Wildflowers in the Grampians

With the coming of October and the warm spring weather the Grampians transform into an amazing wonderland of beautiful native wildflowers. The beauty and diversity of wildflowers found amongst the stunning sandstone Grampians attracts many locals and visitors alike. 

To celebrate, every year on the first weekend of October, Halls Gap hosts the Grampians Wildflower Walkabout in the Flora Botanic Gardens where guests are treated to guided walks; introducing them to the various species in the area and sharing knowledge of how the indigenous people used a variety of them.

This is not the only way to experience the wildflowers as the flowers can be seen throughout the National Park. Our 2 and 3 day tours will take you through some astounding scenery where you will see the vast fields of flowers and get a chance to take pictures up close. You can enjoy the flowers whilst also enjoying the breathtaking scenery of the ancient Grampians at locations such as Boroka Lookout, Reids Lookout and the Balconies.

2 day Grampians tour

3 day Great Ocean Road Grampians tour

4 day Melbourne to Adelaide tour

Stunning sunsets and much more at Port Macquarie

Port Macquarie and the surrounding area are full of natural wonders including beaches, lakes, rivers and Natural Parks.

A stunning sunset over the river at Port Macquarie

390 kilometres north of Sydney, the town is located where the Hastings River meets the ocean. Besides the River and other waterways Port Macquarie has a range of beautiful beaches and average temperatures ranging from 7 to 27 degrees. These all ensure its a popular holiday area for fishing, surfing, beach and nature lovers alike. 

 We visited in August and enjoyed mild days of 22 degrees allowing us to fish in the River, explore the rainforest and visit a number of beaches including Town Beach, Flynns Beach, Shelly Beach and Lighthouse Beach. 

Here's a snapshot of some of the activities to enjoy if you visit the area.

Sea Acres Rainforest Centre


Located a short distance south of Port Macquarie the Sea Acres Rainforest Centre is certainly worth a visit.

With a 1.3 kilometre boardwalk meandering through the rainforest the Centre is suitable for people of all ages.  Its also possible to spot wildlife along the boardwalk. We were luck to observe a bush turkey building its nesting mound and a small and large lace monitor. Birds can be heard in the surrounding rainforest and the sound of the whip bird  was a pleasing and regular occurrence. 

Lace Monitor

There is an amazing Aboriginal exhibit downstairs at the Centre called the "Spirit of the land exhibition". Hearing and seeing the 2 Birpai Aboriginal stories told via sand drawings was totally fascinating and well worth the gold coin entry fee. 

A cafe and souvenir shop is also located at the Centre.

Lighthouse Beach

A short drive south of Port Macquarie Lighthouse Beach is a 9 kilometre stretch of beach with Watonga Rocks sitting on the sand part way along the beach.

Lighthouse Beach from the Lighthouse

The beach is popular with surfers and at the southern end camel safaris and 4wd's share the sand.

Tacking Point Lighthouse 

The beach is named after Tacking Point Lighthouse  which is the 3rd oldest lighthouse in Australia,  built in 1879, after more than 20 ship wrecks occurred in the area. 

A number of viewing platforms have been built in the area around the lighthouse as its a great place to watch for whales as they travel along the coastline. Spotters for the whale watching boat tours are often seen at the lighthouse directing the boats to areas where whales are frolicking in the waters near the point.

A whale frolicking off Lighthouse Beach

Chinese Junk Cruises

For an interesting experience try a sunset cruise along the Hastings River in an authentic Junk.

There's also a lunchtime fish and chips cruise where I'm told dolphins are often spotted.


Ellensborough Falls

If you love waterfalls and don't mind driving a longer distance Ellensborough Falls is located in Manning Valley at Elands approx 85 kilometres west of Port Macquarie. 

The falls are one of the longest single drop waterfalls in the southern hemisphere and are easily viewed from the car park area. 

There is a short walk to the head of the falls or you can walk down more than 600 steps to view the falls from the bottom. 

A kiosk is located in the car park area but only open on Fridays, weekends and NSW school holidays from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Other useful information

Port Macquarie beach guide

Beach safety in Australia

Otway Fly Treetop Adventure

Set amongst the beautiful Otways rainforest the Otways Fly Tree Top Adventure  provides a great opportunity to see the rainforest from a different angle.

The walk takes about an hour over its 2 kilometre length and features a thrilling cantilever section where you feel totally above the beautiful forest below. 

Views from the highest point - the 47 metre high tower are also amazing.

You start the walk from the Visitor Centre and Cafe and wander, at your own pace, down hill to the start of the treetop walk. Its then a gradual climb as you wander along the walkway where you'll find interpretive signs that provide interesting information on the range of trees and flora nearby.

A free shuttle service is available making the trip from or to the Visitor Centre easier.

Cost is a very reasonable $25 adults, $15 children, $70 family and $21.50 for seniors.

We include the Tree Top Adventure in our 2 day private tour of the  Great Ocean Road Tour or our 3 day private tour of the Great Ocean Road and Grampians Tour.

If you have plenty of time and are ready for adventure you can do the Zipline Tour which takes 3.5 hours and includes flying on a series of cable spans from one platform to another.

Bay of Islands

The Bay of Islands Coastal Park is a narrow strip approx 32 kilometres long and located between Peterborough, at the western end of the Great Ocean Road, and stretches to Warrnambool further west.  

The town of Warrnambool was settled by the Europeans in the 1840s and Port Campbell in the 1870s. With European settlement came the ships that supplied the area and the treacherous coast caused many shipwrecks.

Amongst these the schooner 'Young Australia' in 1877 was driven ashore at Curdies Inlet after receiving damage to its fore-top mast at Cape Nelson during inclement weather. No lives were lost. 

In 1908 the 'Falls of Halladale', a 4 mastered iron barque built in Scotland, was wedged between two reefs at Halladale Point when the captain's judgment was impaired by heavy fog.

The Coastal Park, like nearby Port Campbell National Park, has sheer limestone cliffs and offshore islands. This fascinating coastline developed millions of year's ago when tiny marine animal skeletons built up beneath the sea and formed the soft limestone which was then eroded by the wild seas and winds of the Southern Ocean sculpting the limestone into the shapes we see today. Its a popular area for photography particularly at sunset and far less crowded than the 12 Apostles area.

The wild Southern Ocean also provided a wealth of resources for Kirrae Whurrong people, the traditional owners of the area. Evidence of their habitation of the area over thousands of years such as blackened shells (shell middens), scraping tools and other small artefacts, remain as indicators of a healthy and diverse diet.The Kirrae Whurrong continue to live in this area celebrating their traditional physical and spiritual connections. 

Lookout areas are located at the Bay of Martyrs, the Bay of Islands, Three Mile Beach and Childers Cove.

You can book a 1, 2, 3 or 4  day private tour with Longhorn YOUnique Tours which will include visiting these National Parks 

Wineries of the Mornington Peninsula

Having toured in the Yarra Valley regularly over the last 5 years we decided to venture into the Mornington Peninsula - another fabulous wine region in Victoria. The objective was to explore mixing this wonderful region with our special penguin tour on Phillip Island. 

We turned off the highway at the Arthurs Seat exit and drove through the clouds to stop at Murray's Lookout. It was a misty morning so we didn't experience the panoramic views but we still got the feeling that we were standing on top of the world.

From the summit of Arthurs Seat its a short walk to visit the monument dedicated to Matthew Flinders, the  English navigator and cartographer, who was the first to circumnavigate Australia. He stood on this spot in 1802 and no doubt the view he experienced as he gazed across Port Phillip Bay was very different to the one we saw today.

We next headed to Port Phillip Estate and as we drove into the parking area we were struck by the stunning architectural design of their building which reminded us of TarraWarra Estate in the Yarra Valley. We later found they were both designed by the same architects.

Port Phillip Estate

The staff here were fantastic, making us feel at home as soon as we arrived. They provided comprehensive insights into their wines and enthusiastically recommended other wineries in the region.

Cellar door at Port Phillip Estate

There's a casual cafe in the cellar door area or the dining room which Gourmet Traveller described as one of Australia's top 100 dining experiences. You'll need to check opening times as they're not open every day of the week.

The views from the outdoor area were breathtaking.

Next we visited Red Hill Estate where again we were treated more like good friends than first time visitors. 

Consistently rated as a 5 Star Winery by the James Halliday Australian Wine Companion the wines here are a testament to why.  Co located with the winery is Max's Restaurant where you can enjoy a high quality dining experience showcasing local produce and wines. 

The panoramic views of Western Port Bay from Red Hill Estate are reputed to be the best in the region. On a clear day you can even see Phillip Island where our new tour will end at the famous penguin parade.

Next we visit Tucks Ridge which has produced a number of James Hallidays' top rated Pinot Noir and Chardonnays in recent years.

Tucks Ridge Cafe is open every day and Saturday night and offers a relaxed dining experience and some great lunch time specials.

We headed to Montalto Vineyard and Olive Grove  for lunch as the Piazza Cafe is open on the weekend. We enjoyed gourmet pizzas sitting in the glorious sunshine amongst the terraced herb garden. The food was great and reasonably priced.

Besides the Piazza Cafe there is a a Restaurant which has won 11 chefs hats from the Age Good Food guide since 2002.  

Montalto sells a range of wines from $15 to $65 a bottle. The winery also has more than 20 permanent sculptures and awards an annual art prize. 

Having heard so much about Ten Minutes by Tractor we had to visit to check out whether the reality was as good as the hype. We were not disappointed.

The name comes from 3 vineyards which are all 10 minutes apart by tractor! They have single vineyard wines and  regional 10x wines and the restaurant has 2 stars in the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. It has an innovative menu using local produce and is very popular so bookings are a must.

Our last stop was T'Gallant which was extremely busy and had live music on the balcony. Everyone was enjoying the food, wine and entertainment but we reluctantly had to leave to head for home.

If you haven't been to the Mornington Peninsula we suggest you head there and enjoy the wineries and some of the local produce that's on offer.

Join us for a private tour

Coonawarra Wine Region

The Coonawarra region is located about 375 kilometres south west of Adelaide close to the Victorian border.

It is renowned for producing world class red wines especially Cabernet Sauvignon and its secret is the magical marriage of rich red terra rossa soil, limestone, pure underground water and a long cool ripening season for the grapes.

Its a great wine area to visit as the wineries are all located close together basically along a 21 kilometre stretch of the main road.

29 wineries make up the region with 25 having cellar door sales. Whilst this is an area famous for its red wines a number of the wineries also produce white varieties  Patrick of Coonawarra also produces Applelation a very tasty apple cider.

Patrick of Coonawarra

 Hollick Wines

Where to eat

Hollick Wines is the only winery with a restaurant and 5  serve coffee and food.  Upstairs at Hollick is open Wednesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner on Saturday.

Pipers of Penola is an award winning restaurant located in the town of Penola on the southern end of the Coonawarra. Open Tuesday's to Saturday this restaurant is great if you enjoy a formal dinner and quality food.

Pipers of Penola

If you prefer a more relaxed feel  Fodder's changing menu includes wood fired pizza and other meals all using local and fresh produce. Open for lunch and dinner Thursday to Sunday Fodder is located in Coonawarra.

Fodder

Penola Station is another option serving modern international food. This restaurant is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner in the summer and closed Tuesday during winter. 

Where to stay

There is a range of accommodation in Coonawarra or nearby in Penola and Mount Gambier which is about 30 minutes south. Our choices include:

Coonawarra Country Cottages  all tastefully decorated and furnished these 3 lovely cottages provide comfortable and charming self catering accommodation and 2 have the benefit of large gardens.

Must @ Coonawarra  with stylish and fresh apartments with modern appliances this property is located in Penola a short drive to the Coonwarra wineries.

Highbank Winery Accommodation  has a choice of accommodation including 2 romantic guest retreats - the Cottage and the Villa both have picturesque views of the vines.  

The Barn is located a short distance from Mount Gambier and set in beautiful gardens with an award winning steakhouse. With their award winning Steakhouse and a range of suites spread throughout the gardens its our  first choice when we're touring the area.  

The Barn

Other attractions

The Coonawarra Region is also close to a number of other tourist attractions including:

The Blue Lake Mount Gambier  is located in a volcanic crater. The colour of the water changes from grey to a vivid blue in November each year changing back to grey after March. Its a beautiful scenic spot and a great illustration of how fascinating nature can be.  Nearby are a number of other lakes called the crater lakes.

Blue Lake

Umpherston Sinkhole /Sunken Garden is located in the heart of Mount Gambier. Once a cave the sinkhole was created when the top of a chamber collapsed downwards. The topsoil on the floor of the cave creates a perfect environment for a sunken garden.

Umpherston Sinkhole

The Cave Gardens are a State Heritage Area and also located in the city of Mount Gambier. You can walk down into the caves and view the gardens from a suspended viewing platform. Each night there is a sound and light show which tells of Indigenous Dreamtime stories.

Cave Gardens

Bool Lagoon  is located a short distance to the north of Coonawarra and is visited by up to 150 species of birds many migrating from the Northern Hemisphere. UNESCO have designated the wetlands as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention. 

Bool Lagoon

Heading further north towards Adelaide are the Naracoote Caves. Palaeontologists have been studying the fossils and bones found in the caves for over 30 years and now Naracoote Caves are recognised as one of the world's most important fossil sites. 

There are more than 26 caves in the National Park with a number are open to the public and others maintained for continuing scientific research.  Check tour times and pricing

Naracoote Caves

Wonambi Fossil Centre  

If you don't like to go underground The Wonambi Fossil Centre provides an opportunity to step back in time and discover what Naracoorte was like over 200,000 years ago. The Fossil Centre is a walk-through diorama with life-sized models of extinct animals in their ancient habitats.

Wonambi Fossil Centre

Why not come explore this area with us on a 3 day or 4 day private tour from Melbourne to Adelaide tour