Need a two-day escape? These five Australian getaways hit the spot

September 10, 2026 — 4:20pmTwo days can seem like a lot more with a mix of good food and wine, culture and the great outdoors. From mineral pools to boutique wineries, these weekend-sized breaks deliver maximum reward.TORQUAY, VICThe penthouse at the redesigned Surf Hotel near Bells Beach.Good for Surfers, wellness junkies.Stay The reimagined Surf Hotel offers 16 rooms and suites plus an elevated four-bedroom penthouse, a stone’s throw from world-famous Bells Beach. The once tired 1980s motel on The Esplanade is now a design-led stay that champions Australia’s surf culture with interiors by Pasquale Cook, an elevated food and drink offering and complimentary use of surfboards for guests.See + do + eat Birthplace of labels Rip Curl and Quiksilver, Australia’s surf capital also offers a burgeoning food and wellness scene. Work up an appetite with a brisk walk along the 6.5-kilometre return clifftop trail that pioneer surfers carved by foot in the 1950s to reach Bells’ fearsome waves. Nearby Point Addis, Winkipop and Bells’ main break offer three different options for experienced surfers. Keen to learn? Join Go Ride A Wave for a lesson on Torquay’s gentler breaks. Lunch at Mortadeli, a cross between a New York deli and a Maltese bodega complete with hanging salami, exceptional coffee and house-made pasta. Come sundown, make for Mule, a taqueria and bar offering seasonal produce cooked over fire, well-made drinks and polished service.Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletterGet exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.Outdoor magnesium pools at the Surf Coast’s first modern bathhouse, About Time.Don’t miss Quicksilver’s former headquarters is now home to the Surf Coast’s first modern bathhouse. About Time Bathhouse offers interconnected indoor and outdoor magnesium pools, cold plunge pools, a traditional sauna, steam room, infrared saunas and ice baths – the perfect place to land after a surf or ocean dip.Essentials Torquay, at the top of the Great Ocean Road, is a 45-minute drive from Avalon Airport and 90 minutes from Melbourne. See surfhotel.com.au; visitgreatoceanroad.org.au; atthebathhouse.com.auCENTRAL COAST, NSWHigh-end wines and small plates at Que Sera wine bar, Terrigal.Good for Outdoor enthusiasts, food lovers.Stay Those keen on urban exploration should book into the Crowne Plaza Terrigal, which is walking distance from many of the Central Coast’s best restaurants and bars, not to mention an excellent beach. For a more luxurious, complete stay, consider Bells at Killcare, a gorgeous boutique hotel with private villas, a beach nearby and a fine-dining restaurant on-site.See + do + eat Choose your speed of adventure: take it slowly with a walk through the bush trails of Bouddi National Park, or climb the stairs around the headland between Patonga and Pearl Beach; alternatively, take a gentle bike ride on the paved pathway around Tuggerah Lake, or tackle mountain-biking at the Ourimbah MTB Park. Dining options are centred on Terrigal, with high-quality wine and snacks at Que Sera, and beachside tapas at Amarilla. Also make time for a riverside brunch at Chillis Cottage in Davistown.Patonga Wharf, Patonga on the NSW Central Coast.Destination Central CoastDon’t miss There are 41 beaches on the Central Coast, ranging from quiet, secluded bays to long, wave-magnet stretches, to vast rockpools and hike-in-only secrets – allow time to find your favourite.Essentials Central Coast hubs such as Terrigal and The Entrance are about a 1.5-hour drive from central Sydney. See lovecentralcoast.com; crowneplaza.com;bellsatkillcare.com.au; queseraterrigal.com.au; amarilla.com.au; chillisgroup.com.auYARRA VALLEY, VICConverted 1930s Melbourne tram accommodation at Big4 Yarra Valley Park Lane.Michael Briggs PhotographyGood for baby environmentalists, wine buffs, tram spotters.Stay Tram tracks have never reached the Yarra Valley, but you can still bed down in a Melbourne tram at the Big4 Yarra Valley Park Lane. The W5-class and SW6-class trams, built in 1938 and 1946 respectively, sleeps up to eight each in two rooms, with a king bed and bunk room. Each includes a kitchen, bathroom and, best of all, a hot tub on the deck, overlooking bushland.See + do + eat In a valley full of standout eats, order the standout grilled haloumi at Tuscan-inspired Meletos in Coldstream, while the essential eat at bouncy Zoncello, in Healesville, is its simplest: pizzettas splashed with rich tomato sugo, perfectly divine, and also kid-friendly. Five minutes from the trams, the Healesville Sanctuary’s new Sky Country tours explore the night sky with the extraordinarily knowledgeable astrophysicist and First Nations storyteller Krystal De Napoli.Wood-fired pizzettas and local wines at Zoncello in the Yarra Valley.Don’t miss For a snapshot of the valley, jump on an e-bike tour with Healesville local Sam at Yarra Valley X for an afternoon of cruising, wine and gin tasting, dramatic lookouts and dinner at the Healesville Hotel.Essentials It’s a 75-minute drive from Melbourne CBD to Healesville. See Big4 Park Lane Yarra Valley; visityarravalley.com.au; zoncello.com.au; zoos.org.au ; yarravalleyx.com.auTHE HAWKESBURY, NSWStocking up on supplies at Pine Crest Orchard, Bilpin.Destination NSWGood for foodies, wellness junkies.Stay The Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley is now home to NSW’s first luxury bathhouse. Formerly Villa Thalgo Day Spa, the reimagined bathhouse VELA was rebuilt following recent floods. Waft between mineral pools, steam rooms, traditional cedar and barrel saunas, and cold plunges. Enjoy a wellness-inspired menu and partake at the champagne bar before floating back to your room.See + do + eat In the foothills of the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury is sliced by its namesake, the slow-wending Hawkesbury River. Here you’ll find lush river flats, farms and historic townships and villages, eucalypt-filled bushland and meandering waterways, bays and inlets. Sydney’s oldest and largest food basin is heaven for foodies. Mosey around the Richmond Good Food Market or Bilpin Market, coffee or chai in hand (try Cassiopeia in Windsor). Pick Seville oranges, mandarins or apples (in season) along Bilpin’s orchard-lined roads, sample Israeli-inspired pastries and bread at the Bilpin offshoot of Sydney’s The Grumpy Baker and stop by Hillbilly Cider Shed for award-winning ciders and wood-fired pizza.The rustic Hillbilly Cider Shed in Bilpin.Destination NSWSunset on the Hawkebury River.Destination NSWDon’t miss Drift into weightless reverie in dedicated float rooms beneath a star-studded ceiling. Finish with a bracing cold plunge before submitting to VELA’s therapists for a spa ritual or facial.Essentials An hour’s drive from Sydney CBD. See velaspa.com.au; ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels; discoverthehawkesbury.com.auBROKE, HUNTER VALLEY, NSWVilla Vino … a tiny-house stay set among Winmark Wines’ vineyards and sculpture gardens.Good for Wine, art and nature lovers.Stay Flames roar in the fire pit as the setting sun casts a golden haze across the Yellow Rock escarpment towering over the Winmark Wines estate. Kangaroos gather to get in one last meal. A glass of one of the winery’s single-vineyard chardonnays sits perfectly in your hand. Welcome to Villa Vino, a tiny house set amid the winery’s vineyards and sculpture gardens (there’s an art gallery beside the cellar door). It’s also equipped with an outdoor covered kitchen, dining table, fridge, pizza oven, barbecue and other self-catering needs.Wine tasting at Margan Wines and Restaurant, Broke.MJK CreativeSee + do + eat Take a stroll around the Winmark grounds, marvel at the dramatic sculptures and enjoy a picnic hamper of local produce. Or head to lunch at Margan Wines Restaurant, which has an onsite vegetable garden, orchard and livestock. Over lunch, you can watch the gardeners scurrying back and forth with baskets full of freshly picked produce.Don’t miss The Broke Fordwich area of the Hunter Valley is home to many wineries, including The Little Wine Company, pioneers of emerging varieties such as Pecorino, Albarino, Vermentino, and Barbera.Essentials Villa Vino, Winmark Wines, $350 a night Sunday–Thursday, $380 a night Friday–Saturday (minimum two-night stay), See winmarkwines.com.au; thelittlewinecompany.com.au; margan.com.auContributors: Paul Chai, Jim Darby, Anthony Dennis, Ben Groundwater, Chris Hook, Belinda Jackson, Julietta Jameson, Julie Miller, Sheriden Rhodes, Jane Richards, Katherine Scott, Sue WilliamsMore:Weekend getawaysTravel tipsAustraliaFor subscribersFrom our partners