Melbourne is the style capital of Australia, and best discovered with a local, so we’ve arranged a walking tour with a native guide to help you get your bearings. On this half-day tour your guide will reveal the city’s contemporary maze of designer boutiques, quirky galleries, historical lanes and arcades, before leading you to a favourite local restaurant for lunch. The rest of the day is at leisure.

Overnight: The Crown Towers

Day three – Tasmania
After breakfast, you’ll be driven to the airport for your flight to Hobart. You’ll be met on arrival and taken to The Islington Hotel, a small luxury hotel with a long history and a large and delightful garden with special views of Mount Wellington. Built in 1847, the hotel is a fine example of Regency architecture, recently restored to showcase its original glory and updated to include a few luxurious extras.

Overnight: The Islington Hotel

Day four – Bruny Island
After breakfast, Dr Tonia Cochran will take you to explore the stunning landscape of Bruny Island. There will be chance to visit the historic and beautiful Adventure Bay, and to see glorious beaches and cool temperate rainforests containing some Gondwana species, as well as endemic Tasmanian flora. Enjoy a stop at Cape Bruny, which offers spectacular views of the rugged coastline and Southern Ocean.

Overnight: The Islington Hotel

Day five – Freycinet
After a leisurely morning, collect your rental car in Hobart and set off for Saffire Freycinet. The Freycinet Peninsula extends from Tasmania’s southeastern coast – a stunning national park that includes Wineglass Bay. Freycinet is a place of warm pink granite mountains, white sandy beaches, grey-green casuarinas and seawater as blue as sapphire, and Saffire lodge is perfectly located on a sweeping bay.

Overnight: Saffire Freycinet

Days six and seven – Freycinet
Enjoy two full days at leisure. There are several magnificent walks on your doorstep, as well as opportunities for canoeing, bird-watching or archery. You can visit a working oyster farm, or enjoy the insights of a guide who knows the region intimately. For a real treat, explore Wineglass Bay on a guided five-kilometre walk, or cruise the spectacular coastline on-board the lodge’s purpose-built vessel.

Overnight: Saffire Freycinet

Day eight – Scottsdale
After checking out of Saffire, drive around two and a half hours to Scottsdale to your charming bed-and-breakfast accommodation. The Beulah is a heritage-listed home, which was built in 1878 by one of the earliest pioneers. Beulah combines the ambience of yesteryear with today’s expected comforts in gracious style. Enjoy time on arrival to relax and look forward to delicious home-cooked cuisine.

Overnight: Beulah Lodge

Day nine – Quoll Patrol
Today you will be accompanied by local guide Craig, who cooks up a bush tucker dinner like you won’t believe! First, visit Trowunna Wildlife Park in the beautiful Mersey Valley for an introduction to Tasmania’s unique wildlife. The breeding and rehabilitation programmes will be explained by informative guides who will also host your close encounters with Tasmanian devil, wombats and kangaroos. Stop for a light lunch en route to the northeast, as you pass by the foothills of Mount Ben Lomond, heading over Roses Tier and down through the stunning Tombstone Creek Forest Reserve, through magnificent old-growth forest. Dinner will be a Tasmanian bush tucker feast in a remote spot on private land, served with a glass of Tasmanian cool-climate wine. After dinner, the objective is to spot the ‘bandit of the bush’ – the entertaining eastern quoll – and perhaps other species such as possums, wombats, kangaroos, wallaby, bettong, bandicoot and Tasmanian devils. You will be returned to Beulah at about 10pm.

Overnight: Beulah Lodge

Day 10 – Sydney
Following breakfast, drive to Launceston Airport, drop off your car, and board your flight to Sydney. On arrival, you’ll be greeted and driven to the Four Seasons Sydney – an established favourite with a grand marble lobby and dramatic sweeping staircase. The hotel is in The Rocks, with magnificent harbour views and close proximity to the Museum of Contemporary Art and the business district. We recommend a stroll around the harbour for views of the fabulous Opera House.

Overnight: Four Seasons Hotel

Day 11 – Sydney
It’s worth rising early for the panoramic view of sunrise over the Opera House right outside your window. A morning tour by air will give you a bird’s-eye view of the landscape, as you fly north along the northern beaches before turning inland over the Narrabeen Lakes and Pittwater. Your pilot will land in front of the Cottage Point Inn, located right on the water and with a superb view of the Hawkesbury River and surrounding bush land. After lunch there, you will be returned to your hotel for an afternoon to relax.

Overnight: Four Seasons Hotel

Day 12 – Sydney
Begin the day with a visit to Blackwattle Bay and the Sydney Fish Market, considered one of the finest in the world. A plate of fresh sushi or famous Sydney rock oysters will titillate the taste buds as you speak to the locals about the catch of the day. Continue on to Queen Street for a lesson in food shopping, Australian-style, and be sure to make a stop at a fine wine shop for an update on the regional varieties and vineyards and, if you wish, a tasting of Australian wines.

Overnight: Four Seasons Hotel

Day 13 – Lord Howe Island
It’s time to bid Sydney farewell and fly to Lord Howe Island, which is regarded as one of the most spectacular in the Pacific. On arrival, a delightful host from Capella Lodge will be at the airport to meet you and take you back to your home for the next four nights. Located in a quiet corner of this World Heritage-listed island, with views over romantic Lovers Bay and the twin peaks of Mount Gower, the lodge is surrounded by nothing but ocean, reef and mountains as far as the eye can see.

Overnight: Capella Lodge, Lord Howe Island

Days 14 and 15 – Lord Howe Island
Many of the activities on offer are centred around the stunning ocean that surrounds the island. You can choose from sea kayaking, snorkelling from the beautiful beaches, glass-bottom boat trips, or just simply relaxing on the white sandy beach. There are bicycles available for hire, or you may wish to join a day trip to Ball’s Pyramid (weather dependent). Should you decide to be really adventurous, we can arrange fishing and scuba diving on various charter boats or a private guided walk up Mount Gower.

Overnight: Capella Lodge, Lord Howe Island

Day 16 – farewell Australia
Bid your final farewell to Australia as you leave the hotel for your flight to Sydney and your onward flight home.