There’s more to Canberra than you would expect! Go behind the scenes at some of Australia’s most iconic landmarks. Enjoy an exclusive after-hours tour, together with a dining experience like no other, at the National Gallery of Australia. Discover there’s more than politics at Parliament House. Hear moving stories of sacrifice, courage and mateship at the Australian War Memorial. And while the Canberra District may not be Australia’s best-known wine region, discover why its wines have already made an impact on wine lovers and critics. This fully escorted small group tour is the ultimate way to experience the very best of Australia’s National Treasures.

Your Holiday Package Includes:

• 3 nights in a QT Superior King Room at QT Canberra
• Full breakfast daily
• Glass of sparkling wine, followed by an exclusive after-hours tour of iconic works at the National Gallery of Australia
• Themed cocktail, canapes & local produce grazing table in the Skyspace Garden
• Three course bespoke dinner paired with local wines on the Skyspace Garden terrace
• A special memento from the evening
• Private Behind the Scenes Tour of Parliament House with a traditional High Tea^
• Private guided tour of the Australian War Memorial’s Commemorative Courtyard & poignant Last Post ceremony
• Three-course feasting menu dinner at Capitol Bar & Grill
• Wine tasting at Brindabella Hills Winery
• Wine tasting at Shaw Estate
• Share-style lunch at Olleyville at Shaw Vineyard Estate
• Wine tasting at McKellar Ridge Wines
• Distillery tour, gin tasting paddle & grazing platter at Big River Distilling Co
• Private car transfer from Canberra Airport to QT Hotel and return
• Private group mini-van transfers throughout
• Services of a Tour Leader & expert guides/drivers
• Small group travel - maximum 12 guests

Pricing is per person twin share and based on travel 20-23 October 2023

On sale until 21 July 2023 or until sold out prior

Call us to add flights!

Itinerary:

Day 1: FRIDAY - WELCOME TO CANBERRA

Welcome to Canberra, home to some of Australia’s most important national treasures. You’ll be met on arrival at Canberra Airport and transferred to your hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure to explore Australia’s capital. Tonight, a truly memorable experience awaits at the National Gallery of Australia. Enjoy a glass of sparkling wine, then join an exclusive after-hours tour where secrets and stories of iconic works from the Gallery’s extraordinary collection, including Blue poles and Within without by Jackson Pollock, are revealed by your expert guide. The sounds of live jazz and a picturesque sunset welcome you to the Skyspace Garden where the tour ends but the evening is about to begin. Enjoy a cocktail inspired by James Turrell’s Within without, together with canapes and a sumptuous grazing table of locally sourced produce. Once nestled in the garden, take your place at the extravagant and beautifully dressed table, where a bespoke three course dinner will be served, featuring dishes and local wines curated and paired to embody the works of art within the surroundings. This will truly be a dining experience to remember.

Overnight: QT Canberra

Meals: Dinner paired with local wines

Day 2: SATURDAY - BEHIND THE SCENES AT PARLIAMENT HOUSE & SOUL OF THE NATION

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast in the hotel’s Capitol Bar and Grill, served from 7am.  This morning, visit Parliament House and discover there’s more than politics at play! This once-in-a-lifetime private tour provides you with behind-the-scenes access to rarely seen private, official and ceremonial spaces in one of Australia’s most significant buildings.Visit off-limit spaces that support parliament every day including private courtyards, the corridors of power and the Press Gallery. Gain an insight into architect Romaldo Giurgola’s unique vision – from its European origins to the Australian materials and interpretation that caps Walter Burley-Griffin’s Canberra plan. Don your hard hat for an exclusive visit to the Parliamentary Art and Furniture collections. Afterwards, enjoy a dining experience usually reserved for visiting dignitaries as in-house chefs prepare a traditional high tea with a contemporary twist. This afternoon, head to the Australian War Memorial and join an expert guide for an engaging private tour of the Australian War Memorial’s Commemorative Courtyard. You’ll hear some of the stories of courage, sacrifice, devotion, and mateship behind the over 102,000 names on the Australian Roll of Honour. Enter the breathtaking Hall of Memory and gaze upon one of the largest and most captivating mosaics in the world. Pay your respects and place a poppy of remembrance on the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier. Following the galleries tour, join one of the Memorial’s curators for a private exploration of the unique collection of memorabilia, rare and beautiful letters, photographs, and diaries – many over a century old. Iconic and rarely displayed artworks by some of Australia’s most important artists of the last century are also available for viewing. At 4:45pm, gather in the Commemorative Courtyard for the poignant Last Post Ceremony. The ceremony begins with the Australian national anthem, followed by the haunting sounds of the piper’s lament. You are invited to lay a floral tribute beside the Pool of Reflection and listen to the moving story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour and the recital of the Ode by a member of the Australian Defence Force. The ceremony concludes with the sounding of the Last Post. Tonight, get a taste of modern Canberra dining with slight Italian accents, with a three-course feasting menu at Capitol Bar and Grill. Sourcing the finest local produce from as close as the rooftop garden, relish the ultimate in farm to table dining. You can say ‘grazie’ later!

Overnight: QT Canberra

Meals: Breakfast, High Tea and Dinner

Day 3: SUNDAY - CANBERRA’S COOL CLIMATE WINERIES

Enjoy breakfast in the Capitol Bar and Grill from 7am before heading off to explore the cool climate wineries of the Canberra District. The Brindabellas are the mountain backdrop to the national capital and the first stop of the day is Brindabella Hills Vineyard, situated on a ridge above the Murrumbidgee. The mountains of the Brindabella range to the west and hills to the south form a natural amphitheatre and the vineyard maximises the climatic advantages of a warm site in a cool district. Over the past few years, their Chardonnay and Shiraz wines have won many national ‘boutique winery’ awards and we will sample some of these spectacular wines at their Cellar Door. Next, head to Shaw Wines. Turning into the driveway, the first thing you’ll notice is the architectural lines of the impressive building peeking over the top of the trees. The impressive wide timber door opens to the cellar door foyer and here is where you can expect the unexpected! Shaw’s attentive and knowledgeable staff will guide you through a seated tasting of wines in the upstairs tasting area. After, enjoy a sharestyle lunch at Olleyville at Shaw Vineyard Estate. After lunch, travel the short distance to McKellar Ridge Estate, a boutique winery and vineyard producing premium award-winning, handcrafted wines that exhibit the unique characteristics of the Canberra cool-climate region. Meet winemakers John and Marina and learn about the history of the vineyard and how John turned his dream of re-establishing a family tradition of wine production into reality. And for a fitting end to the day, we’ll drop by Big River Distilling Co for a Distillery tour and sample a tasting paddle of three gins with a grazing platter. Arriving back at the hotel around 5pm, the evening is free to explore Canberra’s thriving bar and restaurant scene or enjoy a relaxing evening in.

Overnight: QT Canberra

Meals: Morning, Lunch, Grazing platter, Wine and Gin Tasting

DAY 4: MONDAY - FAREWELL CANBERRA

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Enjoy a final leisurely breakfast before your private transfer to Canberra Airport for your flight home.

Meals: Breakfast