LAKES VALLEYS & THE VINE BY ROYAL JET

As Your Tour Manager, Gordon Higman Welcomes You On This Journey

Your Accompanying Tour Doctor For This Journey Is Dr Mike Beckoff

Aboard our Royal Jet, we depart Brisbane for Adelaide. Settling into the flight, we enjoy morning tea and a glass of champagne. Arriving in Adelaide, a short drive brings us to the Barossa Valley. At the celebrated winery Seppeltsfield, we savour a sumptuous lunch, then take a behind-the-scenes look at the Centennial Cellar. While we are here, we have the rare opportunity to taste Para Vintage Tawny from the year of our birth. We then make the short drive to our residence for the next two nights, The Louise, which we have exclusive use of during our stay. Where better to dine this evening than right here within our special vineyard retreat, enjoying fresh seasonal produce accompanied by the finest local wines.

A full day in the Barossa offers us several Your World experiences to choose from. Spend the morning at Casa Carboni, learning how to make authentic Italian cuisine. Cruise the Barossa trails on an E-bike, pausing to stop at several cellar doors, before taking a look around Tanunda, the red heart of the Barossa. Alternatively, simply relax at The Louise, gazing over the surrounding vineyards while floating in the infinity pool. You may prefer to play a game of boules or sweat it out in the sauna. After lunch, more choices are ours. Walk through the 127-year-old vineyard that yields grapes for Elderton Wines’ celebrated Command Shiraz. This powerful, elegant wine holds the Barossa Trust Mark, which speaks to its integrity and quality. A tasting reveals a further collection of back vintage wines from the Elderton cellar. Perhaps you’d prefer to indulge in an in-suite massage at The Louise. This evening, relish the aromas and flavours of four courses at our accommodation’s Appellation restaurant.

Returning to Adelaide after breakfast, we rejoin our Royal Jet for the flight east to Bendigo. Admire the Victorian architecture that graces much of Bendigo, before strolling the gardens of Fortuna Villa, a lavishly designed mansion showcasing the wealth poured into the area during the gold rush. We then board a privately chartered vintage tram, bound for the Bendigo Art Gallery. Here, we appreciate its remarkable collection of Australian and European paintings, ceramics and decorative arts from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Later this afternoon, we arrive at our stylish Daylesford retreat, Lake House, where we stay in Waterfront Suites. We dine this evening in our residence’s awarded restaurant, with views to the lake’s tree-lined shores.

This morning, enjoy a choice of Your World experiences. Take a peaceful stroll around Lake Daylesford and commune with the resident geese and other birdlife. Learn about the history and environment of the Central Highlands: the gold mining era and its Swiss-Italian settlers, native flora and fauna and, of course, its famous mineral springs. You may prefer to browse the wares on offer at Daylesford’s arts, crafts and antique stores, as well as its many cafes. We reconvene for a gourmet barbecue lunch on the Lake House terrace. Indulge your senses in one of two ways this afternoon, with another Your World experience. Enjoy a restorative massage in the Lake House spa. Otherwise, meet the resident sommelier and familiarise yourself with some of the Cellar Room’s 10,000 bottles of wine during a private tasting. Reacquaint yourself with the seasonal flavours in the Lake House dining room this evening or venture to one of Daylesford’s other outstanding restaurants.

A range of Your World experiences awaits in Daylesford today. Bask in the sun’s morning rays as you round Lake Daylesford before breakfast. Join the Lake House chef for a hands-on cooking masterclass. Search for something special at one of Daylesford’s many boutiques and gift shops. Following lunch, you may like to visit Wombat Hill Botanical Gardens. Sitting atop an extinct volcano, the gardens are home to majestic conifers and a fern gully. The Pioneers Lookout Tower here permits uninterrupted views of Daylesford. As a group once more, we make our way to The Convent, an historic 19th century mansion and art gallery. During our private tour, we admire the works of local and international artists, while availing ourselves of canapes and sparkling wine. The scene of this evening’s dinner is The Waterfront Pavilion at Lake House.

We depart for Bendigo after breakfast to again meet with our Royal Jet. With morning tea served on board, it isn’t long before we reach Bathurst. After admiring the grand Victorian-era architecture of the city, our coach takes a lap of the iconic Mt Panorama racetrack. A brief tour and light lunch then await us at historic Abercrombie House. Soon after, we make the short drive to the majestic Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley luxury resort. Settle in to your Heritage Villa, with the option to take the remainder of the day at leisure. Later this afternoon, you have the chance to head out on a 4WD tour of some of the property’s 7,000 acres. Our guide negotiates dirt tracks and river crossings as sunset approaches. We are then placed in prime position for photo opportunities of the kangaroos, wombats and wallabies which make their home on this wildlife reserve. This evening, we delight in some of the locally sourced flavours from our accommodation’s gourmet menu.

After breakfast this morning, Your World experiences are the order of the day. Learn about the area’s environment and heritage on a Carne Creek Nature walk. Contribute to the reserve’s ongoing protection during a conservation activity. Afterwards, the Country Kitchen provides a nourishing lunch, sourced from the chef’s well-tended garden.

Elect how you would like to spend your afternoon with these Your World experiences. Receive a massage in our resort’s spa. Join your Field Guide to hear about the innovative building practices developed by early settlers. The 1832 Heritage Homestead stands as a living museum, in honour of the region’s settler past, and was meticulously restored by one-time Australian of the Year, Ian Kiernan. Take a gin masterclass and taste the resort’s 1832 Wolgan Gin. Four styles of gin are offered during a tasting. Discover the secrets of gin production, then enjoy a signature cocktail. As the sun sets, we gather around the campfire to witness the nightly theatre of the bush sky, as thousands of stars gradually come into view. Back inside, a Farewell Dinner gives us the opportunity to recount our favourite experiences with new-found friends.

Following this morning’s breakfast, we depart for Bathurst airport. From here, our Royal Jet returns us to Brisbane, our magnificent journey at an end. Our Sydney guests also have the option of returning home directly, by helicopter from Wolgan Valley, at additional expense.