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Luxury Australian Itinerary – Wine Flight – Margaret River, The Barossa Valley & Kangaroo Island

Posted on by Nicola Billens

Wine Flight

Spend 2-3 nights at each property. This itinerary works equally well in reverse.

Not surprisingly wine region culture so often seeds a strong food culture and vice versa. The two simply go hand in hand. Australia’s reputation as a premium wine-producing country is undisputed.

Wine lovers from around the world are drawn to the ‘home’ of the wines they have tried, savoured and loved. The Louise Barossa Valley, Cape Lodge Margaret River, and Kangaroo Island offer an entree to these prestigious and emerging wine regions, and very often, a personal connection with the winemakers and characters who live there.

This itinerary offers world-class wine experiences together with warm and knowledgeable hospitality alongside culinary excellence and luxury accommodation.

This itinerary is just an indicator of what’s on offer in Australia. At Alquemie we tailor make every vacation based on the whims of our guests. Please contact us to find out about the magical holiday we could craft for you.

 

Cape Lodge, Margaret River
Cape Lodge, Margaret River

CAPE LODGE – MARGARET RIVER, WESTERN AUSTRALIA (3 NIGHTS)

Cape Lodge private estate and boutique hotel sits within 40 acres on its own vineyard in the heart of the Margaret River wine region – a wine region by the sea. This premium wine region has a strong reputation for fine gastronomic flavours and spectacular scenery, where rolling vineyards sit against a backdrop of ocean and forest.

A selection of must do’s

  • Best of the Best Wine Tour – A sophisticated behind the scenes wine tour often referred to as “The wine tour for people who don’t do tours”. No minivans, no crowds; the Best of the Best Wine Tour represents personalised touring at its best.
  • Gourmet Weekends are also scheduled throughout the year bringing together winemakers, food producers and lovers of food and wine. These weekends include master classes, tastings and winemakers dinners.
  • The Cape Lodge Cooking Classes are ideal for lovers of great food and wine experiences. Keep an eye out for the Long Table Lunch Calendar including Truffle Hunt Tour.
The Louise overlooks stunning vineyards of the Barossa Valley
The Louise overlooks stunning vineyards of the Barossa Valley

THE LOUISE BAROSSA VALLEY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA (3 NIGHTS)

The Louise, an idyllic luxury vineyard retreat, encompassing acclaimed restaurant Appellation, is situated on a gentle hill surrounded by hundreds of acres of vines, with breathtaking vistas across the world renowned Barossa Valley. Home to more than 100 wineries, the Barossa is a vibrant community with a rich 160-year old cultural and architectural heritage and the oldest continuous food and wine culture in Australia.

A selection of must do’s

  • The Most Brilliant Blend – Don a labcoat and enjoy the challenge of being a winemaker for a day in the Penfolds laboratory where many of the iconic Penfold’s wine blends originate. Bring your blended wine back to Appellation to form part of your dining experience that evening.
  • Numerous private tastings and winemaker introductions may be arranged for guests such as the exclusive private tour of Seppeltsfield – A National treasure and living museum of wine history.
  • Appellation features a nightly wine-paired Chef’s Tasting Menu and believes that the sum of ‘food + wine’ should be greater than the individual parts and that wine is a finished product. A series of dishes created to pair with specific wines, creating a unique marriage, with ingredients directed by the season.

KANGAROO ISLAND, SOUTH AUSTRALIA (3 NIGHTS)

Kangaroo Island is the third largest island off the coast of mainland Australia and is known as Australia’s Galapagos. It is home to an abundance of iconic native Australian wildlife species and features stunning coastlines and spectacular scenery.

Indulge yourself in premium luxury at Ocean View Eco Villas, Kangaroo Island. Oceanview Eco Villas is a fully-hosted eco-luxury accommodation located on a 500-acre rural property, nestled atop the stunning Kangaroo Island coastline known as ‘Redbanks’.

A selection of must do’s

  • See Kangaroos (and koalas) in the wild of course!
  • Dine your way around the island as you explore a diversity of wild-catch and farmed seafood, olive oil, honey, wines, micro-brewed beer, gin and free range eggs.
  • Meet with researchers, volunteers and find out what is happening behind the scenes for conservation on Kangaroo Island.
  • Explore Kangaroo Island on a multi-mode adventure – four-wheel drive, walking, ocean rafting and fat-tyre cycling.
  • Walk among Australian sea-lions on a beautiful sandy beach at Seal Bay Conservation Park.

 

Click here to begin your tailor-made journey to Australia

Australia’s Best Guides – John Dyer – Remote Air Safaris

Posted on by Nicola Billens

Please explain a little bit about who you are and what you do.
 
I’m the Managing Director of Air Adventure. We operate high-end, outback air safaris on board our deluxe private aircraft. We are on a mission to enrich people’s lives by transforming the way they experience remote Australia. We enable people to defy distance by comfortably flying them on authentic, inspiring and seamlessly curated adventures in a genuinely small group of just 8 guests; leaving them with a meaningful connection to this country.
 
What got you started with remote air safaris and what do you find most interesting about it?
 
I grew up in the Western District of Victoria, near the Grampians. My father was a pilot and grazier (he started Air Adventure Australia), so I spent a lot of my youth travelling across our vast continent where I developed a love for travel and aviation. We loved discovering new places. The seasons, the weather patterns and the people we met, ensured that no two trips were ever the same. Before taking over the company in 2006 I was a tour leader on our air safaris, it really gives me a kick seeing people broadening their own horizons and immersing themselves in magic of outback Australia.
 
How do you bring remote Australia to life on your tours?
 
I love remote Australia and having our own aircraft basically means that nowhere is out of reach, the whole nation is at our fingertips. It is this unique capability that we offer our guests, coupled with our intimate knowledge and vast array of contacts across the outback – we can take people places that few have seen, in total comfort.
 
Why do you think it’s important that people learn about remote Australia?
 
Given our vast distances and minimal commercial regional flights, a private air safari is something that is almost endemic to Australia. We are never the cheapest way to travel however we are the best (a better way hasn’t been invented yet). I also firmly believe that Australia has some of the most fascinating and ancient history on the planet. We have paintings on cave walls that have been dated at over 20,000 years old – this makes the Pyramids look pretty young. There is so much diversity here from iconic landscapes, aboriginal art & culture, stock & station, remote outer islands plus this can be incorporated with gourmet food, wine and luxury accommodation.
 
If people wanted to find out more about remote Australia are there any particular books, documentaries or websites you would recommend?
 
As we are a national operator, anything that sparks an interest in any of the many fascinating regions or aspects of our country. Here’s a few of my favourite books:
 
The Dig Tree – Sarah Murgatroyd
An amazing recount of the ill-fated Burke & Wills Expedition in the 1800s
 
Lake Eyre – A Journey to the Heart of the Continent – Paul Lockyer
A thorough explanation of the wonders of the Lake Eyre Basin – one of the largest inland drainage systems in the world.
 
Sapiens, A Brief History of Humankind – Yuval Noah Harari
A fascinating overview of how humans made their way from the middle of the food chain to the top. Indigenous Australians feature heavily.
 
What’s your favourite Australian animal and why?
It would have to be the yellow-tailed black cockatoo. I love the way they fly, they always seem to follow our family around and bring us good luck.
 
What place is Australia’s best-kept secret?
King Island, Tasmania. A remote speck in Bass Strait, it is a wild island with amazing beaches, fresh produce, friendly locals (everyone waves and nothing gets locked) and now some truly world class activities, golf being just one of them. At just 35mins flight from Melbourne, it is easily reachable.
 
What haven’t you seen / done in Australia that you’d like to and why?
I am yet to go along to the Grand Final on the Tiwi Islands, NT. Football is a form of religion to the local people and they have produced some of the all time greatest players in the AFL. I’ve been to the Tiwi Islands many times but never to watch an Aussie Rules match. While I am up there, I would definitely get in a boat and do some fishing – barramundi, giant trevally, Spanish mackerel, mud crabs and more are in abundance.
 
Finally, how can people follow you on social media?
@airadventure and @airadventuregolftours

Click here to find out more about Australian travel with Alquemie

REMOTE OUTBACK ADVENTURE TOP END, KIMBERLEY & NINGALOO

Posted on by Nicola Billens

Alquemie is very pleased to announce its first small group air safari for clients who would like to experience Australia’s remote outback by private air charter over 16 incredible days in May 2019.

Starting in Darwin, this air safari takes just 8 guests to far flung locations like Kakadu and Arnhem Land, the Bungle Bungles, Mitchell Falls, Ningaloo Reef and much more.  Accommodation ranges from luxury lodges to remote rustic beach camps with incredible experiences.

This small group hosted air safari is perfect for couples who wish to meet like minded people or for those that wish to see this incredible part of Australia by charter flight but would prefer to share the air costs.

With just 8 places we expect this tour to sell out quickly.

View the full itinerary here. 

 

16 DAY HOSTED SMALL GROUP AIR SAFARI BY PRIVATE JET
Dates: 13 – 28 MAY 2019

Highlights

Meet and engage with traditional Aboriginal elders, a modern day urban Indigenous chef and Aboriginal artists living in a remote and restricted community near abundant rock art galleries.

See Australia’s spectacular outback and coastal scenery by air, land, and water with expert guides and local, authentic characters leading you to magical spots in the middle of nowhere.

Discover the wealth of Australia’s unique wildlife.

Swim with whale sharks, the ocean’s gentle giants, in the pristine turquoise waters of Ningaloo Reef.

Stay at exclusive wilderness locations chosen for their breadth of interesting experiences including a bush campsite in the heart of Kakadu, a working cattle station, a cliff-top retreat on 700,000 acres of stunning outback, an award-wining rustic seaside camp accessible only by air or sea, and a desert-meets-the-ocean luxury tented camp.

A one-day Kimberley air safari

Posted on by Nicola Billens

The Kimberley is one of the world’s last great wilderness frontiers where many tracts of pristine country are inaccessible by road. What better way to grasp the vastness of this amazing land than on a one day scenic Kimberley air safari? Beginning and ending at Broome, this is the perfect journey to add another dimension to your Kimberley itinerary and combines well with a luxury Kimberley cruise  where you can also experience this stunning area by sea.

Highlights of this scenic air safari include:

  • Fitzroy River
  • Geikie Gorge
  • Fitzroy Crossing
  • Windjana Gorge
  • Mount Hart
  • Horizontal Waterfalls
  • Koolan and Cockatoo Islands
  • Cape Leveque
  • Dampier Peninsular
  • Willie Creek

The below suggested itinerary can be tailored to meet your needs.

Departing Broome, head inland across the southern parts of the Kimberley to land at Fitzroy Crossing for a journey along the stunning Geikie Gorge by boat. Formed around 350 million years ago, this area was once covered by a tropical sea and is part of the Devonian Reef – an ancient limestone barrier reef. These days it is rich in wildlife and showcases spectacular landscapes.

The limestone cliffs and interesting rock formations of Geike Gorge were carved by the Fitzroy River as it flowed through this reef turned rock.

As you drift peacefully along Geike Gorge it’s likely you’ll encounter fresh water crocodiles, sea eagles and rare purple-crowned fairy-wrens.

Geike Gorge at Fitzroy Crossing

After your cruise you’ll fly over the ancient Devonian Reef at Windjana Gorge for a bird’s eye view.

The remains of the Devonian Reef

Your plane will then land in the heart of the King Leopold Conservation Park for a delicious lunch at Mt Hart Wilderness Lodge. This area contains isolated patches of remnant rainforest, with ridges rising up to 300 meters above the surrounding plains.

After lunch, fly over the Horizontal Waterfalls – a powerful tidal flow of unto 10m through two narrow gorges in Talbot Bay.

Horizontal Falls from the air

Then you’ll journey over the remote Buccaneer Archipelago to Koolan and Cockatoo Islands, 250 kilometres north-east of Broome, which were home to the world’s richest iron ore deposits. As you fly over you’ll see how the land has be transformed by human activity. Now mostly depleted, you’ll learn about the importance of the iron ore, and the future of the islands, with Cockatoo Island set to be restored to a tropical paradise resort, originally envisioned by disgraced tycoon Alan Bond.

See the coastline by air on a Kimberley air safari

In the afternoon you’ll enjoy afternoon tea and a swim at Kooljaman at Cape Leveque – a remote wilderness camp owned and run by the Indigenous Bardi Jawi Communities. Cape Leveque is an area of amazing wildlife, a vast array of marine life and a stunning coastline.

As with all Kimberley activities this Kimberley air safari is best done from May to October. To enquire about this luxury Kimberley air safari please contact Alquemie.