• 3 nights accommodation at QT Canberra in a QT Superior King Room
• Full breakfast daily
• Private Signature dinner experience at the National Gallery of Australia with a bespoke three-course menu with paired local wines
• Private curated tour through the Sculpture Garden
• Private Behind the Scenes Tour of Parliament House with High Tea and alcoholic drinks
• Private guided tour of the Australian War Memorial and poignant Last Post ceremony
• Three-course feasting menu dinner at Capitol Bar & Grill
• Wine tasting at Brindabella Hills Winery
• Wine tasting at Shaw Wines
• Lunch experience at Olleyville at Shaw Wines Vineyard Estate
• Wine tasting at McKellar Ridge Estate
• Gin tasting paddle at Big River Distilling Co
• Private car transfer from Canberra Airport to QT Hotel and return
• Private group mini-van transfers throughout
• Services of a Tour Leader and expert guides/drivers
• Small group tour – maximum 12 guests

HIGHLIGHTS

• Exclusive after-hours tour of the National Gallery of Australia’s extraordinary collection
• Exclusive bespoke dining experience at the National Gallery of Australia
• Go behind the scenes at Parliament House
• Observe the poignant Last Post Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial
• Visit three of Canberra District’s cool climate wineries
• Tour and gin tasting at Big River Distilling Co

Day 1 – Friday – Curated Dining Experience at the National Gallery of Australia
Welcome to Canberra, home to some of Australia’s most important national treasures.  You’ll be met on arrival at Canberra Airport and transferred to your hotel.  The remainder of the day is at leisure to explore Australia’s capital.

Tonight, a truly memorable experience awaits at the National Gallery of Australia. Enjoy a glass of sparking wine, then join an exclusive after-hours tour where secrets and stories of iconic works from the Gallery’s extraordinary collection, including Blue poles by Jackson Pollock, are revealed by your expert guide. The sounds of live music and a picturesque sunset welcome you to the Skyspace Garden where the tour ends but the evening is about to begin.

Enjoy a cocktail inspired by James Turrell’s Within without, together with canapes and a sumptuous grazing table of locally sourced produce.

Once nestled in the garden, take your place at the extravagant and beautifully dressed table, where a bespoke three course dinner will be served, featuring dishes and local wines curated and paired to embody the works of art within the surroundings. This will truly be a dining experience to remember.

Overnight:  QT Canberra
Meals: Dinner with Paired Wines

Day 2 – Saturday 
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast in the hotel’s Capitol Bar and Grill, served from 7am.

This morning, visit Parliament House and discover there’s more than politics at play! This once-in-a-lifetime private tour provides you with behind-the-scenes access to rarely seen private, official and ceremonial spaces in one of Australia’s most significant buildings. Visit off-limit spaces that support parliament every day including private courtyards, the corridors of power and the Press Gallery. Gain an insight into architect Romaldo Giurgola’s unique vision – from its European origins to the Australian materials and interpretation that caps Walter Burley-Griffin’s Canberra plan. Don your hard hat for an exclusive visit to the Parliamentary Art and Furniture collections.

Afterwards, enjoy a dining experience usually reserved for visiting dignitaries as in-house chefs prepare a traditional High Tea with a contemporary twist.

This afternoon, head to the Australian War Memorial and join an expert guide for an engaging private tour of the Australian War Memorial’s Commemorative Courtyard.  You’ll hear some of the stories of courage, sacrifice, devotion, and mateship behind the over 102,000 names on the Australian Roll of Honour. Enter the breathtaking Hall of Memory and gaze upon one of the largest and most captivating mosaics in the world. Pay your respects and place a poppy of remembrance on the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier. Following the galleries tour, join one of the Memorial’s curators for a private exploration of the unique collection of memorabilia, rare and beautiful letters, photographs, and diaries – many over a century old. Iconic and rarely displayed artworks by some of Australia’s most important artists of the last century are also available for viewing.

At 4.45pm, gather in the Commemorative Courtyard for the poignant Last Post Ceremony. The ceremony begins with the Australian national anthem, followed by the haunting sounds of the piper’s lament. Listen to the moving story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour and the recital of the Ode by a member of the Australian Defence Force. The ceremony concludes with the sounding of the Last Post.

Tonight, get a taste of modern Canberra dining with slight Italian accents, with a three-course feasting menu at Capitol Bar and Grill. Sourcing the finest local produce from as close as the rooftop garden, Head Chef Josh Smith-Thirkell brings you the ultimate in farm to table dining. You can say grazie later!

Overnight: QT Canberra
Meals: Breakfast, High Tea and Dinner

Day 3 – Sunday - Canberra’s Cool Climate Wineries 

Enjoy breakfast in the capitol bar and grill from 7am before heading off to explore the cool climate wineries of the Canberra district.

The Brindabellas are the mountain backdrop to the national capital and the first stop of the day is Brindabella Hills Vineyard, situated on a ridge above the Murrumbidgee. The mountains of the Brindabella range to the west and hills to the south form a natural amphitheatre and the vineyard maximises the climatic advantages of a warm site in a cool district. Over the past few years, their Chardonnay and Shiraz wines have won many national ‘boutique winery’ awards and we will sample some of these spectacular wines at their Cellar Door.

Next, head to Shaw Wines. Turning into the driveway, the first thing you’ll notice is the architectural lines of the impressive building peeking over the top of the trees. The impressive wide timber door opens to the cellar door foyer and here is where you can expect the unexpected! Shaw’s attentive and knowledgeable staff will guide you through a seated tasting of wines in the upstairs tasting area. After, enjoy a share-style lunch at Olleyville at Shaw Vineyard Estate.

After lunch, travel the short distance to McKellar Ridge Estate, a boutique winery and vineyard producing premium award-winning, handcrafted wines that exhibit the unique characteristics of the

Canberra cool-climate region. Meet winemakers John and Marina and learn about the history of the vineyard and how John turned his dream of re-establishing a family tradition of wine production into reality.

And for a fitting end to the day, we’ll drop by Big River Distilling Co for a Distillery tour and sample a tasting paddle of three gins with a grazing platter.

Arriving back at the hotel around 5pm, the evening is free to explore Canberra’s thriving bar and restaurant scene or enjoy a relaxing evening in.

Overnight: QT Canberra
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Tastings

Day 4 – Monday - Farewell Canberra
Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Enjoy a final leisurely breakfast before your private transfer to Canberra Airport for your flight home.

Meals: Breakfast