Friday, February 8th, 2013
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. If you’re looking to surprise your loved one with a romantic escape, then look no further…
We have a number of outstanding Valentine’s Day escape suggestions, guaranteed to show that special person just how much you care.
Hamilton Island | Queensland
Situated on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef – in the heart of the Whitsunday Islands – surrounded by sapphire waters, beautiful beaches and captivating coral reefs, Hamilton Island is a paradisiacal destination. The island experiences year-round sunshine, and boasts a huge variety of romantic opportunities, including sunset charters, spa experiences, and fine food and wines.
Do and See: Take a scenic flight over Heart Reef – a 17 metres-wide slice of reef, sculpted in the form of a heart-shaped atoll.
Eat and Drink: Enjoy a cocktail or glass of champagne at sunset atop Hamilton Island’s lookout, One Tree Hill, and a romantic dinner at Bommie Restaurant and Bar with uninterrupted views of the Whitsundays.
Sleep: Be immersed in a tranquil atmosphere, and pampered with personalised service at adults-only resort, qualia – voted by Condé Nast Traveler readers as ‘Best Resort in the World for 2012’.
Plan Your Hamilton Island Escape
- Flights to Hamilton Island: Virgin Australia operates flights to Hamilton Island daily, direct from Sydney and Brisbane.
- Hamilton Island Holiday Packages: Make planning your Valentine’s Day hassle-free, our partner Blue Holidays offers exceptional Hamilton Island holiday packages, which include flights, transfers, accommodation and much more.
- Stay at qualia: Indulge your loved one this Valentine’s Day, our partner HotelClub offers great qualia deals.
Hunter Valley | New South Wales
Think crisp country air, rolling green hills and fruitful vineyards aplenty… The Hunter Valley is one of Australia’s most romantic settings. Just an hour’s drive west of Newcastle and two hours’ drive north of Sydney, the Hunter is a renowned couple’s retreat, dotted with world-class wineries and cellar-door restaurants, and home to a jam-pack year-round calendar of events.
Do and See: Experience the magic of the Hunter from air, with a romantic hot air balloon tour high above the vineyards.
Eat and Drink: Enjoy a wine among the vines at award-winning Brokenwood Wines, and dinner at the cosy and romantic Restaurant Botanica at The Vineyards Estate – both are located in Pokolbin.
Sleep: Stay in luxury at the Château Élan at The Vintage – overlooking Greg Norman-designed fairways and the vales of the Hunter Valley.
Plan Your Hunter Valley Escape
- Flights to Newcastle: Virgin Australia operates flights to Newcastle daily, direct from Brisbane and Melbourne.
- Hunter Valley Holiday Packages: Make planning your Valentine’s Day hassle-free, our partner Blue Holidays offers exceptional Hunter Valley holiday packages, which include flights, accommodation and much more.
- Stay at Château Élan at The Vintage: Indulge your loved one this Valentine’s Day, our partner HotelClub offers great Château Élan at The Vintage deals.
Hepburn Shire | Victoria
Unconventional, but full of unique and natural wonder, Hepburn Shire is an inspiring region. Just an hour and a half’s drive northwest of Melbourne, the shire provides for sensorial escape, with Australia’s largest concentration of natural mineral springs that famous for their relaxing properties. The town of Daylesford is a jewel in the area’s crown, home to several spas, cottages, and bed and breakfasts.
Do and See: Explore the area’s mystical and healing appeal, bathe in the waters of one of the region’s many mineral springs.
Eat and Drink: Dine on modern Australian cuisine with regional flavours at Daylesford’s institution Mercato, amid a relaxing and welcoming environment.
Sleep: Recline is a setting that truly reflects the area’s off-the-beaten-track charm; Jolee Bed & Breakfast offers a romantic ambience surrounded by beautiful bush land.
Plan Your Hepburn Shire Escape
- Flights to Melbourne: Virgin Australia operates flights to Melbourne daily, direct from all Australian capital cities and most major regional ports.
- Daylesford Holiday Packages: Make planning your Valentine’s Day hassle-free, our partner Blue Holidays offers exceptional Daylesford holiday packages, which include flights, accommodation and much more.
- Stay at Jolee Bed & Breakfast: Indulge your loved one this Valentine’s Day, our partner HotelClub offers great Jolee Bed & Breakfast deals.
The Freycinet Peninsula |Tasmania
Awash with marvellous colours – pink granite mountains, white sand beaches, grey-green casuarinas, and sapphire seawater – the Freycinet Peninsula is a breathtaking holiday destination. Rich with impressive natural settings and history, dotted with luxury accommodation, and removed from the hustle and bustle of city life, the Tasmanian drawcard is an ideal location for a romantic getaway.
Do and See: Visit Wineglass Bay, one of the world’s most stunning beaches, home to white, silica rich sands, and colourful granite rock formations.
Eat and Drink: Enjoy award-winning a la carte meals, complemented with local produce and wines, at The Bay Restaurant and Hazards Bar at Freycinet Lodge. Try the oysters – they are a renowned Freycinet specialty.
Sleep: Designed with privacy, comfort, relaxation and rejuvenation in mind, Saffire Freycinet connects guests with its stunning coastal surrounds in an inspiring and luxurious setting.
Plan Your Freycinet Peninsula Escape
- Flights to Launceston and Hobart: Virgin Australia operates flights to Launceston and Hobart from all Australian capital cities. Freycinet National Park is located two and a half hours’ drive northeast of Hobart and southeast of Launceston.
- Tasmanian Holiday Packages: Make planning your Valentine’s Day hassle-free, our partner Blue Holidays offers exceptional Tasmanian holiday packages, which include flights, accommodation and much more.
- Stay at Saffire Freycinet Hotel: Indulge your loved one this Valentine’s Day, our partner HotelClub offers great Saffire Freycinet Hotel deals.
Barossa Valley | South Australia
Steeped in heritage and tradition, the Barossa Valley’s vine-covered hills are sprinkled with historic villages, stone cottages and old wine estates. A little over an hour’s drive northeast of Adelaide, the Valley was deliberately settled and established as a wine region and today produces more than half of Australia’s wine. Fostering a relaxed and unhurried pace, the region provides for an authentic and intimate escape.
Do and See: Experience the best of the Barossa Valley – including its renowned Shiraz varieties – with a full day food and wine tour.
Eat and Drink: Plan a picnic at celebrity chef, Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop. An assortment of picnic baskets can be bought on-site, to be enjoyed on Farm Shop grounds.
Stay: Discover peace and privacy, seclusion and space in the heart of the Barossa, Stonewell Cottages & Vineyards suites are set on the expansive private vineyard estate, overlooking a picturesque lake.
Plan Your Barossa Valley Escape
- Flights to Adelaide: Virgin Australia operates flights to Adelaide from all Australian capital cities.
- Barossa Valley Holiday Packages: Make planning your Valentine’s Day hassle-free, our partner Blue Holidays offers exceptional Barossa Valley holiday packages, which include flights, accommodation and much more.
- Stay at Stonewell Cottages & Vineyards: Indulge your loved one this Valentine’s Day, our partner HotelClub offers great Stonewell Cottages & Vineyards deals.
Margaret River | Western Australia
Located just three hours’ drive south of Perth, Margaret River helms an awe-inspiring region, full of rolling green hills, fantastic food experiences, and breathtaking ocean and forest settings. Privy to warm weather and sunshine, and hosting some of Australia’s most famous wineries, the region is a celebrated haunt for lovers.
Do and See: Discover the region’s famous for chardonnays and cabernets with an on-site experience at wineries like Stella Bella, Cape Mentele, Leeuwin Estate, Watershed, Pierro, Voyager Estate and Vasse Felix.
Eat and Drink: Book a table at Voyager Estate’s restaurant and dine on complete food and wine degustation, amid a magnificent Cape Dutch architecture setting.
Sleep: Stay in idyllic 4-star accommodation by the sea, at Margaret’s Beach Resort – one of Western Australia’s best and most romantic beach resorts, and offering easy access to the South West’s world-class wineries, caves, national parks, nature walk trails and surf breaks.
Plan Your Margaret River Escape
- Flights to Perth: Virgin Australia operates flights to Perth from all Australian capital cities.
- Margaret River Holiday Packages: Make planning your Valentine’s Day hassle-free, our partner Blue Holidays offers exceptional Margaret River holiday packages, which include flights, accommodation and much more.
- Stay at Margaret’s Beach Resort: Indulge your loved one this Valentine’s Day, our partner HotelClub offers great Margaret’s Beach Resort deals.
Monday, July 30th, 2012
Iconic and patriotic, Dorothea Mackellar’s My Country tugs on the heart strings. The lyrical poem highlights Australia beyond the reaches of popular tourist cities; instead favouring off-kilter terrains and untold landscapes.
Big, bountiful and utterly beautiful Australia teems with awe-inspiring settings. Discover the true essence of this bronzed, wide-sweeping land with a trip off the beaten track.
New South Wales, Northern Rivers
“God’s Country”, “the Rainbow Region” and “Summerland”, are just a few of the monikers assigned to New South Wales’ Northern Rivers. Brimming with lush rainforests, quaint villages, imposing headlands and a pristine coastline, the Northern Rivers district is emblematic of utopia.
Australia’s most easterly point, Byron Bay is the region’s most distinguished township, fostering New Age philosophy, raw creative energy and ideals of escapism. A short drive south, the small surfing town of Lennox Head hosts one of the world’s best right-hand point breaks and a unique tea tree-stained freshwater lake. A few minutes into the hinterland, the Alstonville-Dunoon plateau is home to patches of ancient rainforests like Victoria Park and Booyong Reserve, and the cascading waterfalls of Dalwood Falls and Minyon Falls. While on the fringes of the Tweed Shire, imposing former volcano, Mount Warning witnesses mainland Australia’s first rays of sun each morning.
Long days, almost-perfect weather, never-ending beaches, first-rate accommodation and delicious food, the Northern Rivers has elements to impress even the most discerning city slicker. But beware… many who come for a weekend, often stay for a lifetime.
For more information about what to do and see, and where to shop and eat, in the Northern Rivers, view our Byron Bay destination guide.
Uncover the beauty of the Northern Rivers…
Virgin Australia operates flights to Ballina/Byron Bay daily, direct from Sydney.
Take the hassle out of planning your trip away, our partner, Blue Holidays offers exceptional Ballina/Byron Bay holiday packages from $454, per person.
Go off the beaten track and discover the Northern Rivers by car. Our car hire partners have cars to suit all terrains and adventures.
Victoria, Hepburn Shire
From the ocean to the country, rural Victoria is loaded with natural splendours. Hugging the bight of Bass Straight, The Great Ocean Road is heralded as one of the world’s most scenic drives. Rich red earth is met underneath bright blue skies in the Sunraysia district – one of Australia’s most prominent wine regions. While Australia’s longest river, the Murray snakes along the state’s boarder, supporting a variety of unique river life unseen anywhere on earth.
Just an hour and a half’s drive north west of Melbourne, the shire of Hepburn particularly provides for sensorial holiday experiences. Home to Australia’s largest concentration of natural mineral springs, famous for their relaxing properties, Hepburn Shire – specifically the villages of Daylesford and Hepburn Springs – promotes holistic health and traditions of healing. Explore the areas mystical appeal… Bath in or drink from the waters of one of the region’s mineral springs. Picnic under the period rotunda at Kyneton Mineral Springs Reserve. Hike through bushland at Mount Macedon. Or get caught up in the mystery of the infamous Hanging Rock.
Unconventional, but full of unique and natural wonder – alongside acclaimed restaurants and cafes, farmers markets, roadside stalls and cellar doors – Hepburn Shire is an inspiring region, well worth venturing off the beaten track to visit.
Hepburn Shire is located 90 minutes from Tullamarine airport…
Virgin Australia operates flights to Melbourne daily, direct from all Australian capital cities and most major regional ports.
Take the hassle out of planning your trip away, our partner, Blue Holidays offers exceptional Daylesford holiday packages from $419, per person.
Go off the beaten track and discover the Hepburn Shire by car. Our car hire partners have cars to suit all terrains and adventures.
Western Australia, The Kimberley
There are few regions more quintessentially Australian than The Kimberley. Located in in the northern throes of Western Australia, the area is one of the remotest, wildest and most beautiful expanses on earth.
The desert meets the sea – in the form of famous 22 kilometre white-sand Cable Beach – at The Kimberley’s southern gateway, Broome. To the south of Cable Beach, Gantheaume Point’s red cliffs preserve dinosaur footprints. Spanning from Broome to Kununurra, Gibb River Road dissects some of the earth’s most rugged terrain, with access to spectacular wildlife and stunning gorges. While World Heritage Listed Purnululu National Park boasts The Kimberley’s most renowned star, the Bungle Bungle range – the ultimate Outback playground.
Home to ancient rock formations, gushing waterfalls, expansive lakes and stunning beaches, The Kimberley is one of the world’s last great wilderness areas, and hosts ample opportunity to indulge in a truly off-the-beaten-track adventure.
For more information about what to do and see, and where to shop and eat, in The Kimberley, view our Broome and Kununurra destination guides.
Discover the majesty of The Kimberly…
Virgin Australia operates flights to Broome and Kununurra daily, direct from Perth.
Take the hassle out of planning your trip away, our partner, Blue Holidays offers exceptional Broome holiday packages from $855, per person.
Go off the beaten track and discover The Kimberley by car. Our car hire partners have cars to suit all terrains and adventures.
