Cultural Feast

Departing Moorabbin airport at 9.00 am, fly to Renmark, just over the border in South Australia. Head to Mallee Estate for a winery tour and a tasting of their offerings, then on to Pike River. With six luxurious, individually decorated villas with views out over the Pike River, a tributary of the mighty Murray, you may not want to go anywhere! Lunch at the onsite Riverland Wine Centre, then spend a few hours relaxing, taking in the views from your deck, and maybe taking a stroll around the bush and along the river. Dinner at a local restaurant completes your day in this stunning region.

2 nights: Pike River, villa

Start the day with a cruise on the Murray River. Redgum forests, wetlands and abundant wildlife provide photo opportunities. At the same time, scar trees and ring trees illustrate the region's 30,000+ years of indigenous habitation.

Go to 23rd Street Distillery for a tasting and lunch. Drop into St Agnes Distillery, established 1925, for artisan spirits and wine tastings before learning about the art of farming Murray Cod.

Fly east to Portland in Victoria to visit Budj Bim, a World Heritage site in Gunditjmara Country. Begin with lunch at the Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre, with their signature Kooyang (eel) dishes. A private cultural walk of Tae Rak (Lake Condah) will help you to appreciate the complex aquaculture network created at least 6,600 years ago.

Back to the airport, fly next to Hamilton, then transfer into Dunkeld and the famous Royal Mail Hotel, renowned for exceptional food, at the southern tip of the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park. Beautiful rooms with balconies looking out to the mountains, award-winning dining featuring ingredients from their bountiful Kitchen Garden—glorious! Dine at Parker Street Project, the more casual of their two highly-rated restaurants.

2 nights: Royal Mail Hotel, Mountain View Room

Head into Gariwerd, the Grampians National Park, for a day of impressive views, abundant wildlife, spectacular wildflowers and rich cultural heritage. Start with a short walk to Piccaninny Lookout to see the great plains of Western Victoria, Mt Sturgeon and Mt Abrupt, and the spectacular Victoria Range and valley to the west. Stop off at the Brambuk National Park and Cultural Centre for insight into the park and its indigenous history.

Lunch in Halls Gap, then discover more dramatic natural attractions, including numerous lookouts and waterfalls, as well as diverse wildflowers and wildlife.

Dinner is a five-course degustation menu with matching wines at the Royal Mail's award-winning fine dining restaurant, Wickens.

Back into Gariwerd, it's a 15-minute leisurely walk from Buandik, past Buandik Falls, to discover the Billimina rock art within a massive rock overhang. Gariwerd contains southeast Australia's highest concentration of rock art, and this small section has over 2,500 motifs of red ochre.

Lunch at the historic Bunyip Hotel in Cavendish offers delicious, locally grown meals in a country pub setting. Spend some time exploring this lovely country town before heading back to Melbourne, arriving around 5.00 pm having experienced some of the region's culinary, cultural and natural wonders.