From Garden to Goldfield, with Sydney Melbourne Touring

On the first full day of the six-day famil organised for Across Australia by Sydney Melbourne Touring, the group drives east out of Melbourne, from a garden retreat in the Strzelecki hills to Walhalla, a near-vanished gold town, before turning south for a night in the bush at Wilsons Promontory.

The route is billed as coastal, but day one runs inland first, trading the shoreline for hills, gardens and gold before the sea.

The two cars pull out of Melbourne at 8.10 am with the Across Australia famil group, Jessica, Tamara, Ashlee, Kristy, Sabrina and Patrick, accompanied by Sydney Melbourne Touring hosts Anthony and Paul, and head east on the M1. Port Phillip Bay slides away to the right; Dandenong, Berwick and the outer suburbs give way to the dairy paddocks of West Gippsland. Leaving the Princes Highway, we climb Haynes Track, the road narrowing as the valley drops away, until the gardens of Mirador Springs appear in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges, an hour and a half from Melbourne.

This is the first inspection of the famil. Anne Harding and Stan Crinis, owners and managers of Mirador Springs, arrived five years ago from the Mornington Peninsula, with an unlikely retail pedigree behind them. Stan Crinis ran Westfield shopping centres and Anne Harding ran a fashion chain; together, they spent eight years building an international men's accessories business. Determined to take on a new project, Anne and Stan bought the property. "The whole plan was the garden. We didn't really want fifteen acres, but we fell in love with the view, the gardens, the structure," they say.

There are three places to stay: the original French-country cottage, with an alfresco claw-foot bath, and two glamping tents, the Luxe and the Supa Luxe, each with its own bathhouse, fire pit, pizza oven and barbecue. The retreat is adults-only, with no television in the tents. This is not conventional camping dressed up with a few comforts, but a polished, high-end country escape: Mirador Springs presents itself as Gippsland's premier glamping and cottage accommodation, set among 15 acres of botanical gardens, with private facilities, luxury linens, plush robes and premium amenities designed to make the experience feel intimate, self-contained and quietly indulgent. "We try to over-deliver. We even supply eco-friendly toothbrushes!" says the couple.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are flexible: guests can pre-order local food boxes, self-cater, or drive ten minutes into Warragul for Messmates Dining and other places to eat or pick up supplies. After a pleasant morning tea, we leave the property at 11.45 am, bound for Walhalla, approximately 70 km away by road.

Walhalla, the charm of an historic gold-rush town

By midday the road has turned north, away from the coast and up into the ranges. Walhalla sits in a narrow gorge along Stringers Creek, a gold town that boomed and then all but vanished. Gold was struck here in the early 1860s, and the valley gave up some 72 tonnes of it over the next half-century. A few thousand people once lived in the gorge. Today, by the owner's count, nineteen remain.

The near-disappearance has an unlikely culprit. "The reason there are so few buildings today is not fire or bushfire. Most of them were demolished and removed," says Michael Leaney, who rebuilt the Star Hotel and is president of the Walhalla Goldfields Railway. The railway reached Walhalla just as the mines closed, around 1915, and was used to cart the town away. The same line now runs a heritage train, part of a draw that brings about 100,000 visitors a year.

Lunch is at Walhalla's Star Hotel, opposite the band rotunda. The original was the last gold-era hotel standing until it burned down in 1951. "For 48 years the site was a car park. I rebuilt it in 1998 from scratch," says Leaney, who copied the facade from old photographs and fitted a modern boutique hotel behind it. There are 12 ensuite rooms, large and contemporary behind the period facade, with king beds and air-conditioning, each named for a local mine, no televisions in the deep valley, and a wood fire in the lounge. Rates are dinner, bed and breakfast, and the restaurant serves house guests only.

South to the Prom

By 1.20 pm the two cars climb back out of the gorge and turn south, dropping through the Latrobe Valley toward the sea. The run to Wilsons Promontory is about 180 kilometres, with one necessary errand on the way. "There's no catering at the Prom. There's only one shop, and it closes at four or five o'clock. It's really a self-catering destination," says Paul Cooper of Sydney Melbourne Touring, stopping at Meeniyan to load up dinner and breakfast. He adds that the operator now running the Prom's cruise has taken over the Tidal River store and hopes to add evening meals; for now, guests cook for themselves.

By evening we reach Tidal River, the Parks Victoria cabins set deep inside Wilsons Promontory National Park, between Bass Strait and the bush. This is wombat country, and Cooper, by his own admission, has already been spotted chasing one down the road. Tomorrow, an amphibious boat will run the group to the southern tip of the Australian mainland.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Mirador Springs Retreat, Victoria

• Location: Mirador Springs Retreat is located at 95 Haynes Track, Trafalgar South, Victoria 3824, in West Gippsland, on the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges.

• Access: The property is around 90 minutes east of Melbourne by road, making it suitable for a first touring stop after leaving the city, or as a quiet regional overnight before continuing through Gippsland.

• Type of property: Adults-only country retreat combining luxury glamping and cottage accommodation, set within 15 acres of botanical gardens.

• Best suited to: Couples, premium FIT clients, honeymooners, slow-travel itineraries, wellness-focused guests and small tailor-made programs looking for a private, nature-based stay rather than a standard hotel.

• Accommodation options: The retreat offers three accommodation choices: The Cottage, the Luxe Glamping Experience and the Supa Luxe Glamping Experience. All are designed for two guests.

• Key features: Private decks, garden or valley views, luxury linens, robes, premium amenities, private outdoor spaces and a strong sense of seclusion. The glamping tents include their own private bathhouse; the Supa Luxe option also includes a private infrared sauna.

• In-room and outdoor facilities: Depending on the accommodation selected, facilities may include a private bathhouse or alfresco bath, BBQ, wood-fired pizza oven, fire pit, coffee machine, fridge, microwave and reverse-cycle air-conditioning.

• Meals: This is not a full-service hotel. Guests can self-cater, use the in-room/outdoor cooking facilities, or pre-order food and wine extras. The location also works well with nearby dining options in Warragul and the surrounding Gippsland region.

• Good to know for agents: Mirador Springs is best positioned as a premium, romantic and self-contained nature retreat. It should be sold to clients who understand the appeal of privacy, gardens, outdoor cooking, quiet evenings and a slower rural pace. It is less suited to clients expecting a large hotel, 24-hour services, multiple restaurants on site or an urban-style resort environment.

Walhalla’s Star Hotel, Victoria

• Location: Walhalla’s Star Hotel is located at 130 Main Road, Walhalla, Victoria 3825, in the heart of Walhalla’s historic gold-rush township.

• Access: Walhalla is around 2.5 hours from Melbourne by road. The route is well signposted from both Moe and Traralgon, making it practical to include in a Gippsland touring day.

• Type of property: Boutique heritage-style hotel in a reconstructed gold-era façade, with modern accommodation behind the historic exterior.

• Best suited to: Clients interested in Australian history, gold-rush heritage, regional Victoria, character accommodation and scenic touring. It works particularly well for couples, small groups and FIT itineraries looking for a strong sense of place rather than a standard overnight stop.

• Accommodation: The hotel offers 12 large suites in the centre of the township. Rooms are contemporary and comfortable, while the building keeps the visual identity of Walhalla’s gold-mining past.

• Meal format: Stays are generally packaged with a two-course dinner, bed and continental buffet breakfast. This is useful because Walhalla is a small township with limited evening dining options.

• Restaurant: The restaurant is primarily designed around house guests, so it should be treated as part of the accommodation experience rather than as a simple drop-in dining option.

• Key selling points: Central location in Walhalla, strong heritage atmosphere, large suites, included dinner and breakfast format, and immediate access to the township’s historic walks, buildings and goldfields story.

• Good to know for agents: Walhalla is not a large resort town. It is a small historic mountain settlement, so the hotel should be sold as an atmospheric heritage stay with limited local infrastructure. It is best planned into the itinerary in advance, especially when dinner arrangements are required.

• Positioning: Walhalla’s Star Hotel is a strong fit for clients who value storytelling, historic townships and distinctive regional accommodation. It is less suited to travellers expecting a modern city hotel environment, extensive resort facilities or a wide choice of restaurants within walking distance.

Tidal River Cabins, Wilsons Promontory National Park

• Location: The cabins are located at Tidal River, the main visitor hub inside Wilsons Promontory National Park

• Access: Wilsons Promontory is around three hours by road from Melbourne. From the park entrance near Yanakie, Tidal River is a further 30-minute drive into the national park.

• Type of accommodation: Self-contained national-park cabins, offering a more comfortable alternative to camping while keeping clients directly inside the park environment.

• Best suited to: Nature-focused clients, families, couples, soft-adventure travellers, hikers and FITs wanting direct access to Wilsons Promontory without staying outside the park.

• Accommodation style: Simple, practical and self-contained rather than luxury. The cabins are designed for clients who value location, independence and access to nature over hotel-style service.

• Key facilities: Cabins generally include living space, basic kitchen facilities, dining area, bathroom facilities and outdoor deck areas, making them suitable for short stays where guests can prepare their own meals.

• Meals: This is primarily a self-catering stay. Tidal River has a General Store with basic supermarket items, daily essentials and takeaway food, but agents should advise clients to bring supplies, especially for dinner and breakfast.

• Nearby facilities: Tidal River has the main visitor centre, campground facilities and access to walking tracks, beaches and wildlife-viewing areas. It is the most practical base inside the park.

• Activities nearby: Norman Beach, Squeaky Beach, Mount Oberon, Tidal River walks, wildlife viewing, coastal walks and seasonal cruises or guided experiences from within or near the park.

• Good to know for agents: There is no fuel or electric vehicle charging at Tidal River. The closest supplies are at Yanakie, Fish Creek and Foster. Pets, drones, firearms, generators and open fires are not permitted, and visitors should check current park conditions before travelling.

• Positioning: Tidal River cabins are best sold as an immersive national-park stay with excellent access to Wilsons Promontory’s beaches, walks and wildlife. They are less suited to clients expecting a serviced hotel, room service, multiple dining outlets or luxury-resort facilities.