Capital and Coast - Sydney to Melbourne

Beautiful mountain and coastal scenery, including a visit to Canberra and the Philip Island penguins.

SYDNEY TO MELBOURNE - Self Drive

DAY 1
SYDNEY - CANBERRA (300 kms)

Pick up your HERTZ MEDIUM SEDAN rental car at the Sydney City Depot (or Sydney Airport Depot at additional cost) and commence your drive to Canberra and your overnight accommodation at the OLIMS CANBERRA, an All Seasons Hotel.

BERRIMA is just under half way between Sydney and Canberra and is well worth the 5-minute detour off the highway. There are signs for easy location and we suggest you take a lunch or coffee break in this historic township. Berrima is situated in the Southern Highlands and boasts Australia’s oldest gaol (construction began in 1834), now a minor offenders’ institution. It housed in it’s time a number of infamous bushrangers. There are many artists and artisans who live in Berrima, and it is the arts and crafts that they produce which attracts visitors just as much as the history of the town. The Berrima District Museum (in Market Street) is well worth a visit, plus there are antique stores to tempt collectors.

CANBERRA is the Capital of Australia and is situated in the Australian Capital Territory, in the southern tablelands of New South Wales. Canberra has five sign-posted Tourist Drives, which take in most of the sights. The best way to gain appreciation of Canberra is to visit any of the lookouts on the surrounding hills. Telstra Tower, on Black Mountain, is 195 metres high and has viewing galleries and a revolving restaurant. On the summit of Mt. Pleasant are memorials to the Australian Artillery and Armoured Corps, while Red Hill overlooks Parliament House, southern Canberra and the Woden Valley. From Mt. Ainslie the visitor can see central Canberra and Lake Burley Griffin. The three most popular tourist attractions in Canberra are Parliament House, the War Memorial and the National Library.

DAY 2
CANBERRA - EDEN (265 kms)

Depart Canberra and travel through Capital Hill, the suburbs of Griffith, Fyshwick and Symonston to Eden and your overnight accommodation at the BEST WESTERN COACHMAN'S REST MOTOR INN.

EDEN has a population of around 4000 people and is situated on Twofold Bay. A former whaling station, it is now a deep water fishing port, and the fishing and timber industries are of the utmost importance to the survival of the town. The town's Killer Whale Museum gives an overview of Eden's history. The Ben Boyd National Park flanks Twofold Bay to the north with its famous Red Cliffs, and to the south bordering historic Boyd's Tower.

DAY 3
EDEN - LAKES ENTRANCE (240 kms)

Depart Eden on the Princes Highway and travel via the towns of Bellbird Creek, Orbost and Nowa Nowa to arrive at your overnight accommodation in Lakes Entrance at the COMFORT INN & SUITES EMMANUEL.

ORBOST is a timber town which sits high in the forested mountains that support it’s main industry. Much of the area is protected as parkland and the Rainforest Centre run by the Conservation Department details the intrinsic value of the temperate rainforests found in the area. North of Orbost the Snowy River National Park offers excellent walking tracks and the Snowy River is popular with rafters and canoeists. Errinundra National Park further east is a plateau that is home to a magnificent cool temperate rainforest which features raised walking platforms and information boards. The Slab Hut Information Centre on the edge of town was built by John Moore in 1872 and provides a wealth of information on the township of Orbost and the surrounding area.

LAKES ENTRANCE is at the entrance to the Gippsland Lakes, Australia's largest inland water system. It is a popular holiday destination with wonderful beaches as well as a spectacular hinterland with mountains, rivers and forests. Wildlife in the area includes dolphins, water birds, kangaroos, wombats and koalas. The artificial entrance of the lakes to the ocean was completed in 1889, and there are still visible signs of the equipment used to bring logs and rocks from the inland for the construction. A short walk across the footbridge brings you to the Entrance and Bass Strait, with Ninety Mile Beach stretching away into the distance.

DAY 4
LAKES ENTRANCE - PHILLIP ISLAND (310 kms)

Depart Lakes Entrance today and travel via the Princes Highway through the towns of Bairnsdale, Sale and Traralgon to Morwell. At Morwell, join the Strzelecki Highway and travel through the towns of Leongatha and Wonthaggi to Phillip Island where your overnight accommodation is at the ALL SEASONS ECO RESORT PHILLIP ISLAND.

BAIRNSDALE is the Gateway to Victoria's Gippsland Lakes District, a popular holiday resort for fishing and water sport enthusiasts. The town features galleries, craft shops and museums. The Hillmay House Antique Museum is an 1890’s furnished historic home, which contains a nursery with an excellent display of baby furniture and dolls. The Historical Museum and Resource Centre is a two-storey building housing memorabilia while the grounds are scattered with machinery from a bygone era. In the Main Street you will find St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, which was built in 1913 and is noted for its exquisite murals.

SALE is situated on the Melbourne side of the Lakes Entrance and is the operations centre for the nearby Bass Strait Oil Fields. The Sale Canal and port can be found just off the main highway at Cullen Park. Further along the canal is the swing bridge, built across the Latrobe River in 1883. The bridge provided a route across the river to Port Albert, the main port of entry to Gippsland in the mid-1800’s. There are many features of interest in this old town, including the ornate St. Paul’s Cathedral which was originally built in 1885; Bishops Court, resident of the Bishop of Gippsland, constructed in 1885; and the Our Lady of Sion Convent, built in 1892-1902.

TRARALGON has always been a stopping-off place on the way to somewhere else. In the early days, it was frequently used by either graziers on their way to the mountain country, or prospectors heading to the goldfields. While today the town itself has a large commercial base, with paper and power industries in the area, it is still used as a stopover on the way to the Alps or the lakelands of Gippsland. The Tambo Cheese Factory is based in Traralgon and offers a wide variety of Gippsland cheeses along with local crafts. Traralgon is close to the Moondara State Park and reservoir and Baw Baw National Park.

WONTHAGGI is best known for the black coal, which was discovered here in 1824. A portion of the State Coal Mine, which was closed in 1968, can be viewed today with information available at the Orientation Centre at the East Area Mine.

PHILLIP ISLAND is the home of the Fairy Penguins. At dusk, they emerge from the surf, completely ignoring the thousands of curious onlookers. The island has a major wildlife reserve where you can see koalas, fur seals, pelicans, mutton-birds and various other sea birds. At the Australian Dairy Centre, Phillip Island, there is a museum explaining the history of the dairying industry, and a cheese factory with a sales section and tastings.

DAY 5
PHILLIP ISLAND - MELBOURNE (140 kms)

Depart Phillip Island via the Bass Highway through the town of Cranbourne. Continue to the town of Lyndhurst, where you join the Princes Highway to arrive at Melbourne where you drop off your rental car at the depot in Melbourne City or Melbourne Airport. This drive is approximately 140km.

5 day self drive tour - from £349
 

Accommodation specified is subject to availability and may be substituted to a similar or higher standard if necessary.

For help, advice or to make a booking, call 0844 567 8050
 
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