Trip Overview
In a tour tailored for food and wine lovers, discover new taste sensations surrounded by spectacular vistas of the Southern Hemisphere. Come with us Down Under as we explore unique fare offered in the fish markets, fruit and veggie' stalls, fine food restaurants and world class wineries. You'll be introduced to casual Australian cuisine, haute cuisine and various Australian wine vintages with wine educators, market vendors and head chefs providing their insights and gastronomic know-how at every turn.
This is a dynamic tour of great variety in location, cuisine, and attractions: a fish market cooking class with the freshest ingredients imaginable; a visit to Hunter Valley escorted by a graduate winemaker leading us in a comprehensive private tasting of top Australian wines, including aged bottles not available to the public and an in depth tour of Yarra Valley, one of Australia's oldest wine producing regions.
For a memorable, interactive meal in the Barossa Valley, we'll visit local markets with the Head Chef of Appellation Restaurant as he discusses purchases with you for the evening's dinner. At famed Penfolds Winery, you'll bottle your own blended wine then celebrate your wine making mastery and taste the menu of wonderful Australian cuisine you had a hand in selecting.
Chef and author Allan Campion will take us to his favorite coffee haven in a South Melbourne warehouse and will ply us with stunning pastries from one of the most gorgeous bakeries in town. Be pampered with a tutored olive oil tasting and handmade chocolate truffles. Visit Binnorie Cheese Factory for a private tasting and cook an organic meal from scratch with a top Sydney chef.
To get the best of Australia's outdoors, we'll cruise iconic Sydney Harbour and go where kangaroos and emus graze as we venture to the Chain of Pond, which features a breathtaking backdrop of giant reservoirs and towering pine trees. Picture yourself on a Bush Tucker Walk in the Botanic Gardens and listen to the exotic sounds of a didgeridoo performance. You'll see the true beauty of Australia, enjoy her flavors, sights and sounds.
Enhance your cooking proficiency or solely engage your taste buds in this travel menu of high quality culinary and viticulture experience. This extraordinary Australian tour has every pleasure possible - satiating all five senses.
Brief Itinerary
Day One: Sensational Sydney
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A boat cruise excursion of Sydney Harbour's icons will introduce us to this sensational city. The Opera House, Harbour Bridge, the bays and inlets and magnificent homes lining the shore will all be viewed from our incredible vantage point aboard our vessel. Later we'll gather for a welcome seafood dinner at one of Sydney's finer restaurants.
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Day Two: Gourmet Walkabout
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The lush fruit and vegetable stalls, fish markets brimming with snapper, sand whiting, Balmain bugs and plump creamy Sydney rock oysters - all this awaits you on your exclusive gourmet walkabout. Other highlights include a tasting of exclusive Australian wine at a fine wine shop and luncheon at the award-winning Catalina's overlooking Sydney Harbour at Rose Bay.
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Day Three: Don Your Aprons
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A stunning sequence of Sydney's sites are yours today; Macquarie Street, home of New South Wales seat of government, the Mint, Hyde Park Barracks and St Mary's Cathedral; the Rocks historic district filled with quaint old cottages, pubs and churches; as well as breathtaking coastal sights. Later, we'll enjoy a private cooking class at the Sydney Fish Markets accompanied by a feast of delightful Australian cuisine and wine sampling.
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It's an excursion to the Hunter Valley to visit the best wineries escorted by a graduate winemaker who will lead us in a comprehensive private tasting of top wines, including aged examples not available to the public. Dinner will be at Rock, a restaurant offering contemporary Australian cuisine with a classical French influence.
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Day Five: 'Barry' Fine Food
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Today we join Chef Karina Barry, formerly of The Savoy in London and Rockpool in Sydney, and husband Brian Barry who is a wine educator to escort us to the Binnorie Cheese Factory for a private tasting. At their cooking school kitchen, they'll instruct us in a hands-on class with all dishes cooked from scratch using local organic produce. For dinner at the Hunter Resort, we'll be tutored by the Cellarmaster who will match each course with the perfect Australian wine.
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Day Six: A 'Plum' of an Evening
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After settling into Adelaide's Medina Grand Treasury hotel in the lovely Victoria Square, we look forward to a fantastic evening dinner at The Red Ochre Grill in a pristine parkland setting on the banks of the River Torrens. We'll be satiated by exceptional Australian cuisine prepared with native ingredients - bunya nuts, quondong and Illawarra Plums to name a few. The restaurant offers unsurpassed views of Adelaide's city skyline.
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Day Seven: Aboriginal Artistry
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A unique Bush Tucker Walk with an Aboriginal guide will provide us with firsthand knowledge of Aboriginal culture in the Botanic Gardens as we explore how native plants were used in traditional Aboriginal lifestyle. Our tour follows with a food tasting and morning tea. On to Tandanya for a glimpse of contemporary Aboriginal art and a didgeridoo performance.
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Day Eight: Bountiful Barossa
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The Barossa Valley is an especially unique wine region in Australia. In the Torrens Gorge which covers 400 square kilometres of unspoiled beauty, you may see kangaroos and emus grazing near the road as we venture to the Chain of Ponds, which features a breathtaking backdrop of giant reservoirs and towering pine trees. In Williamstown, prepare for morning tea at the historic Lyndoch bakery. Lunch at award-winning Peter Lehman Wines will consist of succulent tasting plates of local meats and cheeses.
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Day Nine: Appealing Appellation
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Greet the Head Chef of Appellation Restaurant, your hotel's cooking wizard. Visit local markets as he discusses purchases with you for this evening's dinner. In an afternoon cooking demonstration by one of Australia's celebrated chefs, you learn insights into cooking 'down under'. At iconic Penfolds Winery you'll bottle your own blended wine. Celebrate your winemaking mastery and taste the menu of wonderful food you have assisted the chef to select, in a memorable evening at Appellation.
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Day Ten: Momentus Melbourne
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This Australian city boasts elaborate Victorian-era buildings, gracious parks and gardens and tree-lined boulevards. After our airport arrival, we'll have a city orientation tour then take full advantage of the remaining day at leisure to discover what makes Melbourne special. You may wish to visit the Queen Victoria Markets where a huge range of fresh produce, exotic foods, and artefacts are sold amidst a chorus of stallholders. Shopping is deluxe at the fashionable Toorak and South Yarra districts.
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It's a food lover's elaborate coach ride with chef and author Allan Campion. He'll take us to his favourite coffee haven in a South Melbourne warehouse plus stunning pastries from one of the most gorgeous bakeries in town. Be pampered with a tutored olive oil tasting and handmade chocolate truffles. Prepare for a cheese tasting at one of the city's best providores then take to the streets of Carlton for amazing gelati and funky Fitzroy for a glass of wine and a visit to an incredible foodie bookstore.
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Day Twelve: Yarra Euphoria
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A full day Yarra Valley tour will bring us great wine and first class dining in a fabulous setting. With a rich history stretching back to the first settlers, the Yarra Valley is one of Australia's oldest wine producing regions and best known for its success with Pinot Noir, fine Chardonnays, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz varietals.
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Day Thirteen: Melbourne Departure
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Transfer by private coach to Melbourne Airport for your onward flight.
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