The great Australian gourmet adventure
A circumnavigation of Australian culinary highlights
The Great Australian Gourmet Adventure is a collection of
bite-size short breaks and multi-course, multi-state escapes
that combine to circumnavigate the continent showcasing
Australia’s finest foodie finds right across the country.
Tasteful, fresh and indulgent by design, these suggested Australian culinary journeys are sprinkled, spiced and seasoned with Southern Crossings’ signature luxury travel experiences and exclusives.
14 separate itineraries combine in a circumnavigation of Australia’s culinary highlights that is the Great Australian Gourmet Adventure.
Whether you are tempted by just one or would like to work your way through the full menu, these suggested culinary-focused itineraries are designed to provide a taste of the endless possibilities we can curate.
Our Travel Design team have sipped, supped, sampled and savoured their way around Australia to be able to serve up personalised culinary journeys that go behind-the-scenes and beyond-the-scenery to provide an authentic taste of our unique destinations.
Whether all-things culinary are your all-consuming passion or if you just love great food and wine, the Great Australian Gourmet Adventure invites you to start planning delicious journeys, tailored to your tastes, in whichever corner of the continent you choose to travel.
A circumnavigation of Australia's culinary highlights
Taste your way around Australia
14 culinary-focussed itineraries invite you to taste your way around Australia enjoying some of our team’s favourite foodie finds and exclusive culinary experiences.
Sample them individually or indulge in the full 103-night degustation adventure by combining them all!
A delicious 5-night journey in New South Wales’ Northern Rivers Region where Byron Bay’s scenic surrounds serve up fabulously fresh produce from both the land and sea.
Begin your Great Australian Gourmet Adventure touring Australia’s tastiest temptations in Northern New South Wales.
Unwind at Gaia Retreat and Spa enjoying vibrant paddock to plate wellness cuisine, meet a collection of the region’s most passionate producers and providores with personalised introductions and samplings, roll your sleeves up to enjoy a private cooking class with a local chef, dine at some of Australia’s most highly-awarded regional restaurants and bathe in the region’s relaxed coast lifestyle with a stay the chic and boutique Halcyon House.
- Inclusions
5 nights’ accommodation (3 nights Gaia Retreat & Spa and 2 Halcyon House), return transfers between Gaia and Brunswick Heads for dinner suggestion at Fleet restaurant, full-day private Byron Shire Food Safari, private paddock-to-plate cooking class, private guided gin tasting, daily breakfast, 4 lunches and 5 dinners per person, Coolangatta airport transfers, Australian Goods and Services Tax at 10% and a contribution to a local food charity.
A 5-night culinary adventure combining a delicious taste of Brisbane with decadent Lord Howe Island delicacies
Continuing north up the Australian east coast, with the instaworthy-Calile as your Brisbane base, discover the city’s secret foodie finds (cheeses, coffee, cocktails and more); then heli into the hinterland for a scenic South East Queensland paddock-to-plate degustation experience. And, whilst in the Sunshine State’s buzzy capital, we suggest a dinner at Hellenika.
Hop across to Lord Howe Island to enjoy island indulgences and the freshest flavours from the land and sea. Leisurely breakfasts with a Mt Lidgbird backdrop, gourmet picnics on private beaches and decadent sunset dinners are yours to enjoy at Capella.
- Inclusions
5 nights' accommodation (2 nights Calile Hotel Brisbane and 3 nights Capella Lord Howe Island), private half-day Taste of Queensland touring, full-day private wining and dining tour of the Brisbane hinterland including scenic heliopter flight, 3 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 3 dinners per person, sunset drinks and canapes on Lord Howe Island and private airport transfers throughout. Australian Goods and Services Tax at 10% and a contribution to a local food charity.
A 4-night epicurean escape with eight of your nearest and dearest. A private island indulgence, just a stone’s throw from Noosa, will take your tastebuds on a journey around the globe.
A whole island to yourself; a whole world of culinary adventures to enjoy. From a spot of tennis Wimbledon-style (served with strawberries and cream), hands-on cooking classes and a sunset cruise with canapes to chef-prepared degustation dinners inspired by the flavours of Europe, South East Asia and Japan; the days on Makepeace are a ‘choose your own adventure’. Round off the experience with a visit to Noosa’s fabulous Farmers market and an ‘off-the-charts’ cook-what-you-catch off-shore fishing adventure.
- Inclusions
4 nights’ accommodation (Makepeace Island exclusive-use for up to eight guests inclusive of all meals including chef-prepared themed dinners, Wimbledon-style tennis tournament and sunset canapes cruise aboard the island's private boat), private road transfer Brisbane Airport to Noosa with Sirromet wine tasting and lunch en route, Makepeace chef-led cooking class and Noosa foodies shopping excursion, Noosa Farmer's market visit and transfers. Private road transfer Noosa Heads to Brisbane Airport. Australian Goods and Services Tax at 10% and a contribution to a local food charity.
Six decadent days of wining, dining, hiking, heli’ing, picnicking, snorkelling and unwinding in the breathtaking surrounds of Queensland’s Scenic Rim and the wonderful Whitsundays.
Setting out from Brisbane, go behind-the-scenes at Sirromet Wines, get off-the-beaten-track at Spicers Peak Lodge and go over-the-top in the Whitsundays with a heli-scenic Journey to the Heart experience from qualia, your indulgent Hamilton Island base.
Sample award-winning wines with sommeliers and cellar-masters, picnic in picturesque surrounds from the bush to the beach, and drink in the serenity with exclusive experiences, from rainforest to reef.
- Inclusions
6 nights’ accommodation (3 nights Spicers Peak Lodge and 3 nights qualia) inclusive of 6 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 6 dinners per person. Cellarmaster wine and cheese tasting, private helicopter scenic flight and picnic, sommelier-led Talk and Taste experience, Journey to the Heart heli touring experience, gourmet beach picnic, Australian Goods and Services Tax at 10% and a contribution to a local food charity.
Luscious & luxurious
7 deliciously decadent nights in Far North Queensland provide a privileged taste of the tropics, from rainforest to reef, land and sea.
Continuing north along Queensland’s coast on your Great Australian Gourmet Adventure, tour abundant kitchen gardens with local chefs and learn to forage like a local (tracking, hunting and fishing in stunning Kuku Yulanji country). Enjoy hands-on cooking and engaging conservation experiences. Dine in the treetops, wander among waterfalls and drift beneath a canopy of ancient rainforests from your Silky Oaks Lodge base.
A short scenic flight over the Reef lands on Lizard Island resort where private beach picnics and beachside degustation dining are among the tropical culinary highlights.
- Inclusions
7 nights’ accommodation (3 nights Silky Oaks Lodge and 4 nights Lizard Island Resort) inclusive of 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 7 dinners per person. Private full-day Wangetti Falls hiking and cooking experience, Private chef-led tour of Silky Oaks Lodge's Edible Garden, Private half-day cultural tour and Botanic Ark with morning tea, Return scheduled flights between Cairns and Lizard Island, Private beachside degustation dining experience, Private airport-transfers throughout, Australian Goods and Services Tax at 10% and a contribution to a local food charity.
6-nights sampling the best of Australia’s Northern Territory, with tasty Top End adventures and refined Red Centre exclusives.
Head across to the NT to walk in the paths of pioneers and in the footsteps of our First Nations uncovering Darwin’s hidden treasures. Enjoy front-row seats at Mindil Beach’s sunset markets, visit outback watering holes by heli, swim in secret waterholes and tour the Top End’s wild wetlands by airboat.
Stay in the lap of luxury in Australia’s Red Centre, enjoying exclusive dune top dining, a private chef-led masterclass and bird’s-eye heli views over Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Sip sparkling from a private pop-up bar as the sun sets and wander the outback’s twinkling Field of Light during your stay at Longitude 131.
- Inclusions
6 nights’ accommodation (3 nights Mindil Beach Casino Resort and 3 nights Longitude 131) inclusive of 6 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 3 dinners per person. Private Darwin walking tour with hotel transfers, Private Top End heli-pub tour and airboat adventure, Pribate Indigenous introduction to Darwin walking tour, Mindil Beach Sunset Lounge VIP package, Private masterclass with Longitude 131 chef, Uluru / Kata Tjuta scenic flight, Private Dune Top Dining experience, Longitude 131 activities and experiences including Field of Light, Private airport transfers throughout, Australian Goods and Services Tax at 10% and a contribution to a local food charity.
An 8-night flavour-packed Kimberley outback adventure exploring some of the most remote reaches of our continent in mouth-watering, jaw-dropping style.
Discover Darwin’s secret foodie finds before your private flight into the heart of the Kimberley.
Explore Bullo River Station by heli and on horseback, by 4WD and on foot, join in the workings of one of Australia’s most famous cattle stations, learn the outback art of damper baking and forage with your chef.
A second private flight showcases the grandeur of the outback en route to El Questro Homestead. Soak in thermal springs, toast to uninterrupted sunsets, dine under outback stars and try your luck at hooking a famed barramundi! Then top off the adventure with a night in Broome.
- Inclusions
8 nights’ accommodation (1 night Mindil Beach Casino Resort, 3 nights Bullo River Station, 3 Nights El Questro Homestead and 1 night McAlpine Villa at Cable Beach Resort & Spa) inclusive of daily breakfast, 6 lunches and 6 dinners per person. Private breakfast walking tour of Darwin, Private charter flights Darwin - Bullo River Station - El Questro, Bullo River Station Damper cooking class and chef-led garden tour, El Questro barramundi fishing experience, Private helicopter transfer El Questro - Kununurra, selected lodge experiences at Bullo River Station and El Questro Homestead, Private airport transfers throughout, Australian Goods and Services Tax at 10% and a contribution to a local food charity.
6-nights uncovering the finest ingredients from both the land and sea with city secrets, island indulgences and wonderful Margaret River wines.
Continuing the Great Australian Gourmet Adventure in Perth, head out with a local to uncover Perth’s hottest hidden bars, sample Swan River wines straight from the barrel and go behind-the-scenes with a local brewer. Seaplane across to Rottnest to snap a selfie with a quokka and cruise the island’s idyllic bays to enjoy a leisurely lobster lunch. Feast your way around Fremantle’s fabulous foodie finds and heli down the coast to land at the lovely Leeuwin Estate. Enjoy three days of Cape to grape, farm-to-fork exclusive epicurean experiences meeting local winemakers, chefs and artisans with Cape Lodge as your luxurious Margaret River base.
- Inclusions
6 nights’ accommodation (3 nights Como the Treasury and 3 nights Cape Lodge) inclusive of daily breakfast, 5 lunches and 3 dinners per person. Private foodie Perth walking tour, Private Swan Valley touring, tastings and lunch, Private Rottnest Island touring with seafood lunch cruise and one-way Perth-Rottnest scenic seaplane flight, Private Fremantle progressive dinner tour and transfers, One-way scenic helicopter flight Perth - Leeuwin Estate, Ultimate Leeuwin Estate food and wine experience, Private Margaret River foodie touring, tastings and lunch, Private airport transfers throughout, Australian Goods and Services Tax at 10% and a contribution to a local food charity.
A 10-night odyssey showcasing South Australia’s finest produce with epic adventures and exclusive experiences from wine country to coast.
Rounding back eastward on the Great Australian Gourmet Adventure circumnavigation of Australia’s tastiest treats savour South Australia from wine country to coast.
Tour Adelaide’s Central Markets to meet passionate providores and producers. Blend and bottle your own wine in McLaren Vale’s d’Arenberg cube. Sample iconic Australian drops at Penfold’s Magill Estate and lunch at Maggie Beer’s Barossa Valley Farm.
Set off from Adelaide on a food safari by sea to sample Kangaroo Island highlights and shuck oysters in Coffin Bay. Enjoy chef-prepared meals showcasing South Australia’s finest as you cruise the Gambier, Pearson and Franklin islands, whose remote and rocky outcrops offer wonderful wildlife watching (sea lions, seals and seabirds) and fabulous fishing (snapper, salmon and prized King George whiting).
- Inclusions
10 nights’ accommodation (2 nights Hotel Indigo Adelaide Markets and 8 nights True North Cruising) inclusive of daily breakfast, 9 lunches and 8 dinners per person. Private Adelaide Central Markets tour and tastings, Private hotel - cruise terminal transfer, 8 night True North Cruise and included touring and activities, Australian Goods and Services Tax at 10% and a contribution to a local food charity.
Hands-on, behind-the-scenes and under the stars, this 7 night South Australian adventure is a feast for all the senses.
Exploring South Australia further, go behind the cellar door to sip vintage Grange at Penfolds Magill Estate, enjoy VIP access at Henschke’s hallowed Hill of Grace vineyard and sample your birth year from the barrel in Seppeltfield’s Centenary Cellar. Sit at the Chef’s Table at St Hugo’s, pop in and say hello to Maggie Beer at her Barossa Valley farm and enjoy degustation dining at the Louise’s awarded Appellation. For a complete change of pace and scenery, Arkaba Homestead in the Flinders Ranges, serves up hands-on cooking experiences, ridge-top sundowners and spectacular starlit dinners.
- Inclusions
7 nights’ accommodation (3 nights The Louise, 3 nights Arkaba Homestead, 1 night Hotel Indigo Adelaide Markets) inclusive of 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 4 dinners per person. Ultimate Penfolds Magill Estate tour and tasting, Private Barossa Valley touring, tastings and lunch, St Hugo's Chef's Table experience with tastings, lunch and transfers, Private road transfer Barossa Valley - Clare Valley - Arkaba Station, Exclusive to Southern Crossings: chef-led cooking experience, Indigenous-inspired lunch and Arkaba private dining experience, Private charter flight Flinders Ranges to Adelaide, Private Adelaide Central Markets breakfast tour, Private airport transfers, Australian Goods and Services Tax at 10% and a contribution to a local food charity.
7 sensational nights, from Adelaide to Melbourne, are packed with flavour and full of adventure.
Visit Penfold’s hidden vintage cellars en route to the Adelaide Hills. Here, enjoy sommelier-led sensory tastings, canapes with a local winemaker and visit one of the region’s pioneers of biodynamic farming.
A scenic private charter flight from Adelaide to Melbourne (and over the Great Ocean Rd) visits a premium Wagyu beef station for a lunch of signature cuts and Coonawarra wines.
Enjoy hot springs and the region’s hottest restaurants in the Mornington Peninsula and personal introductions to fabulous foodie finds in Melbourne with a collection of private touring experiences.
- Inclusions
7 nights’ accommodation (3 nights Sequoia Lodge, 3 nights Jackalope, 1 night Crown Towers Melbourne) inclusive of daily breakfast and 5 lunches per person. Penfolds Magill Estate Iconic Tasting experience, Private Adelaide Hills wine touring experience, Sommelier-led masterclass, Private Charter flight: Adelaide - Coonawarra - Melbourne with wine tastings, lunch and 12 Apostles scenic flight en route, Private Mornington Peninsula foodie touring with lunch, Jackalope private chef-led garden tour, Private Mornington Peninsula touring and Hot Springs, Private Melbourne foodies tour, Private airport transfers, Australian Goods and Services Tax at 10% and a contribution to a local food charity.
Explore and experience a collection of Victoria’s tastiest treasures on a 6-night self-drive through the Grampians high country and Daylesford’s spa country.
Regional Victoria serves up the next course on your Great Australian Gourmet Adventure.
Settle in behind the wheel of your AUDI Q5 for an epicurious Victorian road trip in style and head for Gariwerd (The Grampians), renowned for wonderful wilderness, wildlife and walking trails. Stay (and go behind-the-scenes) at the Royal Mail Hotel renowned for its hatted dining, abundant kitchen gardens and 30,000 bottle cellar!
In Daylesford’s picturesque spa country, indulge in the Lake House’s decadent degustation dining and enjoy a private guided introduction to the flavours of the region. An overnight in Melbourne’s trendy South Yarra rounds out a Victorian road trip to be savoured.
- Inclusions
6 nights’ accommodation (2 nights Royal Mail Hotel, 3 nights Lake House Daylesford, 1 night The Lyall Hotel & Spa) inclusive of 4 breakfasts, I lunch and 2 dinners per person. Prestige care rental, Royal Mail Hotel chef-led kitchen garden tour and sommelier-led wine tastings, Lake House six-course degustation dinner, Private full-day Daylesford and Macedon Ranges tour with tastings and lunch, Private airport transfers, Australian Goods and Services Tax at 10% and a contribution to a local food charity.
Get hands-on and go behind-the-scenes traversing Tasmania’s tastiest treasures over 7-delicious days and nights
Hop across Bass Strait (on a private charter flight from Melbourne) for a paddock-to-plate introduction to King Island’s tastiest treats.
Continue the adventure in Launceston to learn the art of sparkling and craft a bottle to your taste.
On Tasmania’s Freycinet Peninsula, Saffire lodge is the luxurious base from which to enjoy private picnics, shuck ocean-fresh oysters and cruise on crystal clear waters. On the heli-transfer to Hobart, call in at the Agrarian Kitchen to forage, cook and feast on Tasmania’s finest produce.
No visit to Hobart would be complete without a Posh-as day at MONA.
- Inclusions
7 nights’ accommodation (2 nights Red Feather Inn, 3 nights Saffire Freycinet Lodge and 2 nights MACq1) inclusive of daily breakfasts, 7 lunches and 3 dinners per person. Private charter flight: Melbourne - King Island - Launceston, Private King Island touring with tastings and lunch, Josef Chromy Art of Sparkling experience with lunch, Saffire gourmet picnic lunch, Saffire half-day small group shared Schouten Island cruise, Scenic helicopter transfer Saffire - Hobart, The Agrarian Kitchen small group cooking class, Posh-As Day including return ferry transfers, tour and lunch, Private airport transfers, Australian Goods and Services Tax at 10% and a contribution to a local food charity.
An 8-night epicurean adventure from wilderness to wines in the Blue Mountains, Orange and the rolling green vineyards of the Hunter Valley.
Let the fine wines flow and the good times roll on this final leg of the Great Australian Gourmet Adventure that travels through a collection of tasty regions in New South Wales.
Call into Sean Moran’s High Hopes Roadhouse enroute to the One&Only Wolgan Valley wilderness resort where private degustation dinners and chef-led garden tours are also part of the experience. Byng Street boutique hotel is your base for a tantalising taste of Orange, exclusive foodie introductions and a sparkling masterclass at one of Australia’s hottest wineries. More fine wines and delicious diversions await in Mudgee, whilst the Hunter Valley also serves up exclusive and behind-the-scenes soil to cellar experiences.
- Inclusions
8 nights’ accommodation (3 nights Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley Resort, 2 nights Byng St Boutique Hotel, 1 night Perry Stret Hotel, 2 nights Spicers Vineyard Estate) inclusive of daily breakfast, 6 lunches and 3 dinners per person. Private road transfers from Sydney through to Orange, Rental car Mudgee - Sydney, Southern Crossings exclusive value add: One&Only Wolgan Valley private chef dinner, One&Only Wolgan Valley chef-led garden tour, Private food trails touring in Orange including Printhie masterclass and lunch, Private half-day tour and tastings in Mudgee, Private Directors' Cut Soil-to-Cellar Brokenwood experience with lunch, Australian Goods and Services Tax at 10% and a contribution to a local food charity.
Further touring inspiration for foodies follows on the pages below
To Dine Out On
Escorted Journeys
In Good Company
Small group travels
On Roads Less Travelled
Self Drive Itineraries
many many many thanks!!!!!!
We have been blown away by everything - hotels, food, people, golf, wine - the list is endless. You did an amazing job
Planning a 7 week trip is daunting enough without the complications of COVID cancellations, rebookings, and closures. Yet every connection, every transportation detail, every accommodation, every meal, everything was flawless.
From our arrival in Sydney .. to our last stop in Queenstown .. we will carry with us the best memories of our trip and all of your efforts. The incredible private boat tours .. the bespoke wine tours with the best guides .. our accommodations .. and the excellent itinerary and pacing, made for a perfect trip.
We can't thank Southern Crossings enough for making this trip all, and more, than we had imagined. You allowed us to see the best of your countries: the people, the beauty, the culture. Five stars, a blue ribbon, and a gold medal to everyone at Southern Crossings!
Your country, its people and your team could not have made us feel more welcome.
Thank you for all the special moments you enabled us to experience.
