Great Ocean Road
A drive along Great Ocean Road is, without doubt, absolutely dazzling! Snaking 664 kilometres along Victoria’s rugged southwest coast, a recommended self-drive trip takes three days at a comfortable pace. The official starting point is Torquay – birthplace of surf brands Rip Curl and Quicksilver – ending at the fishing village of Port Fairy. Along the journey, look out for the magnificent Twelve Apostles, white-crested surf, misty waterfalls, lush rainforest and wildlife including kangaroos, koalas and whales. Stop at the lookouts and soak up the views, or stop a little longer for clifftop dining, zip-lining adventures and climbs up volcanic craters.
Melbourne
Sophisticated, stylish and arty, Melbourne is Australia’s sports and cultural capital. Explore its wide avenues and leafy lanes, lined with an eclectic mix of Art Deco towers, World Heritage-listed buildings, gourmet restaurants, concert halls, designer shops and edgy street art. There are lots of characterful neighbourhoods, from glitzy to hipster, with a good sprinkling of ethnic communities bringing the likes of Vietnamese food and Jewish bakeries. Sport is almost a religion here – with football, cricket, horse racing, grand-slam tennis and F1 racing – and the city is filled with sports stadiums. Also on the edge of town are the truly stunning Royal Botanical Gardens, while Melbourne is equally passionate about art and hosts festivals, exhibitions and musical extravaganzas throughout the year.
Yarra Valley
Take a journey into Yarra Valley, laden with scenic delights such as Dandenong Ranges National Park, Yarra Ranges National Park, Kinglake National Park, Bunyip State Park and Cathedral Ranges State Park. Along your travels, step inside one or two of the many wine cellars and meet local producers passionate about their world-class plonk, which comes in a range of styles thanks to perfect climatic conditions. Other things to see and do include hiking and cycling along one of the valley’s waymarked trails, visiting the local artist studios or meeting a platypus at Healesville Sanctuary.
Phillip Island
Just 90 minutes from Melbourne, tiny Phillip Island offers non-stop family fun, amazing wildlife, bone-white beaches, excellent fishing and fast-paced motorsports racing. Adventures include seeing penguins and koalas in their natural habitat at the Philip Island Nature Park, swimming, surfing, sunning and sandcastle-building at one of the island’s sleepy, little bays, exploring the island on foot along a coastal path or enjoying a piece of hi-octane action at the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.
Travel Planning
Our Travel Consultants can advise on, arrange and pre-book many things to enhance your holiday. This includes everything from spa reservations and dinner reservations, to a range of special experiences available in our featured resorts that you may not know about.
Flight Information
Please contact our Travel Consultants for flight details.
Travelling With Children or Without an Adult
Children travelling without both parents should be aware that some countries require documentary evidence of parental responsibility before allowing lone parents to enter the country or, in some cases, before permitting the children to leave the country. Please contact the relevant Embassy for the county you are travelling to for further information.
Visa and Advance Passenger Information
All passengers must ensure they have a valid, acceptable passport, any required visa and any other documentation for both the final destination and any stop-off points en route. Please make sure that Advance Passenger Information is submitted in advance to travel for all destinations. Failure to hold correct documentation or submitting incorrect details with Advance Passenger Information or Visa applications may result in refusal of carriage or entry into a country. Please check with the relevant Embassy regarding visa requirements well in advance of your travel date. Charges may apply for some visas.
Visas are required for travel to Australia. Elegant Resorts can provide Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) for which we'll require: full name (including middle names), passport number, nationality, date of issue, date of expiry, place of issue, your date of birth, your home address in the UK and an email address in the UK as well as an address in Australia (this will be your first hotel or the Southern Crossings head office address, which our Travel Consultants will provide at the time of booking). Alternatively, you can apply for the visa online yourself through the Australian Government website at www.immi.gov.au/visitors/tourist/ there is no charge for the visa but a service charge of approximately AUD$20 per person will apply. Please note, from 1 September 2015 a new Environmental Management Charge (EMC) will be introduced for The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. All visitors will be charged 6 AUD per person, per day up to a maximum of 18 AUD per stay.
Passengers not travelling on a British Passport are advised to contact their relevant Foreign & Commonwealth office for individual Visa requirements.
For up-to-date resort information, visit www.fco.gov.uk
Health facilities, hygiene and disease risks vary worldwide and you should take health advice about your specific needs from your general practitioner or a specialist clinic as early as possible before travel. Those planning to become pregnant should discuss their travel plans with their healthcare provider to assess their risk of infection with Zika. For information about Zika, other mosquito-borne diseases (such as Dengue fever and Chikungunya), Lyme Disease (caused by tick bites), and to receive advice on mosquito bite avoidance measures, please visit Insect and tick bite avoidance.
In addition, we highly recommend that you seek specialist advice from your doctor and, where recommended, obtain vaccinations or tablets for protection against, for example: Malaria, Hepatitis A, Polio and Typhoid. In some cases, treatments for Malaria should begin well in advance of travel. Travellers may also be required to show Yellow Fever Certificates on arrival in certain destinations i.e, some African countries. Please note that you are strongly advised against scuba-diving for 24 hours before travelling by air. We would also like to draw your attention to the risk of DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) and recommend that you consult with your doctor before travelling.
Visit the FCDO website and select your destination country for the very latest travel advice: Foreign Travel Advice. Additional sources of information include: Public Health England, The National Travel Health And Network Centre, Foreign And Commonwealth Office and your General Practitioner or a specialised clinic.