DAY 1: SEPT 14  Arrive in Sydney, Australia. City Orientation Tour.        L

You will arrive in Sydney early this morning and clear customs. After you have completed the Australia Immigration formalities you will be met and transferred to your hotel. During your 4 nights stay in Sydney you will be accommodated at Quay Grand Sydney, a luxurious suite hotel overlooking Sydney Harbor and within walking distance of Sydney Opera House, the Botanic Gardens and the historic Rocks Village. After an early check-in at the hotel you will meet famous local Sydney guide, Suzanne, for an introductory tour of Sydney downtown, the exclusive Eastern Suburbs and the famous Bondi Beach where you’ll stop for lunch at a local trendy bistro overlooking the beach. Suzanne will accompany you throughout your tour.

For an early start this morning join Suzanne at the well known Sydney Fish Markets for a Behind The Scenes Auction Tour where you will have the opportunity to join a vibrant, leading edge commercial auction at the world’s second largest fish market of its kind where over 100 species of fish are auctioned daily. During the 1 ½ hour tour you will experience all facets of the fish markets operation from the auction floor to the sashimi pavilion and the crustacean pen. At the conclusion of the tour you’ll be able to sample tastings of the sashimi, sushi, famous Sydney rock oysters and Australia’s king prawns (shrimp).

After breakfast at your hotel you will join Suzanne on a scenic tour of a native animal sanctuary enroute to Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, the 4th oldest national park in the world. In the park, if time permits, you’ll take a gentle walk to an Aboriginal ceremonial site with engraved rock art where you’ll learn about Australia’s unique Aboriginal culture and history. Then it’s onto West Head Lookout that boasts wonderful views over Broken Bay, Palm Beach, Pittwater and the Tasman Sea. A scenic drive through the park takes you to Church Point where you’ll board our private water taxi for a cruise along Pittwater en route to your luncheon site, Suzanne’s splendid beach house on Towlers Bay. Meet the local caterer and Suzanne’s friends as the BBQ is lit and the wine cellar opened. Join in the preparation in the kitchen or relax on the verandah feeding the local parrots and kookaburras. This will be a fantastic day so bring plenty of film!

After breakfast at your hotel join Suzanne and your specialist guide on an interesting and scenic tour to the Hunter Valley, Australia's oldest wine region. Enjoy the peculiar Australian beauty of the Hunter, with the smoky blue Brokenback Range and gentle undulations glistening with green vines, while you learn about the character and varieties of Australian wines and recent wine making developments. During the day private tastings will be offered at several award winning and boutique wineries. The Hunter is famous for its Semillon and Shiraz with both wines reflecting the unique character of the Valley's climate and soil. Relax over a gourmet lunch, sample these fine wines and compare tasting notes. You’ll return to Sydney in the late afternoon with satisfied palates and a better appreciation of Australia's first wine region.

DAY 5: SEPT 18  Fly to Melbourne. City Orientation Tour.        B

After breakfast at your hotel you will be transfer to Sydney Airport to board a lunchtime flight to Melbourne with Suzanne Akerman who will be escorting you for your entire tour.  On arrival in Melbourne you will be transferred to your accommodation in trendy Toorak.  During your 3 nights stay in Melbourne you will be accommodated at The Lyall, a 5 star all suite boutique hotel located in a residental street literally feet from the heart of fashionable South Yarra - Melbourne's famous upscale restaurant, cafe and shopping district and an easy 10 minute tram ride into downtown Melbourne.  The attention to detail has to be seen to be believed and the Day Spa is well worth a visit.  Please let us know if you would like to be prebooked at the Day Spa. 

 

This morning you will discover some of the hidden lanes and arcades of downtown Melbourne.  Your tour includes both the history of the lanes and stunning arcades that Melbourne has to offer, along with a generous sprinkling of shopping opportunities.  The shopping focuses on small and creative Melbourne businesses hidden within the cities nooks and crannies.  You will visit a diverse range of shops including clothing designers, leather goods and the most extraordinary and beautiful jewelry.  You will finish with lunch and a chance to study your map where you will no doubt wonder how you can return to some of these unique shops.   

After continental breakfast at your hotel you will join your private specialist guide to travel to the Yarra Valley, one of Australia's oldest and most diverse wine producing regions.  It contains large commercial enterprises and boutique wineries and is best known for its success with Pinot Noir, fine Chardonnays, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz varietals.  The Yarra Valley offers a unique food and wine experience, with many wineries specializing in the foods of the region at the cellar door and adjacent restaurants.  A warehouse-cum-factory space in the Yarra Valley makes a real statement.  There's an organic, artisan style bakehouse and a unique coffee bean-roasting facility.  There's also something incredibly connective about wine tasting in the very place the wine is crushed, fermented, bottled and stored.  Get involved with a look behind the scenes and experience the exciting sights, tastes and smells.  You'll experience a private barrel room tasting with the wine maker.  Wines will be taken directly from the barrel and accompanied with a sampling of delectable regional goodies.  Select a wine to suit your palate, grab a glass and wander out onto the sun-drenched patio.  Relax, or enjoy a game of petanque against the stunning back drop of the Yarra Ranges.  Spend an afternoon you'll never forget at one of Victoria's best kept secrets - a privately owned homestead and vineyard.  It spans 2,500 acres and 4 generations (some of whom you'll meet and all of whom recently took part in a history making harvest).

 

Arrive for lunch and a private tasting in an original Stockman's bush hut.  Explore the first site in Victoria to unearth the elusive black truffle.  Boil billy tea, make your own damper.  Learn secrets of the harvest and the family's conservation policies.  Plant a tree, search for wedge tailed eagles, near extinct yellow helmeted honey eaters and an elusive platypus.  Enjoy a magnificent bushwalk to spectacular waterfalls.  Learn about the upkeep and running of a working Australian farm.  Time will stand still and you'll never want to leave this idyllic retreat. 

 

Your guides will make suggestions for dinner restaurants.  Dinner will be at additional expense. 

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After a leisurely breakfast at your hotel you will transfer to Melbourne Airport in time to board your lunchtime flight to Adelaide. When you arrive in Adelaide Airport your private tour guide will meet and escort you on an orientation tour of Adelaide enroute to your hotel, the Hyatt Regency. You’ll spend the afternoon touring Adelaide, the wine and festival capital of Australia. It’s one of the most vibrant, stylish and innovative cities you'll ever visit. During the afternoon you’ll visit a local museum and gallery, a family owned iconic chocolate factory and a unique liquor producer where liquors are created from seasonal fruits that include lemons, oranges, strawberries and mandarins. A 5-course d’gustation dinner with accompanying wines will be served at Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant, Adelaide's premier fine dining establishment winner of Restaurant of the Year at the Restaurant and Catering South Australian Awards For Excellence. Its wine list has an unparalleled range of Penfolds wines including mature vintage reds from the winery’s museum. Prior to dinner you’ll partake in a tasting selection of Penfolds Premium wines and take a tour of the magnificent property nestled in the Adelaide Foothills. (Grange wine will be available at dinner at own expense)

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DAY 10: SEPT 23  Full day touring in McLaren Vale on the Fleurieu Peninsula.       B L

Breakfast will be enjoyed at your hotel this morning.  Within a 40-minute drive south of Adelaide the Wine Coast encapsulates all things Mediterranean – olive and almond groves, vineyards & wineries nestled between the nearby ranges and the coast. A selection of the tastes of the region will be experienced with private wine, oil & cheese tastings at a variety of boutique wineries that includes Samuel's Gorge.  You'll visit d'Arrenberg Wines to taste some of Australia's most acclaimed wines.  Lunch will be served at d'Arry's Verandah Restaurant.  You day will conclude with an informative cooking class based on the freshest local produce of the highest quality. 

Suggestions for a light dinner to be enjoyed at a variety of Adelaide restaurants (Dinner will be at your own expense). 

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After breakfast at your hotel you will join your wine specialist guide on a wine tasting tour of the famous Barossa Valley with a backdrop of rolling hills enriched by the hospitality and traditions of the German heritage. Just one-hour scenic drive from Adelaide; the Barossa Valley renowned for producing some of the best table wines is also one of the most picturesque parts of South Australia. During a private, tutored tasting at the well known Barossa Winery, Peter Lehmann Wines, you’ll taste the wines that made them International Winemaker of the Year and Australian Wine Producer of the Year at the London 2006 International Wine and Spirit Competition. You’ll sample their premium wines with the opportunity to discuss your tastings with qualified, knowledgeable winery staff.  You'll also visit Wolf Blass wineries to sample a selection of their award winning Riesling, Shiraz & Cabernet Sauvignon wines.  A Chefs Nine Course Dinner with six wines to marry the courses and hosted by a local wine maker is included at your hotel this evening.  During your 2-nights stay in the Barossa Valley you will be accommodated at Peppers The Louise, a luxury hotel perched in the middle of vineyards.  Part hotel, part up-market country house with its own restaurant, the vineyard views will get any wine lover's blood pumping. 

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After a continental breakfast at your hotel you will return to Adelaide this morning to board a late morning flight to Sydney and Quay Grand Sydney.  The afternoon is at leisure to do any last minute souvenir shopping. This evening you will join Suzanne and Piers Akerman for cocktails at their Paddington terrace house before strolling to a local Italian trattoria. Lucio, your host, will be waiting to welcome you on your arrival at his restaurant. He is an avid collector of Australian art and will be delighted to show you the art hanging on the restaurant walls. During dinner you will have one more opportunity to sample the creative cuisine of one of Australia’s young chefs; to enjoy Australian wines that will be matched to your meal and to relax and enjoy some of the famous Aussie hospitality. The perfect setting to reflect on the past two weeks of our 'Epicurean Extravaganza' and bid farewell to good friends.