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Scene-A-Roo [official website]
Scenearoo are the Great Ocean Road tour specialists
PRIVATE CHARTER TOURS
- Experienced Guide
- Flexible Itinerary
- Luxury Mercedes Bus
- Free Wifi & Bottled Water/
- Mondays, Wednesdays, & Saturdays
Scenearoo offers flexible private charter tours for up to 11 people in a luxury Mercedes Benz bus. Tours for up to 24 people can be arranged on request.
We have listed 4 tours, but we are able to take you anywhere you like, at the same rate. Places such as The Grampians, Wilsons Promontory, Ballarat, Walhalla, Mt Buller and Phillip Island are popular destinations (Phillip island private tours are only available from April to September). Please contact us directly by email if you would like to visit one of these destinations.
Tour fee
- 1-6 people AUD1195.00 / 7-8 people AUD1395.00
- 9-11 people AUD1595.00
OUR PRIVATE CHARTER TOURS
The Great Ocean Road and 12 Apostles is the most popular tourist destination in Victoria. There are many different ways and options for doing this tour, such as the classic route or the reverse route. Your guide can help you to decide in the morning by making recommendations based on the weather conditions and the time of the year.The most popular route is to begin at Bells beach, where we search for wild kangaroos. From here we continue on to Lorne, and visit Teddys Lookout. We then stop at Kennet River to search for wild Koalas before stopping for lunch at Apollo Bay. After lunch we visit Maits Rest to do a rainforest walk, before we end the tour at the 12 Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge.
Since this is a private tour, you can add to or change the itinerary and do it any way you like. Your guide will be able to explain the different options and give you recommendations in the morning when we leave the city. You have at least 45 minutes to decide how to do the tour before the road forks to the coastal route or the inland route.
If you wish to visit the beautiful and isolated Childers Cove area, about 30 kms further west of the Bay of Islands, we will begin the tour at the 12 Apostles and continue through Port Campbell and the Bay of Islands onto Childers Cove (or do it in reverse and start at Childers Cove and end at the 12 Apostles)
OPTIONAL EXTRAS:
- Helicopter Ride at the 12 Apostles: https://12apostleshelicopters.com.au/ (3 different flight options starting from $165 per person for a 15 minute flight from the 12 Apostles to London Bridge)
- Otway Fly Treetop Adventures: https://otwayfly.com.au (options include Treetop Walks from $23.40 per adult and Zipline Tours from $108 per adult)
- Wildlife Wonders wildlife sanctuary: https://wildlifewonders.org.au (a 75 minute Walk with Wildlife tour with a conservationist guide is $59 per adult and $24 per child [4-15])
We start with a pickup at your hotel between 9am and 10am.
The Yarra Valley is located about an hours drive from Melbourne. It is the oldest and best known wine growing region in Victoria, with the first vineyards having been planted here in 1838. It is known as a cool climate wine region, with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay being the most awarded wines produced here.
Wine tastings are offered from 10am to 5pm, and a charge of $10 per person for a wine tasting is normal, with most wineries waiving the fee or refunding you if you purchase wine straight after you have completed the wine tasting session. There are usually around 5 or 6 wines to sample, which are a selection of white and red wines, and occasionally sparkling wine and dessert wines are available for tasting too.
The staff at the wineries are very knowledgeable and will explain in detail their wine making process, as well as other interesting aspects about the wines that you are sampling. Some wineries also offer a cellar tour, and many have restaurants that are open for lunch.
We have provided you with a list of recommended wineries, and indicated which ones have restaurants where you can enjoy lunch. If you have time to research, please advise us of your preferences for wineries and the lunch venue in the “comments” section when you make a booking, and we will reserve them for you.If you do not have any preferences, and are happy to let us choose, we will gladly make reservations for you.
If you would like to visit wineries or restaurants which are not on our list, that is no problem. We will take you wherever you like. There are over 80 wineries featuring cellar doors for you to choose from!
On a full day tour of the Yarra Valley, you can do two to three wine tastings before lunch. Depending on how long the wine tastings take, and how long you spend enjoying lunch, another two to three wine tastings may be possible after lunch.
Please note that the Yarra Valley is very busy every weekend throughout the year. If you plan to visit on a Saturday, Sunday or a Public Holiday, booking in advance is essential. We will try to book your preferred venues, but we cannot guarantee availability on those days, especially at short notice.
Optional extras:
- 4 Pillars Gin Distillery, in nearby Healesville, offers Gin Tastings https:// www.fourpillarsgin.com/distillery/group (Prices start from $15 per person for 5 samples)
- Visiting the chocolate and ice cream factory in the Yarra Valley. It can be visited at any time during the day (https://www.yvci.com.au)
- Why not take a break from wine tasting and visit the wildlife park, Healesville Sanctuary? https://www.zoo.org.au/healesville There are many native Australian animals, and they runs programs to help fight the extinction of endangered species (Adults $42, Child [4-15] $21)
- Cheese Tasting at Yarra Valley Dairy. Standard Tasting is $5 per person for 4 cheeses, while Premium Tasting allows you to taste their entire range (14 cheeses) for $10 per person. They have a mixture of cow’s and goat’s milk cheeses
Popular wineries:
- Yering Station (the oldest vineyard in the Yarra valley) – https://yering.com (Restaurant open 7 days a week)
- St Huberts Estate – https://www.sthuberts.com.au (Restaurant open 7 days a week)
- Balgownie Estate – https://www.balgownie.com (Restaurant open 7 days a week)
- Rochford Wines Yarra Valley -http://www.rochfordwines.com.au (Restaurant open 7 days a week)
- Soumah of Yarra Valley – https://soumah.com.au (Restaurant open 7 days a week)
- De Bortoli – https://www.debortoli.com.au/visit-us/cellar-doors/yarra-valley (Restaurant open from Thursday to Monday)
- Oakridge – https://www.oakridgewines.com.au (Restaurant open from Thursday to Sunday)
- Dominique Portet – https://www.dominiqueportet.com (Restaurant open from Thursday to Sunday)
- Greenstone – https://www.greenstonevineyards.com.au (Winery open Thursday to Monday, cheese and antipasto platters available)
- Coldstream Hills – https://www.coldstreamhills.com.au (Wine Tasting only)
- Domain Chandon – https://www.chandon.com.au (Restaurant open 7 days a week). Domain Chandon Yarra Valley is the Australian division of the Moët and Chandon Champagne house from France, and part of the LVMH (Moet, Hennessy, Louis Vuitton) group . Champagne tasting starts at $18 per person for 5 samples
We start with a pickup from your hotel at 8am to 9am.
The Mornington Peninsula is a very popular resort area located about an hour south-east of Melbourne. It is loved by Melbourne locals, who flock there on weekends and during school holidays, especially in summertime. You can choose to focus your Mornington Peninsula tour on visiting wineries, or enjoy the natural scenic locations and short walks on offer, or you can do a combination of both.
Wealthy Melburnians have built holiday houses on the Mornington Peninsula since the late 1800’s, and Portsea is its most famous suburb. The historical pub and restaurant called the Portsea Hotel, established in 1876, is a vibrant and famous establishment https://portseahotel.com.au . If it is not too crowded, we will take you there to enjoy a beer, or a glass of wine, in the picturesque beer garden. Lunch is available from Wednesday to Monday. Please let us know if you would like to have lunch here in the “comments” section when you make your booking request.
There are award winning wineries on the Mornington Peninsula, a wide selection of beaches, and lots of beautiful natural scenic areas to explore. We provide you with a list of some of the best known wineries as a guide, but you are welcome to choose your own wineries if you like (there are over 50 wineries featuring cellar doors).
Some wineries also have restaurants which are a good option for lunch. Please let us know of your preferences for wineries and lunch venue in the “comments” section when you make your booking, and we will reserve them for you.
Please be aware that on Saturdays,Sundays and Public Holidays, the Mornington Peninsula gets very busy, and we cannot guarantee availability at your preferred choices, especially at short notice. If you do not have any preferences, and would like us to make the bookings, we will gladly make reservations for you.
Wine tastings are normally $10 per person, with most wineries waiving this fee if you purchase wine from them straight after the tasting.
Popular wineries:
- Willow Creek Vineyard https://rarehare.com.au/about-willow-creek-vineyard/ (Restaurant open 7 days a week)
- Red Hill Estate https://www.redhillestate.com.au (Restaurant open Wednesday to Sunday)
- Montalto https://montalto.com.au (Restaurant open Friday to Monday)
- Mont Rouge Estate https://montrougeestate.com.au (Restaurant open Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays)
- Port Phillip Estate https://www.portphillipestate.com.au (Restaurant open Wednesday to Sunday)
- Point Leo Estate https://www.ptleoestate.com.au There is an outdoor sculpture gallery at this elegant winery (Restaurant open every day)
- Ten Minutes by Tractor https://www.tenminutesbytractor.com.au (Restaurant open Thursday to Sunday)
- Pier 10 https://pier10.com.au (Restaurant open Thursday to Sunday)
Natural locations:
- visiting the Mount Martha Beach Bathing Boxes
- enjoying the view from Arthurs Seat lookout https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-tosee/ parks/Arthurs-Seat-State-Park and nearby Seawinds Gardens https:// www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/parks/arthurs-seat-state-park/attractions/ seawinds-gardens
- doing the popular walk in Portsea called the “Millionaires Walk”. You can stroll along the shoreline enjoying the sea views on the one side, and some large and very expensive mansions on the other. We can drop you at one end and wait for you at the other end (or at any other point along the walk): https:// www.visitmorningtonpeninsula.org/PlacesToGo/Walks/ShortWalksUnder1Hour/tabid/ 910/View/5b59369ba5449ddb7533aeae/Millionaires-Walk/Default.aspx
- Portsea back beach has a short walk which leads to London Bridge, an interesting rock formation in the sea http://www.humbletrail.com/listings/london-bridge-morningtonpeninsula/
- Another short walk is possible from Sorrento back beach to Sphinx rock http:// bushwalkjournal.blogspot.com/2012/02/sorrento-ocean-beach-and-sphinx-rock.html
- The walk to Pulpit Rock at Cape Schanck is highly recommended (https:// thesabbaticalguide.com/pulpit-rock-cape-schanck/). It takes 30 to 45 minutes to complete.
Optional extras:
- Visiting Moonlit Sanctuary https://moonlitsanctuary.com.au (Adults $26, Child [4-17] $13). Moonlit Sanctuary is an award winning wildlife park which helps rescue threatened and endangered native Australian animals. They run breeding programs for critically endangered species, with the aim being to release them into the wild one day. You can feed the many different species of kangaroos, pademelons and wallabies, which roam freely in a wide open area . The tiny little Tammar wallabies are especially cute, and make for great photo opportunities! Your guide will be on hand to take photos of you feeding the wallabies, as well as to give you commentary about the various unique Australian animals at Moonlit Sanctuary, such as the rare and endangered meat eating marsupials called Spotted Quolls.
- Visiting the Japanese style Peninsula Hot Springs and Spa https:// www.peninsulahotsprings.com (Prices for the Hot Springs start at Adults $30 and Child [3-15] $20 for 60 minutes) There are therapeutic massages and private spa sessions available (booking in advance is essential) Please remember to bring a bathing suit if you want to relax in the hot spring
- Riding the Gondola (cable-car) at Arthurs Seat https://aseagle.com.au. You can ride one-way (either going up or going down) and your guide will be waiting for you at the end station to pick you up (Adult one-way $20.50, Child [4-16] $12.95)
- Horse Riding on the beach with Gunnamatta Trail Rides https://gunnamatta.com.au . Their most popular ride is the St Andrew’s Beach Ride which is suitable for beginners (10 years and up) and takes 2 hours. Prices are $195 per person for a reservation which does not allow for any changes and $275 per person for a flexible booking which allows for rescheduling. Riding a horse on an isolated beach is sure to provide an unforgettable memory!
We start with a pickup from your hotel between 8am and 9am.
We drive for around an hour to the Dandenong Mountains, which are thickly forested and offer a wide variety of hiking trails and walks. We stop at Grants Picnic Ground https://www.dandenongrangespoint.com.au/attractions/grants-picnic-ground where we can do a short walk in the forest. There are magnificent Mountain Ash trees around here, the largest species in the Eucalyptus family. They can grow to over 100 metres high.
Depending upon the amount of available time, we may also be able to visit the Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/sites/alfrednicholas-memorial-garden
You have the option to visit the observatory on Mount Dandenong (height 633m) to take in the view. The entrance fee to Mt Dandenong observatory is $8 for a car (max 7 people), $15 for a minibus (max 12 people) and $25 for a coach (13 people or more) https://www.skyhighmtdandenong.com.au
After doing the short forest walk at Grants Picnic grounds, we head to Belgrave, where you can board the Puffing Billy and ride the historic old steam train to Lakeside station. The journey passes through the Sherbrooke Forest, and is on a specially designated track which operates for the Puffing Billy alone.
The journey takes around an hour. Your guide will be waiting for you at Lakeside Station. From Lakeside Station it takes around 45 minutes to drive to the Yarra Valley, where you can enjoy lunch. After lunch, you will be able to do two to three wine tastings.
Popular wineries:
- Yering Station (the oldest vineyard in the Yarra valley) – https://yering.com (Restaurant open 7 days a week)
- St Huberts Estate – https://www.sthuberts.com.au (Restaurant open 7 days a week)
- Balgownie Estate – https://www.balgownie.com (Restaurant open 7 days a week)
- Rochford Wines Yarra Valley -http://www.rochfordwines.com.au (Restaurant open 7 days a week)
- Soumah of Yarra Valley – https://soumah.com.au (Restaurant open 7 days a week)
- De Bortoli – https://www.debortoli.com.au/visit-us/cellar-doors/yarra-valley (Restaurant open from Thursday to Monday)
- Oakridge – https://www.oakridgewines.com.au (Restaurant open from Thursday to Sunday)
- Dominique Portet – https://www.dominiqueportet.com (Restaurant open from Thursday to Sunday)
- Greenstone – https://www.greenstonevineyards.com.au (Winery open Thursday to Monday, cheese and antipasto platters available)
- Coldstream Hills – https://www.coldstreamhills.com.au (Wine Tasting only)
- Domain Chandon – https://www.chandon.com.au (Restaurant open 7 days a week). Domain Chandon Yarra Valley is the Australian division of the Moët and Chandon Champagne house from France, and part of the LVMH (Moet, Hennessy, Louis Vuitton) group . Champagne tasting starts at $18 per person for 5 samples
If you would like to visit wineries or restaurants which are not on our list, that is no problem. We will take you wherever you like. There are over 80 wineries featuring cellar doors for you to choose from!
If you have preferences for the wineries you would like to visit, and which restaurant to have lunch, please let us know in the “comments” section when you make your booking, and we will make reservations for you. If you do not have any preferences, and are happy to let us choose, we will gladly make reservations for you.
We arrive back in Melbourne at 6pm to 7pm
Tour Information
- - The length of the tour is 11-12 hours (except for the Yarra Valley Tour, which is 9-10 hours). A typical tour starts at 8am with a drop off at 7-8pm. Please advise us of your hotel name or pickup location, and your preferred pickup time, in the comments section when you make your booking.
- - The price of the tour includes the use of the vehicle, fuel, your driver/guide, and road tolls. Any other expenses, such as meals, entrance fees and wine tastings, are not included.
- - We have listed some "optional extras" for some of the tours. If you would like to do any of these optional extras, please advise us in the "comments" section when you make your booking.
- - If a baby seat or a child seat is required, please advise us in the "comments" section at the time of booking.
Weather
Melbourne is famous for having unpredictable and quickly changing weather. We strongly recommend that you bring warm clothing and rainproof gear no matter what time of the year you plan to visit.
In summer, beach sandals (for destinations along the coast), sunglasses, sun protection, and a hat, are recommended. Winters can be very cold and wet, and extra warm clothing, windbreakers/raincoats, and waterproof walking shoes (Gore-Tex is a good option), are recommended.
The wind can be very strong when it rains, especially near the sea, which means that umbrellas don’t always work effectively as rain protection.
Scenearoo is a boutique English, Japanese and Spanish language tour company. We offer small group tours (up to 11 passengers) in a luxury 2019 Mercedes Sprinter bus with a high roof. The bucket seats are reclinable and the baggage section has been removed to offer a better seating arrangement.
Scenearoo was started by Dominic, who has over 25 years experience as a tour guide. He has travelled extensively, and has worked as a tour guide around Australia and internationally. He is fluent in English, Japanese and Spanish, and can also converse in French, Portuguese and Afrikaans!
Scenearoo originally catered only for the Japanese market, and we offer a Japanese level of customer service, which means that we pay attention to small details and always strive to keep our customers comfortable. We provide free Wifi, bottled water, free use of binoculars for viewing wild Koalas and Kangaroos, blankets in winter, and cables for Apple and Android devices (most of the seats in the bus have USB “c” charging ports).
We try to avoid large crowds as much as possible. Most tour companies depart the city around 8am, which means that the popular locations such as the 12 Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge can become very crowded during the peak hours, whether doing the route in the classic style (visiting the 12 Apostles in the late afternoon) or the reverse style (visiting the 12 Apostles in the late morning). With our unique itinerary, we arrive at the popular locations outside of peak hours, which helps our customers to enjoy the beautiful natural scenery in a quieter atmosphere.
The Japanese level of customer service which we offer extends to us accompanying our customers at all of the locations to give guiding commentary, and to take as many photos and videos as our customers want.
At Scenearoo, we like to go the extra mile to keep our customers happy.
We are looking forward to welcoming you onto one of our tours!
Related tours
THE 12 APOSTLES AND BAY OF ISLANDS TOUR
Adult AUD 175.00
Child AUD 150.00
The highlights of this tour are the beautiful and uncrowded locations which Scenearoo visits. We are the only tour company that visits the 12 Apostles and the Bay of Islands on the same day. The Bay of Islands is a stunning natural location 30 kms further west of the 12 Apostles. Some people say that it is even more beautiful than the 12 Apostles!