Tailormade tour New South Wales City and Wine Tour Australia

Arrive in Sydney. You a met upon arrival and transferred to your accommodation by private chauffeur.

Enjoy a day of leisure as you explore this iconic city. Soak up the sun in Circular Quay or the historic Rocks district and revel in the stunning vistas over Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Take a leisurely stroll through the wonderful botanic gardens, Darling Harbour or to the wonderfully fashionable shopping districts of Queen Victoria Building, the Strand Arcade or Pitt Street. Alternatively, choose from a range of optional tours to delve a bit deeper into what makes this iconic city great. For more scenery, choose from a day at the world-famous Bondi beach, perhaps enjoying the stunning Bondi to Coogee coastal walk, or head to one of the two National Parks that fringe the urban area.

With the world’s largest harbour on your doorstep, today you could explore the stunning scenery of wider Sydney. Choose from a range of optional excursions, perhaps taking a ferry to the beautiful community of Manly. Built on a narrow peninsula that ends at the dramatic cliffs of North Head, Manly is the jewel of the North Shore. It boasts a harbour and ocean beaches, fantastic snorkelling and surfing, and a refreshingly laid-back ambience. On your way back to central Sydney, marvel at the stunning skyline, sparkling in the last of the afternoon sunshine, and the hues of gold twinkling on Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Elsewhere, you could even take a day trip to the Blue Mountains National Park where some of New South Wales most inspiring scenery is found. Step into the bush landscape through a range of optional excursions and marvel at the breath-taking waterfalls, sublime vistas, iconic wildlife and Aboriginal artwork of the area. The mystical blue tinge of the eucalyptus trees will only further mesmerise you in this deeply spiritual place.

Pick up your 4x4 hire car and drive north through rolling pastoral scenery, pristine bush, and most importantly, the beautiful beaches of the Central Coast. This is Australia as is often imagined, where white-sand beaches, great surf, national parks, adventure sports and alternative lifestyles find their home. Be sure to take several right turns on the Pacific Highway to find gorgeous, deserted beaches, sleepy towns, and stretches of beautiful forest. Another choice is the city of Newcastle, which is often touted as Australia’s most liveable. Stop here to find great beaches, and a thriving little city which has removed the industrial shackles of its past and is now enjoying life as a rejuvenated cultural hub. In the evening, arrive in the Hunter Valley and enjoy your first taste of the outstanding local produce as you enjoy dinner under a sky full of stars.

With fertile soils fed by the Hunter, Goulburn, Williams and Paterson Rivers, and a temperate climate, the Hunter Valley is home to some of the most enviable natural conditions for producing wine. It was this discovery that makes the Hunter Valley one of the oldest wine producing regions in Australia, and now a wealth of varieties are found in the area. In addition to the classic highlights of Semillon, chardonnay and shiraz, a range of exciting new varieties are now being planted, including arneis, albarino, fiano, tempranillo and touriga nacional. Today you could journey from cellar door to cellar door, tasting an interesting mix of these varieties, whilst often sampling the great food that is lovingly prepared at each vineyard. You could do this by bicycle, or else drive by car on the scenic ‘Tourist Drive 33’ (otherwise known as the convict trail) between Sydney and Wollombi.

The Hunter Valley, with over 150 wineries, is impressive in its range and scale, and therefore for the connoisseur it is only right that you spend a second day sampling the bounty of this region. Cellar doors are found from Wollombi, Broke and Denman in the west to Lovedale, Polkobin and Rothbury in the heart, and near Cessnock in the South Singleton in the North and Maitland in the east. You could visit some of the big names of the region that include Tyrrell’s, Mount Pleasant, Thomas Wines, De Luliis and Krinklewood, or else find a collection of boutique producers at the Small Winemakers Centre in Polkobin. An idyllic rolling landscape which is fringed by the Brokenback Mountains is an achingly pretty backdrop for sampling some of Australia’s finest produce. In the evening, raise a glass to your time in Australia.

Wake to sample the last of the scenery and climate before driving back to Sydney to drop off your hire car and return home. Of course, this tour could form a smaller component in a larger touring holiday of Australia. In which case join the next chapter of your tour today.