Australia: Summer Down Under

Due to Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras’ date change, our 2026 itinerary has flipped. This year, we’ll begin in Sydney and end in Melbourne.

G’day! Welcome to Sydney, Australia. At 6 PM we’ll meet in the hotel lobby for our Welcome Meeting. After everyone has gotten acquainted, we’ll head out to a nearby restaurant for our Welcome Dinner.

This morning, we’ll get to know Sydney on an included walking tour. Highlights will include the Hyde Park Barracks, the State Library, State Parliament, finally arriving at the Royal Botanical Gardens. Along the way, learn the history of this important part of Sydney and the stories of Sydney’s colonial past. There will be short stops along the way to point out significant landmarks and the history behind them. Once at the Royal Botanical Gardens spend some time wandering and exploring before arriving at the Rocks for an included lunch. The rest of your day is free to enjoy the multitude of Mardi Gras festivities in this humming city, or if there’s enough interest your host will organize an optional visit to Bondi Beach.

If you smashed the town last night, don’t worry. This morning, you can either sleep in or enjoy a simple stroll along the hip strip of Oxford Street, Sydney’s gaybourhood. Later this afternoon, we’ll regroup for a big gay lunch and get all glammed up for the Mardi Gras parade. We’re planning on heading to the parade route early to find a good view of the festivities in one of the official viewing areas. While we’ll play the evening by ear, the event officially goes until 11 PM. Have fun, but not too much! Tomorrow morning we fly to Hobart.

This morning after breakfast, we jet off to Hobart, Tassie’s (Tasmania’s) quaint capital. Upon arrival, we’ll check into our hotel and get our bearings on a quick orientation walk around the sleepy coastal city. This afternoon, we’ll have free time to wander this charming city. We highly recommend visiting the architectural and cultural gem MONA (Museum of Old and New Art). If this interests you, museum and ferry tickets must be purchased in advance. Please consult with an Out Adventures representative on timing before purchasing tickets. Finally, at tonight’s included dinner we’ll get a taste of the island’s delectable food.

Morning, Mate! We have an early start this morning as we make our way to Bruny Island, an agricultural region known for its fresh produce, briny oysters, salty cheese, and spectacular scenery. The journey will take about 2 hours each way including the ferry. Once on Bruny, we have a slew of activities that await. With a local guide, we’ll have morning tea and oysters, visit Adventure Bay, South Bruny National Park, the Cape Bruny Lighthouse, a rainforest–and we’ll enjoy a splendid included lunch. On the way back—and if time permits—we may drive up to Mt Wellington for a panoramic view of Hobart and its magnificent harbour. The evening is yours to further explore the city or join an optional group dinner.

Today we have a scenic 3-hour drive to the fabulous seaside Freycinet Lodge located inside Freycinet National Park. We’ll enjoy a briney lunch of mussels and oysters at Freycinet Marine Farm before a relaxed afternoon on the beach. Alternatively, book yourself a rejuvenating massage at the lodge’s spa. This evening we’ll dine together over an included dinner at our seaside hotel.

For those wanting to stretch their hamstrings, we’ve planned an optional tramp up to Wine Glass Bay lookout today led by our local leader. The gorgeous walk is about 2.5 hours return and involves some incline. The rest of the day is free and there are a number of optional activities to choose from including sea kayaking, scenic flights and coastal cruises. Tonight we have a delicious included dinner at the lodge.

This morning, we have an early start with a 2.5-hour drive from Freycinet to the Hobart airport to catch our flight to Melbourne. We recommend grabbing a bite to eat at the airport for lunch. Upon arrival in Melbourne, we’ll drop off our luggage at our conveniently located hotel, then take a walk through Melbourne’s iconic laneways and arcades, making our way to Federation Square in the heart of the city center via some of the city’s graffiti-covered laneways. From here, we head down to the seaside suburb of St Kilda for an afternoon of exploring LGBTQ+ history and a vibrant area that has always been a place of acceptance, diversity, and inclusion in Melbourne. We’ll visit important landmarks and venues significant to the LGBTQ+ community, including the new Victorian Pride Centre, learn about the history of the area, and end with a drink in the oldest gay-friendly bar in the city, The Prince Public Bar. After working up an appetite, we’ll have dinner in St. Kilda, taking in the views of the bay and St. Kilda beach culture.

Up and at ‘em, Gentlemen! We have an epic 12-hour day ahead, exploring the many sights along the Great Ocean Road. We’ll wander a lush rainforest, discover a secret bay and (hopefully) spot some grazing roo. After a sumptuous lunch of local seafood and regional produce in the popular holiday village of Apollo Bay we reach today’s highlight: the heavenly 12 Apostles—a group of limestone monoliths erupting from the ocean just off the coast. If you aren’t too tuckered out, join us for an optional dinner before mingling with the locals in one of the city’s many gay bars.

This morning we depart for the Yarra Valley. Our first stop will be Fergusson Winery, where we will have our first wine tasting before travelling on to Dominique Portet. The Portets have been producing rosé in Australia since 1989, and this experience encompasses three different styles – sparkling Brut Rosé, their highly regarded Fontaine Rosé, and a new addition, Single Vineyard Rosé. Enjoy a warm welcome from a Dominique Portet host, who will provide you with an overview of the estate’s history, then guide you through three wines matched with a selection of charcuterie, cheese, and rustic baguette. The perfect match for rosé. Santé! Next, we stop at Oakridge Winery for another wine tasting. Finally, we head to Rochford Winery, where we start with a tasting of 4 wines at the cellar door before sitting for our farewell lunch paired with wine. Later this evening back in Melbourne we have the option of hitting up some of this trendy city’s gay bars.

Alas, it’s our final day and there are no planned activities. You are free to depart at leisure – safe travels!

Our 2027 itinerary returns to the usual order of starting in Melbourne and finishing in Sydney.

G’day! Welcome to Melbourne, Australia. With flat whites in hand, we’ll kick things off with a brief Welcome Meeting at 1:00pm followed by a walk-through Melbourne’s iconic laneways and arcades making your way to Federation Square in the heart of the city center via some of the city’s graffitied laneways. From here, we head down to the seaside suburb of St Kilda for an afternoon of exploring LGBTQ+ history and a vibrant area that has always been a place of acceptance, diversity, and inclusion in Melbourne. You’ll visit important landmarks and venues significant to the LGBTQ+ community including the new Victorian Pride Centre, learn about the history of the area, and end with a drink in the oldest gay-friendly bar in the city, The Prince Public Bar. After working up an appetite, we’ll have a Welcome Dinner in St Kilda, taking in the views of the bay and St Kilda beach culture.

Up and at ‘em, Gentlemen! We have an epic 12-hour day ahead, exploring the many sights along the Great Ocean Road. We’ll wander a lush rainforest, discover a secret bay and (hopefully) spot some grazing roo. After a sumptuous lunch of local seafood and regional produce in the popular holiday village of Apollo Bay we reach today’s highlight: the heavenly 12 Apostles—a group of limestone monoliths erupting from the ocean just off the coast. If you aren’t too tuckered out, join us for an optional dinner before mingling with the locals in one of the city’s many gay bars.

This morning we depart for the Yarra Valley. Our first stop will be Fergusson winery where we have our first wine a tasting. We travel onto Dominique Portet. The Portets have been producing rosé in Australia since 1989 and this experience encompasses three different styles – sparkling Brut Rosé, their highly regarded Fontaine Rosé, and a new addition Single Vineyard Rosé. Enjoy a warm welcome from a Dominique Portet host, who will provide you with an overview of the estate’s history, then guide you through three wines matched with a selection of charcuterie, cheese, and rustic baguette. The perfect match for rosé. Santé! We head to Rochford Winery where we start with a tasting of 4 wines at the cellar door before sitting for lunch with a wine. After lunch we stop at Oakridge winery for a final wine tasting before making our scenic journey back to Melbourne. Your evening is free to further explore the city or join the group for an optional dinner.

This morning after breakfast we jet off to Hobart, Tassie’s (Tasmania’s) quaint capital. Upon arrival we’ll check into our hotel and get our bearings on a quick orientation walk around the sleepy coastal city. This afternoon you’ll have free time to wander this charming city. We highly recommend paying a visit to the architectural and cultural gem, MONA (Museum of Old and New Art). If this interests you, museum and ferry tickets must be purchased in advance. Please consult with an Out Adventures representative on timing before purchasing tickets. Finally, at tonight’s included dinner we’ll get a taste of the island’s delectable food.

Morning, Mate! We have an early start this morning as we make our way to Bruny Island, an agricultural region known for its fresh produce, briny oysters, salty cheese and spectacular scenery. The journey will take about 2 hours each way including the ferry. Once on Bruny, we have a slew of activities that await. With a local guide, we’ll have morning tea and oysters, visit Adventure Bay, South Bruny National Park, the Cape Bruny Lighthouse, a rainforest–and we’ll enjoy a splendid included lunch. On the way back—and if time permits—we may drive up to Mt Wellington for a panoramic view of Hobart and its magnificent harbour. The evening is yours to further explore the city or join an optional group dinner.

Today we have a scenic 3-hour drive to the fabulous seaside Freycinet Lodge located inside Freycinet National Park. We’ll enjoy a briney lunch of mussels and oysters at Freycinet Marine Farm before a relaxed afternoon on the beach. Alternatively, book yourself a rejuvenating massage at the lodge’s spa. This evening we’ll dine together over an included dinner at our seaside hotel.

For those wanting to stretch their hamstrings, we’ve planned an optional tramp up to Wineglass Bay lookout today led by our local leader. The gorgeous walk is about 2.5 hours return and involves some incline. The rest of the day is free and there are a number of optional activities to choose from including sea kayaking, scenic flights and coastal cruises. Tonight we have a delicious dinner included at the lodge.

This morning we’ll drive back to Hobart airport and fly to splashy Sydney, arriving early in the afternoon. We recommend grabbing a snack or a light lunch at the airport. After dropping our bags at our centrally-located hotel we’ll have a short orientation walk and get our first glimpse of Darling Harbour. Later in the afternoon and evening you are welcome to stroll around this majestic coastal city on your own and perhaps take in one of the many Mardi Gras events, or join the group for an optional dinner. 

This morning we’ll get to know Sydney on an included walking tour. Highlights will include the Hyde Park Barracks, the State Library, State Parliament and finally arriving at the Royal Botanical Gardens. Along the way learn the history of this important part of Sydney and the stories of Sydney’s colonial past. There will be short stops along the way to point out significant landmarks and the history behind them. Once at the Royal Botanical Gardens spend some time wandering and exploring before arriving at the Rocks for an included lunch. The rest of your day is free to enjoy the multitude of Mardi Gras festivities in this humming city, or if there’s enough interest your host will organize an optional visit to Bondi Beach.

If you smashed the town last night, don’t worry. This morning you can either sleep in or enjoy a simple stroll along the hip strip of Oxford Street, Sydney’s gaybourhood. Later this afternoon we’ll regroup for a big gay farewell lunch and get all glammed up for the big finale, the Mardi Gras parade. We’re planning on heading to the parade route early to find a good view of the festivities. While we’ll play the evening by ear, the event officially goes until 11pm so you may want to break up your schooners with flat whites. After the parade finishes, you are free to keep the party going on Oxford Street or head back to the hotel.

Alas, it’s our final day with no planned activities so you are free to depart at leisure.