How to do it
Coast & Co (00 61 4 39794500; coastandco.com.au) offers a four-day private air safari from Melbourne that includes McLaren Vale and the Fleurieu Peninsula; from £3,201pp (based on six passengers; excludes international flights). Day tours such as the Ultimate McLaren Vale Wine Tour are also available; from £784 for two people. Both include a trip to the region’s modern show-stopper, the d’Arenberg Cube – a pioneering restaurant, wine tasting gallery and art exhibition space – and pristine Silver Sands Beach.
Best time to go
Travel in summer (Dec-Feb) for the warmest temperatures, or autumn (Mar-May) if you want to catch the harvest and Adelaide festivals.
8. To sample the coffee culture and sporting greatness of Melbourne
Whisper it softly in the presence of Sydneysiders, but for the best sporting action that Australia has to offer – and in a sports mad country there’s lots – Melbourne is the place to go. It all kicks off every year in January with the Australian Open – wildly celebrated this year with the success in the Women’s Final of homegrown Ash Barty – and runs through a plethora of world-class events from the Grand Prix (March), to Aussie Rules Football (Grand Final in September), the Melbourne Cup horse race (November) and the Boxing Day Test match – especially popular with locals when it involves bashing the Poms.
Perhaps less obviously, Melbourne also lays claim to being the coffee capital of the world. Cooler weather and a post-war influx of Italians, Greeks and Turks kick-started what has now become a flourishing culture of cutting-edge sourcing, roasting and brewing techniques. It’s a city full of idiosyncratic, locally-owned cafés offering single origin coffees, highly imaginative blends, exquisite Rosetta Latte art – and some excellent croissants to go with them.
How to do it
Luxury sports travel specialists Spectate (01244 435 873; spectatetravel.co.uk) offer an eight-night package trip to see the Melbourne Cup Carnival (Oct 29-Nov 5) from £4,315pp; including flights, accommodation and tickets for the Derby Day and Melbourne Cup races. A three-hour Melbourne Café and Culture walking tour takes you along lesser known laneways to prized coffee houses; from £61pp including coffees, lunch and a tram ride (020 3318 0421; viator.com).
Best time to go
While Melbourne is arguably at its loveliest in the summer (Dec-Feb), it can get rather hot. Instead, opt for the more moderate temperatures, lighter crowds and more reasonable airfares of the shoulder seasons (Mar-May; Sep-Nov).
9. To splurge on the luxury break of a lifetime
If you’ve been saving for this moment, excellent wines, delicious food and fine hotels make it easy to spend big on a blow-out holiday Down Under. But the real luxury is an opportunity to stay in some of the wildest places on earth. Tucked discreetly into the dunes, with undisturbed views of Uluru, Longitude 131° is a luxurious tented camp offering cultural exchanges between guests and indigenous artists. If you prefer to be on the country’s spectacular coast, venture to the remote Lord Howe Island, in the Tasman Sea. Here, you can hike beneath mountains and gather driftwood from beaches for fires. Plan your dates properly, and it’s also possible to enjoy one-off experiences with extra bragging rights, such as swimming with minke whales when they cruise the Ribbon Reefs.
Source link : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/oceania/australia/australia-welcomes-british-holiday-best-things-experiences-travel/
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Publish date : 2023-05-12 03:00:00
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