Australia's Great Ocean Road Adventure

Arrive in Melbourne, or Narrm, as it's known to the local Aboriginal peoples. A private driver transfers you from the airport to your hotel overlooking the Yarra River. One of the world's most liveable cities, Melbourne is known for its cafe-filled laneways, galleries, boutiques, and leafy inner suburbs, each with its own character. The land around the Yarra, or Birrarung, holds deep cultural significance for the Kulin people, who have cared for this region for more than 40,000 years. The afternoon is yours to settle in and start exploring. 

Overnight at the Clarion Suites Gateway, or similar 4* accommodations.

This morning, set out on a half-day private city tour shaped around your interests, whether that's history, architecture, sport, or coffee. Your guide can take you to Collins Street, the Docklands, Chinatown, Queen Victoria Market, the sports precinct around the MCG, Federation Square, and the village streets of Fitzroy and Carlton. Ascend the Melbourne Skydeck on the 88th floor of the Eureka Tower for sweeping views across the city and bay. The rest of the day is at leisure to relax or explore at your own pace.

Overnight at the Clarion Suites Gateway, or similar 4* accommodations.

This morning, collect your rental car and head out along the Great Ocean Road on a 4-day self-drive adventure. The Great Ocean Road is one of the world's great coastal drives. Today you will head from Melbourne to Apollo Bay, covering roughly 189 km (116 miles). Ease in with a stop in Torquay, the official start of the road and known for its surf culture, followed by Bells Beach, home to the annual Rip Curl Surf Pro. Continue the coastal route through Anglesea, where kangaroos are known to lounge on the golf course, and Lorne, a good place to pause for fish and chips or to detour to Erskine Falls, which drops 30 m (98 ft) into a fern-lined valley. Watch for koalas and colorful parrots at Kennett River before the road climbs along the clifftops to Apollo Bay, a laid-back beach town at the foot of the Otways, where you can stroll the beach and stretch your legs after the day on the road.

Tonight, spend the night at a contemporary bed and breakfast in town - Captains at the Bay or similar.

Continue west along the Great Ocean Road toward Port Campbell, roughly 97 km (60 miles). Stop at Maits Rest for an easy self-guided circuit walk through ancient, cool temperate rainforest, and, if time allows, visit Cape Otway Lighthouse, the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia, built in 1848 and standing 90 m (295 ft) above Bass Strait.  Hundreds of lives were lost along this shipwreck coast, a sad but fascinating history which led to the building of the Light station on the cliffs edge. For many thousands of 19th century migrants, who spent months travelling to Australia by ship, Cape Otway was their first sight of land after leaving Europe, Asia and North America.

The coast then delivers its showstopper, the Twelve Apostles, a group of towering limestone stacks rising from the Southern Ocean; weather permitting, descend the Gibson Steps for a beach-level view. Explore the lookouts of Port Campbell National Park, from Loch Ard Gorge to London Bridge, before turning inland roughly 218 km (135 miles) to Halls Gap, the gateway to the Grampians.

Accommodation for the next two nights in a Villa at Pomonal Estate.

Spend the day exploring the Grampians, a rugged range of sandstone peaks and waterfalls. Design this day to be as active or as restful as you wish. Visit the Brambuk Cultural Centre to learn about the area's Aboriginal history, with the chance to join guided tours to ancient rock-art sites and hear about the landscape's spiritual significance. Take in the famous lookouts at Boroka, Reed, and the Balconies, all a short drive from Halls Gap, with views over the Mount William and Wonderland Ranges. Make time for MacKenzie Falls, one of Victoria's largest and most spectacular waterfalls, and the local cafes and wineries before returning to your villa. Ask your trip planner for more options tailored to your interests! 

Begin the drive back to Melbourne, roughly 253 km (157 miles), with worthwhile stops along the way. Pause in Ararat, the only Australian town founded by Chinese miners during the gold rush, where the Gum San Chinese Heritage Centre tells that story amid handsome gold-era architecture. Continue to Ballarat to explore its heritage streetscapes and gold-mining past, including the open-air museum at Sovereign Hill, and sample its growing food, wine, and craft-beer scene. Return your car in the city and settle in for a final Melbourne night at your riverside hotel. 

This morning, fly from Melbourne to Sydney, the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation (flight is not included). Meet your private driver at the airport for the transfer to your hotel on Darling Harbour, your base for three nights. Sydney is a city defined by its sparkling harbor, relaxed outdoor lifestyle, and more than 70 beaches.

In the evening, enjoy a VIP tour beneath the sails of the Sydney Opera House, venturing backstage before the night's performances, followed by a two-course dinner with uninterrupted harbourside views.

Accommodations for your next three nights at Park Royal Darling Harbour Hotel, or similar 4* accommodation.

See the best of Sydney on a morning panoramic tour, taking in the historic Rocks and its convict history, the Queen Victoria Building, elegant Paddington, and the coastal cliffs above Tamarama and Bronte, with a stop at famous Bondi Beach.

In the afternoon, head out on a harbor lunch cruise aboard a luxury cruiser, slipping into secluded coves and national park waterways home to penguin and seal colonies, with lunch at a prestigious yacht club. As the day cools, cap it with a twilight climb to the summit of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, 134 m (440 ft) above the water, for 360-degree views from the Opera House to the Blue Mountains.

Enjoy a free morning to relax or explore Sydney at your own pace. In the afternoon, set out on a wildlife safari into the Southern Highlands, driving about 1.5 hours south to the countryside around Bowral. Over a light lunch, learn about local conservation projects before spending the afternoon tracking native wildlife, with a good chance of spotting kangaroos, wombats, echidnas, platypus, and a host of colorful parrots. After sunset, red-tinted spotlights reveal nocturnal creatures like possums and sugar gliders in the trees before a casual dinner at a historic pub and the drive back to the city. 

Your Australian journey comes to a close. A private driver collects you from your hotel for the transfer to the airport and your onward flight home, with plenty of unforgettable memories to take with you.