Advertisement
Just four nights to spare? E-bike through vineyards, soak in thermal baths, or explore a pristine island on these epic hand-picked short breaks.
QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND
Good for outdoor enthusiasts, wine lovers
Stay Overlooking the Shotover River, the new 41-room Coronet Ridge Resort pairs dramatic landscapes, bespoke highland interiors, seasonal dining, and roaring fireplaces. Meticulously reimagined following a $NZ30 million ($24.5 million) renovation, the former Nugget Point Hotel ushers in a new level of luxury to the Arthurs Point enclave and Coronet Peak ski area. On Queenstown’s outskirts, overlooking Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables, a former ’80s Tudor motor inn is now the Sherwood, home to 78 hip rooms, a Michelin-starred restaurant, yoga studio, bar focused on local natural wines and a conversation pit, which is undergoing further renewal by Melbourne-based Flack Studio. Edgewater Resort in Wanaka recently completed its refurbishment of all 106 rooms, suites and apartments. The waterfront property includes hot pools, saunas and roaring open fires, a stroll from the famously photogenic Wanaka Tree.
Advertisement
Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter
Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.
See + do + eat Queenstown’s main drawcard is the spectacular Southern Alps and glacier-filled lakes; however, enticing food and wellness experiences offer new reasons to visit. Reset in communal or private al fresco hot pools overlooking mountains or forest at Aluume. Aluume’s magnesium pools (heated to 38 to 39 degrees) will be joined by a floating bathhouse opening at Queenstown Marina this spring. See why reviewers awarded the Sherwood’s “garden-to-table”, hyper-seasonal menu one star in the Michelin Guide New Zealand 2026. Start with oyster mushroom, smoked mozzarella and rocket wood-fired flatbread (add truffles in season) followed by the lamb shoulder and enjoy banter with friendly, attentive staff.
Don’t miss Hire a new long-range Tesla (with a 600-kilometre-plus range) from Go Rental’s fleet and zigzag your way over the magnificent Crown Range between Queenstown and Wanaka. New Zealand’s highest road (tyre chains required in winter) offers sweeping vistas of the Arrow Valley and Remarkables Range. Stop at Arrowtown and plonk yourself on Swiftsure’s sun-drenched terrace for small plates and exceptional wines from its two vineyards.
Essentials Fly direct to Queenstown from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. See queenstownnz.co.nz; wanaka.co.nz; gorentals.co.nz; sherwoodqueenstown.nz; coronetridge.co.nz; edgewater.co.nz
THE MIDLANDS, TAS
Advertisement
Good for heritage lovers, anglophiles
Stay Equidistant between Hobart and Launceston and five minutes from the historic village of Oatlands, the National Trust-listed Bowhill Grange is a collection of 1850s early colonial farm buildings shaded by an ancient cypress pine grove and perched on a sandstone ridge. Choose from the two-bedroom Elizabeth’s Cottage or one bedroom Shepherd’s Cottage complete with open fires and wide open skies ideal for spotting wedge-tailed eagles.
See + do + eat You could easily be in the Cotswolds with the Midlands’ charming pubs, churches, colonial buildings, convict-built bridges and charming Georgian-style villages. Borrow a key from businesses displaying an Oatlands key sign, and explore Australia’s best-preserved Georgian streetscape (backdrop to the thriller The Nightingale), followed by coffee at Bunch. In Campbell Town, visit the Book Cellar, found beneath a former coaching inn that once housed convicts who built the town’s Red Bridge. Australia’s third-oldest bridge in Ross, meanwhile, features 186 carvings considered so exquisite the stonemasons were issued free pardons. The famous vanilla slice from Ross Village Bakery is, arguably, just as exquisite. In the beautifully preserved village of Evandale, browse antique stores, market stalls (on Sundays) and shop for local homewares and knits at the Evandale Village Store. Afterwards, curl up in a leather armchair by the fire (or make for the shady beer garden in summer) at the Clarendon Arms.
Advertisement
Don’t miss The impressive Callington Mill Distillery overlooked by a restored 1837 Georgian windmill and home to Australia’s best single malt whiskies. Craft your own single malt, do a whisky (or gin) tasting or settle in for a lunch celebrating local flavours.
Essentials Fly into Hobart or Launceston from Sydney or Melbourne. The Midlands is found along the Heritage Highway on the A1 between the two cities. See bowhillgrange.com; discovertasmania.com.au; callingtonmilldistillery.com
THE FRASER COAST, QLD
Good for naturalists, whale watchers
Advertisement
Stay Kingfisher Bay Resort offers an idyllic setting on the edge of K’gari (formerly Fraser Island). It’s an eco-friendly base for exploring the island’s beauty, landscapes and wildlife. There are two lagoon pools, a day spa, discovery centre, resort-style rooms, self-contained villas (accessed via wooden boardwalks) as well as private holiday homes set on Kingfisher Bay. Come sundown, grab a drink and let the resort’s immersive Illumina experience take you on a journey through K’gari’s ancient landscapes via light, projection and storytelling. Housed in a beautifully restored century-old building melding charm and character, the new Hervey’s offers a fresh take on hostel accommodation, with private and shared rooms in the heart of Hervey Bay, a five-minute walk to the beach.
See + do + eat Come for the whales, stay for the Fraser Coast’s abundant natural beauty, marine diversity and untouched coastline. Offering one of Australia’s best year-round climates, the region is also known as Australia’s humpback whale capital (being the number-one place to see humpbacks from July to October). It also offers outstanding diving, shipwrecks, four-wheel-drive adventures, towering rainforests and crystal-clear lakes.
The UNESCO World Heritage-listed K’gari offers dazzling white sand beaches and eco adventures aplenty. Take a dip in Lake McKenzie’s clear turquoise waters fed entirely by rainwater, join a guided kayak tour of Awinya Creek, or tyre-tube down the slow-moving Eli Creek.
Don’t miss The Champagne Pools on K’gari’s eastern beach act as a natural day spa. Waves crash over the volcanic rock and the water bubbles and fizzes like champagne – hence its name.
Advertisement
Essentials Qantas and Jetstar fly direct from Sydney and Melbourne to Hervey Bay. Hervey Bay is about three hours’ drive north of Brisbane. K’Gari is reached via a 40-minute boat ride off Hervey Bay. See visitfrasercoast.com; queensland.com
MARLBOROUGH SOUNDS, NEW ZEALAND
Good for food and wine lovers, bike riders, lovers of quirk with their comfort.
Stay A bookcase that transforms into a doorway with a push of a button; a vineyard and extensive gardens; eclectic artworks; a babbling creek and a croquet lawn. Forget the cookie-cutter, the Marlborough Boutique Hotel delivers a frisson of Agatha Christie intrigue alongside its aptly named Holy Spirit G&T served in a former chapel onsite. This Victorian-era building has a past. It was a convent in its previous life and didn’t appear here until 1994, when it was cut into five pieces and delivered by truck from nearby Blenheim. A 2017 transformation means it now offers five-star comforts alongside character.
Advertisement
See + do + eat The big drawcard? Marlborough Sounds, home to a 1500-kilometre network of sunken river valleys and the famed Queen Charlotte track. Take a boat from Picton harbour and cruise the nooks and crannies or head to Kaipupu Sanctuary and spot a tui, a native bird with distinctive throat tufts. This “mainland island” was set aside as a sanctuary in 2005 and is run by volunteers. But you’re in wine country, and no visit is complete without a winery visit; take an Explore Marlborough e-bike vineyard tour, where you can also have lunch at the acclaimed stalwart Wairau River Cellar Door & Number 11 Restaurant, or stay close to home with a taste test of the hotel’s working vineyard and dine at the award-winning Harvest. For more adventure, dash to see those dashing men and women in their flying machines at the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, where exhibits are brought to life by Oscar-winning Kiwi Peter Jackson.
Don’t miss A spectacular arrival from Christchurch Airport via an Originair 18-seater, and an equally unforgettable exit on a Coastal Pacific rail service, with Pacific surf breaks on one side and the Kaikoura Ranges on the other. The trip includes a three-course meal and a chance to spot seals and dolphins from your seat.
Essentials Rooms at the Marlborough Boutique Hotel & Vineyard Blenheim from $915 a night (low season), including full breakfast, Wi-Fi and mini-bar, plus a pre-dinner drink and canapes. Fly to Christchurch direct from Sydney and Melbourne with Air New Zealand and rent a car or fly with Originair from Christchurch to Blenheim. Alternatively, take the scenic Coastal Pacific train between Christchurch and Picton, about 30 minutes from Blenheim. See themarlborough.co.nz harvestrestaurant.co.nz; airnewzealand.com.au; originair.co.nz; kiwirail.co.nz; exploremarlborough.co.nz; wairauriverwines.com; exploremarlborough.co.nz
Advertisement
GREAT OCEAN ROAD, VIC-SA
Good for road trippers, surf lovers, hikers
Stay The Monty offers a playful throwback to motels of old with a decisive Palm Springs twist. This drive-in stay, right on the Great Ocean Road at Anglesea, offers 16 rooms (two accessible), an outdoor pool and newly opened Mexican-inspired eatery Nina serving aguachile (similar to ceviche), tacos and margaritas overlooking the Anglesea River. Adults-only Basalt Retreats is the Great Ocean Road’s only vineyard stay. Found between Port Fairy and Warrnambool, both plush villas come with their own fire pit, in-room fireplace and honesty bar. Stroll over to the cellar door for cool climate wines and Mediterranean-inspired lunches.
Advertisement
See + do + eat Australia’s best coastal drive hugs the coastline for 240 kilometres along Victoria’s south-west coast to South Australia. Push on for Port Fairy and Robe, ending in Adelaide some 989 kilometres away. Veer inland through the Otways, for Brae and the new Otways Distillery. Pass limestone stacks (including the famed Twelve Apostles), wild surf beaches, rolling green farmland and seaside towns including Lorne, Apollo Bay and Port Fairy (book a table at Pippies by the Bay, relocated from Warrnambool). Stop at craft brewhouses and stroll the Otway Fly Treetop Walk (near Beech Forest). Exit the car at the Great Otway National Park heralded as one of Australia’s 16 “national landscapes”. Or ditch the car altogether and tackle all or part of the multi-day Great Ocean Walk. The 100-kilometre hike from Apollo Bay to the Twelve Apostles can be done as a series of short walks, independently or as part of a guided tour. Or jump in the saddle with Australian Cycle Tours’ new self-guided Great Ocean Road Cycle Trip.
Don’t miss Experience the Southern Ocean’s majesty and power at the extraordinary new Blowhole Lookout – Poombeeyt Koontapool (Breath of the Whale). The accessible viewing platform which wraps the blowhole near Loch Ard Gorge embodies the southern right whale whose exhaled “breath” inspired its name.
Essentials Fly direct from Sydney into Melbourne or Avalon airports. The Great Ocean Road officially starts in Torquay, one hour’s drive from Melbourne. See visitgreatoceanroad.org.au; themontymotel.com.au; basaltwines.com.au; parks.vic.gov.au
Contributors Paul Chai, Jim Darby, Anthony Dennis, Ben Groundwater, Chris Hook, Belinda Jackson, Julietta Jameson, Julie Miller, Sheriden Rhodes, Jane Richards, Katherine Scott
Quick getaways: The best destinations for a short break
These five terrific five-night escapes hit the spot
Where the travel experts go for an exceptional mini getaway
No jet-lag required: The 10 greatest short-haul holiday destinations
Need a two-day escape? These five Australian getaways hit the spot
Six of our favourite three-night getaways across Australia
You have reached your maximum number of saved items.
Remove items from your saved list to add more.
More:
AdvertisementAdvertisement