Rugged Beauty of King & Flinders Islands

Day 1 - Monday 11 November 2024

Welcome to King Island! (L, D)

Welcome to Sisterhood Womens Travel. Meet your hostess & fellow travellers at Melbourne Essendon Airport for your flight to King Island with Sharp Airlines.

On arrival, we are met by our expert local guide who will be with us for the duration of our King Island tour.

After a true King Island introduction, we enjoy lunch at the King Island Hotel before taking in the story of the iconic King Island Kelp Industries, as we head off on our Kelp Trail tour around Burges Bay, learn about harvesting, refining and what kelp is used for today.

We then continue on our intro tour of Currie which includes a stop at the very interesting little boathouse on the shores of Currie Harbour, simply known as the Restaurant Without Food. Our guide then escorts us to the Island Breeze Resort to check in and meet our hostess Julie.

This evening we are very fortunate to have Dwayne, one of King Island’s best chefs, prepare our welcome dinner in-house.

Overnight in Currie: The Island Breeze Resort

Day 2 - Tuesday 12 November 2024

Northern King Island (B, L, D)

This morning after breakfast our touring takes us to the northern region of King Island, keeping a keen eye out for bird species such as pheasants, peacocks and turkeys which are plentiful in the area. We stop by the Shag Lagoon Bird Hide, home to some of King Island’s beautiful waterfowl. At the Reekara School Community Complex, hear the history of the school which catered for the children of the local Soldier Settlers. We also browse the Top Shop, home to King Island Kelp Craft offering a wide range of arts, crafts and local produce on offer. Enjoy a cuppa, and take in the history of shipwrecks, Irish arrivals and the 1963 intake of 69 students.

At Quarantine Bay, take in the views and history of Christmas Island and New Year Island located just off the coast. From here we visit Martha Lavinia Beach, a world-class beach break, voted one of the Top 10 Surf Breaks in Australia. We stop by Penny’s Lagoon for a picnic lunch, a rare perched lake found in only three locations in the world. We then travel up to The Spring, Lake Flannigan and on to Disappointment Bay, one of King Island’s most beautiful locations.

At the most northern point of King Island we view the Cape Wickham Lighthouse, the tallest granite lighthouse in the Southern Hemisphere and which overlooks one of Australia’s top-ranking golf courses - Cape Wickham Links Golf Course, where we can purchase and enjoy a cold ale.

We then drive through Egg Lagoon, once a massive lagoon, now used for farming. Our last stop for the day is at King Island Dairy, Australia’s premier specialty cheese producer. After tasting some of the world’s finest cheeses, we travel back to our accommodation for a freshen-up.

After a rest, we travel down to the small community of Grassy where we hear of King Island’s shipping, and fishing fleet and the iconic Queenscliff to Grassy Yacht Race, which first sailed in the 1970’s and which is now a major fixture on the Australian Ocean Racing calendar. Grassy is also home to the Wild Harvest Restaurant, our dinner venue for this evening.

Enjoy a seasonal King Island sea-to-table and paddock to plate dining experience while overlooking the waters of Bass Strait. At dusk we have the opportunity to view the local fairy penguin colony as they waddle out of the water to return to their burrows.

Overnight in Currie: Island Breeze Motel

Day 3 - Wednesday 13 November 2024

Southern King Island (B, L, D)

After a good night's rest and leisurely breakfast, our day has us traveling through some of the Island’s most productive farming land. From Currie, our journey takes us across to the east coast village of Naracoopa, where the European explorers first set foot on King Island. On our way, we take in the interesting history of King Islands power which was once generated entirely from diesel fuel, to now having a world-leading hybrid power system using wind and solar. Another interesting insight into the island is at the Small Species Abattoir, before arriving at Naracoopa. North of the township we take in Sea Elephant River and Blowhole Beach before lunch at Cafe Brewer. King & Flinders Islands Gourmet Delights & Rugged Beauty!

This afternoon we head down to Surprise Bay, the southernmost settlement of King Island, where our guide provides us with the history of the first settlement of King Island, including the amazing story of the Bowling family, who were the first people to take up land on King Island for farming and settlement in 1889.

We move onto the Calcified Forest, enjoying a leisurely 30-minute return stroll that takes us to a viewing platform to survey the intriguing fossilised stumps of ancient rainforest trees. Then discover one of King Island’s most dramatic parts of the coast, Seal Rocks Lookout. We also hear of the worst peacetime maritime disaster in Australia’s history, which claimed the lives of 400 people.

On our drive back to our accommodation we travel via Ettrick Bay and Millers Bay.

Our farewell dinner tonight takes place at the King Island Club, where we can choose from Crayfish, King Island Beef or alternate local seasonal options.

Overnight in Currie: Island Breeze Motel

Day 4 - Thursday 14 November 2024

King Island - Flinders Island (B, L, D)

Today after a leisurely breakfast and checkout, we farewell our delightful host Julie before visiting the King Island Historical Society Museum, which was established in a former lighthouse keeper’s cottage in 1980. We then transfer to the King Island Airport for morning our charter flight with Sharp Airlines across to Flinders Island. 

Welcome to Flinders Island! On arrival, we will meet our local guide, James Luddington and enjoy an intro tour of Whitemark, the main settlement of Flinders Island. After a look through the Bowman History Room and light lunch at the Interstate Hotel, in the company of our guide/host James we head down towards the small settlement of Lady Barron on the South West Coast.

Along the way see prime Flinders Island MSA cattle grazing and Cape Barren Geese at home in their natural habitat of hillside and heathland. James provides an overview of the Flinders Island beef industry before stopping by his cattle property Avondale. After a short tour of Lady Barron which will take in the Lady Barron Port and Pier, General Store and Yellow Beach, we arrive at our accommodation at the Furneaux Tavern.

After check-in and a freshen up, we gather in the tavern for pre-dinner drinks (own cost) with the local characters and hear their yarns about island life. We then enjoy dinner in the Shearwater Restaurant before a good night's rest.

Overnight in Lady Barron: The Furneaux Tavern

Day 5 - Friday 15 November 2024

Flinders Island Touring (B, L, D)

For our early risers, take an early morning walk along the Lady Barron Foreshore Track, and enjoy the coastline, rocky outcrops, and spectacular views including the sunrise.

After our continental breakfast, we explore the northwestern corner of the island. We pause at Castle Rock, with patches of red lichen, perched on the pure white sand and overlooking the stunning Marshal Bay - this is a must-do photo stop. We then continue to the remote and spectacular mouth of the North East River where it enters Bass Strait. The river is home to a rich variety of seabirds, black swans, pied oystercatchers, ducks and Cape Barren geese. This is another area where the contrast between the white sands and the red lichen on the granite foreshores creates a particular beauty, especially against a backdrop of the green shallows and deepest blue waters offshore.

The next stop is the far northern area of Palana, a site of WWll coastal surveillance and shelter bunkers. Then enjoy a light lunch at beautiful Killiecrankie Bay, famous for the Killiecrankie diamonds. After lunch, we take in the sad and controversial history of Wybalenna, a small abandoned settlement established in 1833 – 1847 to house Tasmanian Aboriginal people brought to Flinders Island by George Robinson.

Following are visits to two stunning beaches for photo opportunities, Lillie’s Beach is home to the remains of Lillie’s Bay Jetty, lichen-coloured boulders and crystal clear shallow waters, while Allports Beach, is a pristine 150mt curved beach and the perfect spot to sit and enjoy a cuppa. Near Emita is the Furneaux Museum which contains a wonderful collection of records and exhibits of the island’s natural history, maritime heritage and island lifestyle. Our last stop for the day is at Tobias Furneaux Lookout for wonderful views across the farmlands before returning to Lady Barron to freshen up before dinner.

Overnight in Lady Barron: The Furneaux Tavern

Day 6 - Saturday 16 November 2024

Flinders Island Touring (B, L, D)

After breakfast, we travel up to Cameron Inlet, a landlocked breeding ground for resident waders, and shorebirds and a feeding and resting ground for visiting terns, snipes and shearwaters on their annual migrations. Some of us may like to take a short stroll along the beautiful East Coast beach while others may like to walk 3km along Planter Beach to the Planter Wreck, believed to be the Brigantine shipwrecked in 1877.

We then arrive at the Emita Sports Ground to enjoy morning tea with our special guest Kate Mooney. Kate is Flinders Islands ‘Wombat Lady’, who believes wombats are the cleverest of all the marsupials. Kate was given her first orphaned wombat joey about 34 years ago, and since then has become a self-taught expert on their habits and characters, and has hand-raised around 150 baby wombats at her farmhouse on Flinders Island.

Following the coast road past Petrifaction Bay, we arrive in Strzelecki National Park, home to Fotheringate Bay and Trousers Point. Trousers Point is known for its two stunning beaches, views to off-shore islands and the towering granite crags of Mt Strzelecki, and the unusual rock features. On the other side of Trousers Point is Fotheringate Bay, where striking granite caves were formed by emerging groundwater, marine erosion and alveolar weathering of cliffs. Lunch is at Mountain Seas Lodge, nestled at the foot of Mount Strzelecki, surrounded by pristine nature and offering stunning ocean and mountain views.

This afternoon we discover a little more of the Furneaux Geology Trail before our last stop for the day, which is at the Unavale Vineyard. Hear the story of the vineyard which was established in 1999, then enjoy tasting at the unique little Cellar Door, the perfect way to spend our last afternoon on Flinders Island. Tonight we gather back at the Furneaux Tavern for our farewell dinner in the restaurant.

Overnight in Lady Barron: The Furneaux Tavern 

Day 7 - Sunday 17 November 2024

Walkers Lookout - Whitemark - Melbourne (B)

After a leisurely breakfast and checkout, we head back up to Whitemark via Walkers Lookout to take in one last highlight of this stunning island.

We then enjoy some free time in Whitemark before bidding our friend James farewell.

We then check in for our flight back up to Melbourne, arriving mid-afternoon.

Thank you for joining Sisterhood Womens Travel for your latest adventure and we look forward to welcoming you back.