Day 1.
We pick you up from your Melbourne hotel of from Federation Square (this will be pre-arranged) between 8 am and 830 am. You will be given your cool bag in which you can gather your goodies as we travel through this beautiful area famous for its lovingly produced food and beverages.
We travel north from Melbourne and visit a working organic farm in the foothills of the Macedon Ranges.
We then stop for a coffee in one of the picturesque townships before visiting the memorial cross on top of Mt Macedon for a birds eye view of the region. Leaving Mt Macedon we travel to Hanging Rock Winery to sample their award winning wines at their beautiful vineyard with its stunning views of Hanging Rock and Mt. Macedon.
Next we drive a few kilometres further west to the historic town of Kyneton to stroll through the famous Piper Street food precinct. This is a perfect place to start filling your cool bag with local produce fresh from the surrounding countryside. We have a beautiful lunch arranged for you at the only 'Chefs Hat' restaurant in Kyneton started by a famous local chef Annie Smithers.
After lunch we travel to the beautiful town of Daylesford famous for its mineral waters, artisan food producers, fine dining, boutique shops and gold rush architecture.

The next experience we have lined up for you is a visit to Herbal Lore, world renowned for its fine herbal liquors, herbal chocolates and liquor fruits. A generous sampling of the product range, along with an entertaining explanation of its creation and manufacture has been arranged for you.

Your stay in Daylesford this evening is at the 'Lake House', one of the acclaimed 'Luxury Lodges of Australia'. This stunning property has become an iconic destination for sublime dining experiences. The afternoon provides time to enjoy your surroundings, relax in style or pamper yourself with a spa or massage treatment. This memorable stay includes a stay in a beautiful 'waterfront' room, 3 course dinner in the 2 'Chefs Hat' awarded restaurant of Alla Wolf-Tasker and full country breakfast.

If the Lake House is not for you then we also use the fabulous 'Frangos and Frangos' Hotel in the main street of Daylesford. The rest of the afternoon is yours to explore the town or indulge in one of the many available spa treatments. With this option your evening is spent dining in the beautiful restaurant 'Mercato' with its first class service and menu that highlights the fresh local produce. Afterwards you can retire to your bedroom or stroll through the quiet streets, breathe in the clear country air and enjoy the canopy of stars you can’t see in the city.

Day 2.

After enjoying a leisurely breakfast we pick you up and take you to O’Tooles Honey to talk to local identity Des O’Toole and sample some of his delicious honey. Then we take a short drive to the nearby hamlet of Musk where we visit the acclaimed vineyard of Passing Clouds for a tasting of their wines followed by a visit to Istra, a family owned company producing cured meats and smallgoods renowned for their high quality and flavour.

Also in Musk, we visit the Daylesford Cidery. The cidery is the outcome of years of hard work by the owners who have planted over 1500 varieties of vintage apple trees. Here you will be shown around the vast orchard and be offered tastings of the cider by the owners.

Our lunch stop is Trentham, the hidden gem of the Central Highlands, where you’ll have time to stroll through the town filling your bag with delectable local produce before lunch and tour at the famous Red Beard Bakery. Red Beard is famous for its organic sourdough bread and its use of original scotch ovens.
After Trentham, we drive a short distance to Blackwood where we visit the 'Garden of St Erth' where you can wander through the secluded and peaceful gardens or ramble through the 'Diggers' shop. From here we drive through the beautiful Wombat State Forest to the township of Ballan where we join the Western Highway for our journey back into Melbourne arriving around 6pm.


Our 2 Day Daylesford & Macedon Ranges Food Trail departs at 0800 - 0830 from Melbourne. Pickups are available from all city hotels within Melbourne. Passengers will be dropped at any Melbourne CBD location at 1800 at the completion of the tour.
Tours include : Stay at the 'Lake House' 5 star with 3 course dinner Frangos and Frangos 4 star with 2 course dinner at Mercato Fully cooked breakfast Restaurant lunch on Piper street Lunch at Red Beard Bakery Small group touring (Max 8 passengers) 2 Winery visits Visit to Herbal Lore Visits to Daylesford Cidery, Istra Smallgoods, Red Beard Bakery, O'Tooles Honey and Garden of St Erth

This 3-day tour through a spectacular pocket of Australia boasts wonderful
diversity and culinary delights. Explore the coastline along the famous Great
Ocean Road and then turn north to discover the impressive mountain ranges of
the Grampians National Park.


Our guests on this micro group tour of just 8 people are collected from their Melbourne hotels and
introduced to the wonderful journey ahead. We travel through the vast volcanic plains on route to
Geelong where you have time to stroll along the beautifully transformed waterfront. We start our
journey along the Great Ocean Road at Torquay, stopping at various places along the coast including
Bells Beach and our scenic morning tea location. A visit to a brilliant new chocolate factory is a great
place to grab a coffee or engage your inner chocoholic.


Our focus then turns to Australian native wildlife as we observe Eastern Grey Kangaroos in the wild.
This is one of many opportunities to see and hear about our unique and unusual animals in their native
habitat. Our journey then begins travelling the very scenic, cliff-hugging section of the Great Ocean
Road. While winding our way along we stop to view sites such as the ‘Memorial Arch’ and tell you of
the intriguing story of this incredible road.


Lorne is the largest of the seaside resorts, with its abundance of cafes and restaurants it is a perfect
place for a lunch break. You may even find time to have a swim or do some shopping.


After lunch we cruise along the spectacular road, stopping at many scenic spots including Kennett
River where we can see koalas and many colourful native birds in the wild. Travelling through Apollo
Bay we take time to explore the harbour, beach and township.


We then check into your private, self-contained accommodation at Chris’s Restaurant and Villas. This
is an amazing location to unwind an enjoy some time looking out to sea. We have dinner tonight at the
award-winning restaurant with breathtaking views of the ocean and enjoy a modern Greek Australian
menu that utilises great local produce.































Our second day starts with a wonderful continental breakfast in the restaurant while taking in the
spectacular ocean views. Our journey then ventures into the Great Otway National
Park where we take you on a guided walk through a cool temperate rainforest gully to see the world’s
tallest flowering plants and prehistoric trees.



Our first stop on the shipwreck coast is at Castle Cove overlooking the Aire river valley. Your guide
will introduce you to the strong Aboriginal heritage of the region and the important fossil discoveries
of dinosaurs dating back to the cretaceous period.


The 12 Apostles are Icons of Australia’s natural beauty. We arrive as the stacks are lit with the
morning sun making them perfect for photos and crowd free. This is a bonus for taking a 2-day trip as
the stacks are silhouettes in the afternoon and overcrowded. After hearing of the creation of the stacks
and holding some of the limestone rock you can explore the boardwalks or brave a helicopter flight
along the coastline (own expense).


We then visit ‘Loch Ard Gorge’, the site of the most famous 19th century Australian shipwreck. We
retell the entire story from the calm voyage, the tragic wreck, the courageous survivors and their fate.
While hearing the tale you will be able to see and hold some original artifacts, photos and documents
from the ‘Loch Ard’ contained in our treasure chests.


Port Campbell is our lunch stop for today. The small fishing village of just 350 is set in a beautiful
natural port and has some wonderful cafes and restaurants for food and views.


After lunch we travel to a lesser known but highly impressive area of the Coastline west of Port
Campbell. This section includes the limestone formations of London Bridge, Bay of Islands, Bay of
Martyrs and Boat Bay and is seen only be a small percentage of the people travelling the Great Ocean
Road. Our journey then continues through to Warrnambool and Port Fairy with a visit to Tower Hill
Game Reserve for the chance to see Koalas, Kangaroos and Emus living wild within this extinct
volcanic crater.


We then leave the coast and drive north to your accommodation in Dunkeld at the southern end of the
Grampians National Park. The Royal Mail hotel is a renowned hotel for both its setting, looking out at
the mountains, but also its culinary excellence, having been awarded many mighty accolades over the
times. Your experience here includes the five-course degustation menu in ‘Wickens’. This dining
experience is something that has people from all over Australia travelling for.


















N


Our third day starts at the Southern end of Gariwerd, the Aboriginal name for the Grampians. After
enjoying breakfast at the hotel we start an incredibly scenic drive North between the Serra and Mt
William Ranges towards Hall’s Gap while the sun is streaming in from the east lighting up the rocky
cliff faces of the ranges.


The creation of these ranges dates back around 420 million years ago and has at one stage had the
Southern Ocean lapping up against it. These sandstone mountain ranges are sedimentary deposits that
have since faulted and lifted. This upheaval now allows us to discover an incredibly rare and stunning
landscape.


An hour into our journey we arrive in Halls Gap in the heart of the Grampians NP. This township’s
Parks Victoria information centre and ‘Brambuk’ Aboriginal cultural centre help us learn about the
region, including a couple of short videos in the dreaming theatre that reveals both the the natural
history and the Aboriginal creation story. Our day includes a few short walks at Baroka Lookout,
Reid’s Lookout and McKenzie Falls as well as the rock art site ‘Bunjil’s Shelter’.


Our journey back to Melbourne takes us by the gold mining township of Ballarat, once one of the
richest towns in the world and the reason for Melbourne’s early prosperity. The end of our 3-day tour
concludes back in Melbourne around 6pm.








Tours include :
- 4 star accommodation
- 1 x 2 course dinner
- 1 x 5 course degustation option
- 2 x breakfast