7-Day Melbourne Tour

Day 01:
Depart U.S. for Melbourne.

Day 02:
Arrive Melbourne, transfer to hotel.

Day 03:
Melbourne half day tour visiting Fitzroy Gardens & Captain Cook’s cottage; Parliament House; Queen Victoria Market; St. Patrick’s Cathedral; tea at the Botanical Garden Café; Shrine of Remembrance; Port Phillip Bay; the Yarra River and Arts Center. (B)

Day 04:
Philip Island and Penguin Parade tour: travel east through Melbourne’s outer suburbs; visit Warrook Cattle Farm; cross over to Philip Island by road bridge, visit Koalas in their natural habitat at the Koala Conservation Center. See the Nobbies rock formations overlooking Bass Strait—one of the most treacherous oceans in the world. Watch the nightly ritual of Penguin Parade at Summerland Beach as the little penguins march up the sand to the nesting places. (B)

Day 05:
Tour to Ballarat City and Sovereign Hill and experience the gold rush era and life in the mid 19th century; pan for gold and go down to a mine; see traditional blacksmiths and craftsmen shilling their trades with real life characters and entertainment. (B)

Day 06:
Puffing Billy & Dandenong Ranges: travel into the Dandenong Ranges; drive thru’ the lovely Ferntree Gully; travel on Puffing Billy, Australia’s oldest operating steam train, through spectacular forests of tall mountain ash, eucalyptus and fern gullies. Visit Sassafras, a quaint little town in the Dandenong Hills. (B)

Day 07:
Day at leisure to explore Melbourne at your own pace. (B)

Day 08:
Transfer to airport for departure. (B)

Accommodations:
Standard: Travelodge Southbank
Superior: Melbourne Grand Hyatt