Bucket-list experiences on your doorstep

Whichever way you’re headed across Bass Strait, some things simply have to be part of your holiday – like Tasmania’s Freycinet National Park or Victoria’s 12 Apostles. Put these incredible experiences on your bucket list, and if you’ve been there, done that remember they’re well worth doing again... perhaps in VIP style?

A UNESCO World Heritage site rich with picturesque 19th century architecture and tragic stories, Port Arthur Historic Site is Australia’s best convict-history experience. Already visited Tasmania’s most popular attraction? Try tours you wished you had time for, like the cruise to the Isle of the Dead cemetery, and dine at the new visitor centre’s excellent 1830 Restaurant overlooking the ruins.

Freycinet National Park is high on Tassie bucket lists, and so spectacular everyone wants to return. If you’ve done the Wineglass Bay Lookout walk, get closer with Wineglass Bay Cruises. Strolled the sugar-white sandy beaches? Try a kayaking tour with Freycinet Adventures. Other special experiences include Freycinet Air’s scenic flight and five-star stays at Saffire Freycinet or Freycinet Lodge.

The mainland has wonderful wine regions, but none compare to the Tamar Valley for sparkling. Challenging France’s Champagne region – and sometimes beating its prestige labels at international awards – this bubbly bonanza is on Launceston’s doorstep. Favourite Tamar Valley Wine Trail cellar doors include Clover Hill, Jansz and Josef Chromy, which has an outstanding restaurant and VIP experiences like The Art of Sparkling.

Maybe you’ve visited Mona, but have you been since this audacious art museum’s post-lockdown rehang introduced many works never shown before? Have you sipped and supped there in style, from underground cocktail bar to fine-dining restaurant up top, or tried their extravagant new high tea? Arrived on a fancy Mona ferry, or stayed overnight at the luxe Mona Pavilions?

From sunrise to sunset, summer to winter, The 12 Apostles always inspire fresh wonder. Have you seen these iconic limestone stacks, standing like sentinels in the sea, from above? There are several scenic-flight operators, including 12 Apostles Helicopters. Or take your time and visit other dramatic coastal rock formations along the Great Ocean Road, like Loch Ard Gorge, The Grotto, Gibson Steps, Bay of Islands and London Arch.

Since Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa was established in 1895, Victoria has been Australia’s favourite place to soak in natural mineral water. Lately seekers of wellness and indulgence have embraced outdoor bathing at Deep Blue Hot Springs on the Great Ocean Road and Peninsula Hot Springs. This Mornington Peninsula hotspot has a blissful new neighbour called Alba, while Metung Hot Springs also recently opened by the Gippsland Lakes.

There are so many ways to experience Victoria’s 1850s gold rush at Sovereign Hill, an open-air museum loved by all ages. Panning for gold, riding a horse-drawn carriage, dressing up for old-fashioned photos and watching a blacksmith in action is just the beginning. Have you done the mine tour, or experienced the Aura sound-and-light show at night? Consider the on-site accommodation so you can do it all.

Major events abound in Australia’s sporting capital. The AFL Grand Final is always a blockbuster, and tickets are hard to come by, but regular-season clashes between the likes of North Melbourne and Essendon are great to watch. Other highlight sporting entertainment includes the legendary Boxing Day Test at the MCG, the Formula 1 Grand Prix, the race that stops a nation, the Melbourne Cup, and one of the world’s four Grand Slam tennis tournaments every summer, the Australian Open, which is just around the corner. Ensure you book early to be a part of the action.

Information included in this blog is correct at the time of publishing. Please contact individual operators for further information.