SYDNEY, BLUE MOUNTAINS & HUNTER VALLEY

You’ll be welcomed off your flight and taken to your hotel in the heart of Sydney’s dynamic Rocks area. So the city’s wide-ranging cultural opportunities, sizzling restaurants and bars, outstanding architecture, the harbourside and any number of different experiences are all close by.

You’ll be able to stroll past the Opera House and around the Circular Bay, relax in the Royal Botanic Gardens, take stunning photos from Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, cruise across the harbour, visit Manly by ferry or step outside the city boundaries to discover fabulous beaches.

Stay: Six nights in the Amora Jamison Hotel.

A hazy, ultramarine when seen from afar, as you drive towards them they define the horizon. Then they seem to be marching across the landscape as you draw nearer, and the closer you venture the more beautiful they become. In fact, the Blue Mountains are so ruggedly photogenic they’re World Heritage listed. Make sure your camera’s batteries are fully charged.

Especially when you take a trip on the world’s steepest passenger train ride – the fabled Scenic Railway (the name is a masterpiece of understatement). You’ll be staying in the quaint and traditional village of Leura.

Stay: Three nights in the Old Leura Dairy.

A delightful drive takes you down from the mountains and into the valley. The Hunter Valley to be precise – a famous centre of viticulture and home to many of Australia’s most prestigious wines. In fact, you’ll be staying in Pokolbin, at the five star Spicers Vineyards Estate with its breath-taking vistas of the Brokenback Mountains.

You’ll also be surrounded by Hunter Valley’s most internationally renowned wineries, any number of gourmet restaurants and a plethora of challenging golf courses – all within easy driving distance.

Stay: Three nights at the five star, Spicers Vineyards Estate.