The Mornington Peninsula remains a secret gem on the Australian wine scene. Less than a couple of hours drive from Melbourne it is a maze of forested roads, rolling green pastures, vineyards and breathtaking sea vistas.

Beyond its natural beauty, it is a Mecca for food and wine lovers. Think Pinot Noirs that rival the world’s best, eating in vineyards that look over the grapes to the sea and local markets where growers boast the best fresh produce you can buy.

For those who make the trip there is no shortage of tempting options. With over 50 cellar doors you could spend a week traversing the vineyard laced hills and still be wanting more.

With time take advantage of the area by booking onto a tour. If you have a couple of days to explore it’s worth getting to some of the following standout wineries:

• Merrick’s Estate: This is a special one. Nestled down a pine-lined drive, Merricks Estate’s understated cellar door sells some of the best wine in the region. Here you can pick up reasonably priced bottles of wine served at the most exclusive restaurants around Australia. Only open on the first weekend of each month you have to plan your visit here carefully.

• Foxy’s Hangout:  This is not only a place to source stunning sparkling wine. A lunchtime trip to Foxy’s will see you enjoying a spread of delicately composed tasting plates – each one equally delicious. Run by brothers Michael and Tony Lee the historic property boasts vines nestled in a valley flooded with sun in the afternoons.

• Ocean Eight: Owned by the Aylward family this winery operates on grapes picked from 17 Hectares of vineyards. If you’re a fan of French Burgundian Pinot Noir, winemaker Mike Aylward – passionate about this particular variety – believes that it won’t be long before the Mornington is producing wine as sought after as their French counterparts.

• Willow Creek: The 20-year-old vines at Willow Creek Vineyard are some of the oldest on the Peninsula. If you’re after views and good wine, this is the place to go. Even better, sit down to a meal at Salix Restaurant and soak it in for longer.

Let’s face it; Mornington wines are unique ‘maritime climate’ drops you’d be best sampling on location. If rolling vineyards that meet the ocean sound up your alley, get online to look at cheap airfares. Once you have secured your flights to Melbourne the hallmark Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards are only a short drive away.

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This is a guest post by Hugo Davison

Its 8.30am on my first day in Sydney and I’m standing on the pavement outside of my hotel.  So far, so good. I’ve slid on some sunglasses, switched on the smartphone and punched Sydney Opera House into the GPS. Turn right. Good start.

Before I left I had thought to ask the hotel concierge about Bondi Beach – his eyes rolled exasperatingly before shaking his head and directing me to Manly, Bondi’s larger, more fashionable brother. ‘And you can catch a ferry from just by the Opera House’ he said. So that’s where I headed – Manley beach via the Opera House for a mid-morning snack and a dabble in the Aussie surf.

I was looking forward to a good surf session (how hard can it be?) until I arrived at Manly wharf and realised what I was up against. It wasn’t the monstrous waves or the threat of deadly shark attacks that bugged me – it was the surfers. Packs of sculpted Grecian-like males and their tantalisingly oiled female friends tossed surfboards like feathers and seemed to exude a mesmerising and imperturbable hipness. All of a sudden stripping down and swimming in the shallows did not seem so attractive – this was no place for the amateur paddler. Unsure of what to do, I resolved to take a wander in order to observe the beach culture from afar. Eventually I came across an idyllic little spot called Shelley beach where I stole a flash dip in the brilliant blue Pacific Ocean.  Feeling content that I had successfully concealed my modest pastiness from the general crowds I headed back towards the wharf and parked myself in the bar. I watched two ferries drift lazily in to dock whilst clutching a glass of the local TED. (It was a great beer and who really wants to spend an hour falling off a surf board anyway..?)

On my return to the high-rise Sydney skyline it occurred to me that I was foolish to let the Manly locals intimidate me. If I was to embrace Sydney then I should learn to strut my stuff like the natives – so I decided to get geared up Aussie style with ‘thongs’, ‘singlets’ and ‘boardies’ (Flip Flops, a loose vest and swim shorts). I headed to Paddington, where I had been told the cities edgy and artsy crowds are in residence, to go clothes shopping.  An hour later I thought I looked unstoppable.

After freshening up at the hotel and a sagacious wink to the concierge I headed out for a night of Aussie revelry. Alas, my recent spending splurge on getting the local ‘look’ had done little to conceal my real identity. Funnily enough I got chatting to a group of local guys who all surfed. They promised to take me down to Manly the next day and get me out on the Ocean. Native at last!

If you want further heads up on places like Manly and Paddington then more information can be found here.

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Travelling is an awesome adventure – meeting new people, going to new places, experiencing new cultures, customs and food. Being away from home can be hard at times though, especially during the festive period  when you can really miss your family, friends and your personal Christmas traditions. The best way to overcome homesickness is to throw yourself into the Christmas events and activities that are going on where you are. Get involved and enjoy your Brissie Chrissie!

Carol Singing
What can be more festive than the sound of carols being sung by a choir (and badly by you and your mates)? There are plenty of points around the city to listen to carol singers and blast out some Silent Night yourself. At the popular Carols on the Cliffs, held at the 155 year-old St. Mary’s Anglican Church in Kangaroo Point, you can sit back and listen to the Canticum Chamber Choir sing hauntingly beautiful carols. Take a walk along the rhyolite cliffs and end the evening with a drink at one of the many cafes in the area. There are several other carol singing events happening around the city but if you can’t make an event, just pop into the CBD during December between 8am and 9am and you’ll catch a carol group perform as part of the Merry Melodies programme.

Christmas Lights
Brisbane’s city centre lights up during the festive season but the most spectacular Christmas lights can often be found adorning private houses in the suburbs. To ensure no-one misses out on seeing these wonderfully festive, extravagantly lit homes, council buses will run tours of the suburbs with the biggest and best light displays from 18 December – 23 December.

Christmas Markets
The South Bank Night Markets add a little bit of festive cheer to your Christmas shopping and are lovely just to wander around even if you’re not buying anything. Carols are sung, unique gifts are sold and you can gorge on festive nibbles. There are numerous other Christmas markets taking place across the Brisbane area, including the Bardon Christmas Markets, held every Saturday in December leading up to Christmas day.

Christmas Day Lunch
Let’s be honest – Christmas day is all about eating and drinking and there are many options in Brisbane. You could get together with some of your travelling companions and have a barbie on the beach, blag yourself an invite to someone’s home, or go to one of many fabulous hotels in Brisbane for a slap-up meal.

New Year’s Eve
Aussies know how to party and there will be something going on in every bar, restaurant and hotel in the city. For something really special that won’t break the bank, consider booking a night at a discount hotel in Brisbane and get ready with a few drinks before heading out. Don’t miss the free shows – Brisbane puts on two fantastic fireworks and laser lights displays over the river which are choreographed to music, one at 8.30pm and one to ring in the new year at midnight.

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Flying from London, England, to Sydney, Australia, involves taking a long haul flight. The journey will involve somewhere around 22-23 hours of actual flying time, although the trip itself will actually take longer. The reason for this is because it will be broken into two or possibly three legs with one or two stops to allow the plane to be refilled with fuel. Typical places that the plane might stop for re-fueling could be Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore or Hong Kong. Normally, if the plane is just there to take on board more fuel, then passengers will remain on board to keep the length of time on the ground to a minimum.

Sydney has one major airport where all international flights to the area land – Kingsford Smith Airport. It is located nine kilometers to the south of Sydney and has three terminals, but only one of these is used for international flights. Kingsford Smith Airport is actually Australia’s largest airport, and serves forty international and nine domestic and freight airlines. It has more than one hundred and fifty shops, and is one of the oldest continually operated airports in the world.

When you book a flight to Sydney , you will be able to choose from a large number of airlines, and a variety of comfort levels. Generally speaking, the cheaper flights will be with budget airlines, and will be economy flights while the larger airlines who offer more facilities will charge a bit more. Although economy flights offer good value, it is worth considering the length of time you will be on a flight like this, and checking out things like the leg room offered by different airlines on their planes.

Sydney is one of the most instantly recognizable cities in the world, with its large open harbor, amazing bridge and of course the Sydney Opera House. Although it isn’t Australia’s capital city, it is certainly its oldest and a trip to Macquarie Street where you can see the Hyde Park Barracks which were constructed by convict labor, the Mint building, Parliament house, and Sydney hospital will give you a glimpse of some of the first important buildings to go up here.

Of course the beaches of Sydney are why many people visit, and Bondi beach is one of the best known of these, although there are many to choose from including Manly, Tamarama and Balmoral beaches. A good way to see Sydney Harbor and the city too, is from the water, and a ferry can be taken from Manly and will last about 30 minutes. There are also plenty of parks, gardens, shopping and excellent dining to be found in this wonderful city.

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