Gleaming Riches of The Southern Islands

This morning, in Sydney, we board our private jet for our first flight, to the raw and unspoiled outpost of Flinders Island, a place that is impossible to reach by regular commercial airline. Bass Strait has always deterred the casual sailor with its rough and unpredi...

Historic Salamanca Place beckons this morning. The sandstone buildings, built in the 1840s, are warehouses that have been converted into restaurants, galleries and craft shops. Saturday is also market day, and we enjoy our stroll through the stalls offering fine Tasma...

We leave Hobart for a scenic drive to the mirror-still waters of Lake St Clair. It is at the Lake St Clair Lodge, on the lake's southern shore, that we stop for lunch. Our next stop is The Wall in the Wilderness, a singular sculpture that pays tribute to the history, ...

The Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park is named after the two rivers that snake through some of the most untamed forests in the world, watched over by the peak of Frenchmans Cap. In the 1970s, plans were made to dam the Franklin River, but protests that reached...

Our exploration of Tassie takes us away from the main island today. On the way to Burnie Airport and our waiting jet, we drive through the magnificent and untamed forests of its northwest corner. It's a short hop to King Island, where we indulge our inner gourmands wi...

This morning, our jet takes us to the Australian mainland for an exploration of Mt Gambier and the Coonawarra wine region. Its 'terra rossa' soil is renowned for producing spectacular cabernet sauvignon wines. And at the award-winning Katnook Estate, we are treated to...

We spend the morning strolling the quaint streets of Mount Gambier, stopping in at its antique shops and galleries, before boarding our private jet for the flight to Kangaroo Island. Upon arrival, we check in to the sumptuous Southern Ocean Lodge for two nights. Its d...

This morning, we head to Flinders Chase National Park. Many of the island's natural charms are to be found here. The foremost among them must be the Remarkable Rocks - enormous boulders that have been shaped by wind, rain and surf into intriguing architectural forms. ...

Mildura is said to be where the Mediterranean meets the outback. Citrus groves and vineyards stretch as far as the eye can see. Endless sunshine and sandy beaches along the Murray demand that life be lived at a slower pace. Our private jet flies us here in the morning...

This may be the last day of our journey, but we certainly make the most of it. We greet the morning with a cruise on a privately chartered classic Murray paddlesteamer, languidly making our way past the scenic river red gums that line each bank. Our destination is the...