MELBOURNE TO SYDNEY "SELF-DRIVE" (by Car or Motor-home)
Day 1	Arrive Melbourne Take delivery of a self-drive car or motor home on arrival. Hotel: ALL SEASONS SWANSTON
Day 2	At leisure in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, Australia's Garden State. A city of nearly 3 million people, Melbourne is the fashion capital of Australia. It is an elegant city with well planned avenues and a tranquil graciousness. The restaurants are the finest in Australia and the Arts Centre houses the nation's finest Concert Hall. Theatre and music abound in Melbourne. Sightseeing includes some beautiful parks including the Royal Botanic Gardens on the banks of the Yarra River, the Fitzroy Gardens which contain the reconstructed English cottage of Captain James Cook who discovered Australia in 1770, and historic Chinatown.
Day 3	Depart Melbourne for Ballarat, a famous gold-mining town of the 1850's. Be sure to visit Sovereign Hill and try panning for gold. Finders keepers! Before leaving Ballarat, drive through the Botanic Gardens beside Lake Wendouree. Continue via the attractive towns of Creswick, Daylesford and Castlemaine to Malden, "the best preserved town in Australia, of the gold mining era". Continue to Bendigo for overnight. Hotel: CENTRAL DEBORAH MOTOR INN
Day 4	A city proud of its mining past, Bendigo has many interesting sights. These include a working goldmine, a Chinese Joss House (there were many thousands of Chinese on the Victorian gold fields) and the beautiful old Shamrock Hotel. Continue via Rochester, where stately red gums line the river and the roads, to Echuca, once the largest inland port in Australia. Visit the historic wharf area and relive the colourful river paddleboat era. Continue via Shepparton and Benalla to the tiny township of Glenrowan made famous by Australia's most notorious bushranger, Ned Kelly. Visit the Kelly Gang Exhibition at the Glenrowan Tourist Centre. Proceed via Wangaratta to Beechworth for overnight. Hotel: To be advised
Day 5	In the foothills of the Australian Alps, the old township of Beechworth has thirty-two ofits buildings classified by the National Trust of Australia. Continue via the precipitousAlpine Way to the beautiful village of Thredbo in the Mount Kosiosko National Park.Care should be taken when undertaking this route during the winter months. Hotel: To be advised
Day 6	Depart Thredbo and travel through the Australian Alps via Jindabyne and Cooma, to the national capital, Canberra, for overnight. Hotel: FORREST MOTOR INN
Day 7	A day at leisure in Canberra with the opportunity for a scenic drive around Lake Burley Griffin and a panoramic view of the capital from Black Mountain Tower. Highlights include the National Art Gallery and the Australian War Memorial with its Japanese midget submarines, which were sunk in Sydney Harbor during World War II.
Day 8	Travel past Lake George to Goulburn and continue via the Hume Highway to the historic village of Berrima. Many of the original buildings, Constructed with local sandstone have been preserved, including the Berrima Court House and the Surveyor-General Inn, the oldest continuously licensed inn in Australia.Continue on to Sydney, travelling through the beautiful countryside surrounding Kangaroo Valley. From Kangaroo Valley continue to the Pacific Ocean coastline at Kiama, where a visit can be made to The "Blowhole". From Kiama drive inland to Jambaroo, before proceeding north to Bulli on the coast. At Bulli be sure to stop at the Bulli Pass. Look out for a spectacular view of the coastline. Arrive Sydney. Hotel: HARBOUR ROCKS
Day 9 to Day 11	In Sydney. Sydney is Australia's largest and most exciting city. It is superbly located on one of the world's finest Day natural harbours. Enjoy a harbour cruise past the famous Harbour Bridge and the dramatic Sydney Opera House. Visit Dixon Street, Sydney's Chinatown, and explore some of the magnificent beaches, perhaps Bondi or Manly.
Day 12	Surrender the self-drive car or motor home. Depart Sydney
This is a suggested itinerary only, which can be varied to suit individual requirements.