Wine, Food, and Wildlife Vacation Package: Melbourne

Explore quirky Melbourne, meet Australian wildlife in ruggedly beautiful landscapes, sample wines in the Yarra Valley, and finish with a lakeside retreat.

From $3,599
per person
8 days
Airfare additional cost
Based on
2 travelers

This Wine, Food, and Wildlife Vacation Package was planned for a foodie couple from San Francisco. They only had a week to visit Australia and wanted to enjoy the food and wine of Victoria, as well as see some of the unique wildlife.

They began their Wine, Food, and Wildlife Vacation Package in Melbourne for three nights. They enjoyed an evening exploration of Melbourne’s world-famous restaurant scene on a degustation walk, where they discovered Melbourne’s hidden away and amazing restaurants, complete with exclusive wine tastings and delicious tastes from the ever-changing menus. Next on their Wine, Food, and Wildlife Vacation Package, they traveled to the Yarra Valley for a delicious lunch and wine tasting at some of the area’s iconic wineries.

Next, they enjoyed a 3-day, small group tour of the gorgeous Great Ocean Road. Their first stop was at a wildlife sanctuary, where they strolled through a national park looking for wild koalas, cockatoos, and kookaburras. Further south on the coast, they traveled through Port Campbell National Park, keeping their eyes peeled for echidnas, wallabies, lizards, and colorful birds. They lingered a while in the area to take in some of Mother Nature’s fascinating handiwork at the Twelve Apostles and the Loch Ard Gorge.

Returning to Melbourne, they picked up their rental car and drove to the lovely town of Daylesford to spend the last two nights of their Wine, Food, and Wildlife Vacation Package at the Lake House. The Lake House is a tranquil retreat with six acres of abundant and fruitful gardens that extend down to the waters of Lake Daylesford and provide guests with immediate access to the lakeshore and the Wombat State Forest preserve.

During their stay, our clients explored the beautiful grounds of the retreat. They took a stroll through the kitchen garden, planted with herbs and edible flowers. They also explored the abundant olive, crabapple, stone fruit, apple, quince, and medlar orchards, which are home to plentiful birdlife.

After this fabulous retreat, their Wine, Food, and Wildlife Vacation Package came to an end. They drove to Melbourne and began their journey back home.

Destinations
Experiences
Our Reference D304

Day 1
Welcome to Melbourne! After settling in at the luxurious Crown Metropol, you can enjoy the lanes and arcades of the city, visit one of their many art galleries, or simply enjoy a glass of wine at one of the sidewalk cafes.
Crown Metropol

Day 2
The day is yours to spend at your leisure. This evening brings you an exploration of Melbourne’s famous restaurant scene on a degustation walk. Discover Melbourne’s hidden away and amazing restaurants with visits to 3 unique venues, exclusive wine tastings, and delicious menu samples. Interact with passionate wine waiters who share their favorite drops and restaurateurs who reveal how their distinctive designs, locations, and menus came to be.
Crown Metropol

Day 3
Today, you’ll visit wineries in the Yarra Valley to taste the best of Australian wine and learn the compelling family histories of this area’s winemakers.
Crown Metropol

Day 4
Today, check out of your hotel for your 3-day tour of the Great Ocean Road. Stroll through a national park looking for wild koalas, cockatoos, and kookaburras. Your wildlife guide and koala researcher will explain the behavior and individuality of each of the koalas you meet. Walk quietly up to a wild mob of kangaroos on the plains to observe their complex social life. You may also find parrots, fairy-wrens, emus, honeyeaters, wallabies, and reptiles. Tonight, stay in a boutique property in the tiny Outback town of Little River. Enjoy dinner at the local pub for a real Aussie experience!

Day 5
Continue your tour to see some of the world’s most spectacular coastal scenery. Follow the Great Ocean Road to the surging surf coast and walk in the magnificent rainforests of the Otway National Park. Travel through Port Campbell National Park, looking out for the echidnas, wallabies, lizards, and colorful birds that make their home in the coastal heathlands. Linger a while to take in some of nature’s handiwork at the Twelve Apostles and the Loch Ard Gorge. Enjoy dinner and rest at a B&B near Loch Ard Gorge and Port Campbell.

Day 6
This morning, enjoy one last look at the coast in the dramatic morning light before returning to Melbourne across the vast grasslands of the Western Plains. En route, your tour will stop to drive to the top of an extinct volcano with spectacular views across the plains and hundreds of volcanic lakes. Return to Melbourne in the late afternoon to pick up your rental car and drive to Daylesford for a tranquil retreat at the Lake House. Enjoy views of abundant and fruitful gardens that extend down to the waters of Lake Daylesford.
Lake House Daylesford 

Day 7
Today is yours to explore and enjoy your beautiful accommodation. Stroll through the garden to the lakefront or visit the Wombat State Forest to see unique flora and fauna.
Lake House Daylesford 

Day 8
Today, drive back to Melbourne to drop off your rental car and begin your trip home.

  • 3 nights Crown Metropol, Melbourne
  • 3-day/2-night tour of the Great Ocean Road
  • 2 nights Lake House Daylesford
  • 2 days rental car
  • Degustation dinner walking tour in Melbourne
  • Yarra Valley food and wine tour in Melbourne
  • Transfer from Melbourne airport to hotel