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Melbourne and Victoria's Secrets
superb, encased in sea views, with guests staying in four, self-contained villas, each with two bedrooms and a two-person spa bath, leather sofa, wood fire and a kitchen complete with an espresso coffee machine. It sits in 100 acres of grounds. A two night stay allows for a full day in the surrounding area, including the Otway National Park, where rugged rainforests, towering eucalyptus and secluded fern gullies meet the dramatic coastline, following the Great Ocean Road to the Twelve Apostles and
The Twelve Apostles
other scenic highlights. You might also want to consider staying in the newly opened, architecturally exciting Moonlight Head lodge which you'll have all to yourself (for a supplement of £1385 pp including all meals).
Combine one of the world's most livable cities - and that's official! - with a region renowned for its coastal scenery, most famously along the Great Ocean Road, and memorable food and wine.
Days 1 and 2
Melbourne
city in the world). Your base will be the Park Hyatt, at the top of Collins Street, in a district well-stocked with Victorian architecture and bordered by the Fitzroy Gardens. The hotel is large - 200 rooms but the overall style feels more boutique, the design gently modern but with Art Deco touches. As well as the usual amenities, there's a 25m indoor pool and a tennis court. From Apollo Bay you drive to Queenscliff, where you catch the ferry and cross the neck of Port Phillip Bay to Sorrento and the Mornington Peninsula, a little explored Days 3 and 4 but delightful area of vineyards and farms. Your nighttime retreat is Woodman Estate, a Victorian manor house overlooking a lake, surrounded by gardens and within 50 acres of rolling pastures and bushland, with lots of in-house activities. Price from £408 including arrival transfers, 4 days' car hire and 5 nights' accommodation. When to go October to May. Day 5
Woodman Estate
Melbourne rarely has the same immediate impact on its first-time visitors as glamorous, stunningly-sited Sydney. But dig in. What really make it interesting are its luscious midtown parks and gardens, its suburbs which are more like villages with personality, and its culinary colonies such as Lygon Street, Little Italy and the highly Hellenic Swan Street in Richmond (Melbourne, after Athens and Thessaloniki, is the third biggest Greek
Mornington Peninsula
Great Ocean Road
Time for a tour. After taking delivery of your rented car you'll head southwest to Geelong and south to the surf resort of Torquay, then follow the coast road to Apollo Bay, where you'll spend two nights at Chocolate Gannets. This oddly named hotel is just outside town, a 40-minute or so walk along the beach from its shops,
Melbourne
cafés and restaurants. The setting is
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