An Australian Road Trip: the Great Ocean Road & Tasmania

Arrive in Melbourne this morning for a two-night stay in a small, private St Kilda hotel. Feel free to explore the local area your way with a morning coffee on the terrace, a shopping trip through the local art galleries, a spot of fishing on the pier, a drink at the pub or an evening stroll along the Esplanade.

Stroll through the countless alleyways, lanes and covered passageways with their host of hidden cafes, shops, artist workshops and street art. Sit on a secret terrace and watch the buzzing life of the city, set up camp on the lawn of the Royal Botanic Gardens for an outdoor cinema and soak up the bohemian atmosphere of Fitzroy and its must-see Brunswick Street and Gertrude Street. Enjoy a tour of the Ian Potter Centre or the Municipal Library and browse the small shops along Acland Street close to Luna Park.

Fly to northern Tasmania. Pick up your hire car at Launceston Airport and stop for a night on the waterfront, in a lovely location with view of the city, the Tamar River and the surrounding mountains.

Take the road to Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, a beautiful UNESCO World Heritage wilderness that boasts primitive and untouched nature. The area is a true hiking paradise with trails for all abilities and levels of experience. Stay for two nights in an eco-lodge and enjoy its stunning wild setting and for fireside dining.

Spend an exhilarating day climbing Cradle Mountain, which towers at 5,100ft tall, passing through rocks and spectacular vistas on your way. If that seems a bit too energetic, why not photograph the mountain from Dove Lake or warm up by the fire in a chalet after an amble round Lake St Clair, Australia's deepest natural lake at 550ft.

Leave for Hobart, located on the other side of Tasmania's southern tip. The road snakes through lush vegetation, revealing waterfalls, lakes and mountains (the first 22 miles to Queenstown have more than 80 bends). See Nelson Falls on the way in the heart of the rainforest, take a short detour through Mount Field National Park to see Russell Falls and visit Lake St Clair and Lake King William. Upon arrival in Hobart, check in for your two-night stay at an elegant hotel just a stone's throw from Salamanca Place and the city centre.

You have a free day to discover Tasmania's historic capital and the country's second oldest city. If you’re here at the weekend, we’d recommend soaking up the cool hippy vibe of the Saturday morning market in Salamanca Place. Then head to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA); explore the picturesque colonial village of Battery Point, with its colourful wooden houses and ancient rose gardens; explore the Narryna Heritage Museum, the country's oldest museum of popular arts and traditions; and stroll through the waterfront markets, cafes and restaurants.

This morning, pick up your hire car, then set off for Apollo Bay where you will stop for the night in a small, intimate hotel in the city centre, a short walk from the seafront. On the way, you can make pitstops in Geelong, Torquay (a mecca for surfers), Anglesea (the gateway to Great Otway National Park), or Lorne (a small coastal town and the start of the Great Ocean Road).

From Port Fairy, head west along the coast through Portland and Nelson. Stretch your legs along the coastal walk and blowholes around Cape Bridgewater. Spot whales and birds around Nelson, where the river meets the ocean, along the way. Continue on towards Mount Gambier and its Blue Lake nestled in the crater of an extinct volcano, then take the road to Coonawarra, a winemaking region renowned for the quality of its soils and which produces excellent red and white wines, including cabernet and sauvignon. Stay overnight in a small residence surrounded by vineyards.

Leave the Coonawarra Valley and its endless horizon of vineyards to enter a vast wooded plain. It's a peaceful drive to the small coastal town of Victor Harbor on the Fleurieu Peninsula for an overnight stay in simple but comfortable accommodation, nestled on a hillside in the middle of a beautiful park.

Drive to Cape Jervis and take a ferry ride (45 minutes) with your hire car to Kangaroo Island, one of the area's major attractions. Visit local Aussie wildlife, stopping off en route to have a go at sheep shearing. Learn about the life of Hanson Bay Sanctuary's koalas and greet the sea lions at Seal Bay. Walk the white sand dunes of Little Sahara and take in the long wild beach of Vivonne Bay. Explore Remarkable Rocks and its imposing granite boulders and head towards Admiral's Arch, home to a colony of New Zealand fur seals for sightings of kangaroos, wallabies, possums and wombats.

Spend your first night staying in the wilderness, on the fringes of Flinders Chase National Park, then by the seaside in a simple yet comfortable Kingscote address.