2019 Phillip Island Classic
February 25th to March 13th
Regarded as one of the greatest historic racing events in the world, the 2018 Phillip Island Classic with a field of more than 500 entries, (many from overseas) participating in 60 events over the 3 day program is the largest historic motor racing event in the Southern Hemisphere.
Set for 8th to 1oth March, 2019, at the highly acclaimed Phillip Island GP Circuit, the event creates international interest with legends of historic racing from around the world participating.
The 16 Day tour starts in Melbourne with a lavish Welcome Dinner and a visit to the famed Lyndsay Fox Collection before catching the overnight ferry to Tasmania for six days touring the "Apple Isle" covering many of the Targa Tasmania roads for some spirited driving and outstanding scenery. Returning to Melbourne by ferry, we drive the spectacular Great Ocean Road en-route to Phillip Island for four nights at the Classic, then return to Melbourne for a tour of a major private collection and our Farewell Dinner. This FIVE STAR FULLY ESCORTED SELF DRIVE TOUR includes luxury car hire but we can also arrange to ship your classic.
Day One
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Arrive in Melbourne and check in to our inner city hotel. There are no activities planned for today other than our Welcome Dinner tonight in the Sofitel Hotel.
Day Two
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We collect our cars from close to the hotel and visit the famed Lyndsay Fox Collection which contains over 50 of the world’s most rare and prestigious vehicles. Collected over a 30-year period by trucking businessman Lindsay Fox it includes vehicles previously owned by Ringo Starr, Bing Crosby and Bob Jane to name a few. Prominent marques include Bentley, Ferrari, Jaguar, Porsche, Rolls Royce and one of the largest Mercedes-Benz car collections in the southern hemisphere. Mid afternoon we load our cars onboard the Spirit of Tasmania for the overnight voyage to Devonport Tasmania. Our Deluxe cabins are complete with en-suite facilities, located at the front of the ship and dinner tonight is your choice.
Day Three
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After offloading our cars at Devonport, we drive 30 minutes to Sheffield, Tasmania’s “Town of Murals” with over 80 huge paintings on buildings created by local artists depicting the town characters and history. Breakfast in a local bakery with time to explore the village which includes an historic blacksmiths gallery and an interesting car restorations shop.
Late morning we take the road past Cradle Mountain to Strahan, our home for the next two nights. En-route we drive the “Letterbox Trail” and once past Cradle Mountain cover two sections of the Targa Tasmania route for outstanding scenery and some of the best driving roads in the country. Our overnight is at the Strahan Village Hotel and dinner tonight in the hotel is included.
Day Four
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A day to enjoy the village of Strahan and a cruise on the Gordon River to one of the last accessible areas of the Tasmanian Wilderness and one of Australia's natural wonders. From deep within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area the cruise winds its way through the rainforest to arrive at the wide expanse of Macquarie Harbour, then through the narrow entrance of Hells Gates the treacherous entrance to the Gordon River from the Southern Ocean. The cruise includes the Captains Premier Buffet lunch with full beverages and dinner tonight is your choice.
Day Five
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Leaving Strahan we drive the Lyell Highway through the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park to Hobart. It's an early start this morning as our first stop is the ancient mining centre of Queenstown for our 9:00am departure on the Wilderness Railway which runs from the heart of Queenstown deep into the West Coast mountains and the beginning of the iconic ABT Rack and Pinion section of track that enables the locomotive to traverse the steep slopes. We are welcomed to our Balcony Carriage with a glass of sparkling wine with delicious canapés featuring local produce and later morning tea and a light lunch is served onboard. The afternoon offers another great driving day covering several Targa Tasmania sections to Hobart and our hotel for the next three nights is the Salamanca Inn. Dinner tonight is your choice.
Day Six
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Your option of a car free day today to take in the sights of Hobart as our hotel is adjacent to the Salamanca Markets and the historic waterfront. Tasmanian producers and designers make the Salamanca Market memorable and unique with Tasmania's biggest selection of locally made products including hand-worked glass, innovative design in Tasmanian timbers, stylish clothing, bespoke jewellery, organic produce, artworks, ceramics and leather goods, handcrafted cheeses, breads, wines and spirits, and delicious hot foods. A short drive away is the world famous MONA (Museum of old and new art) and regardless of your tastes in art, this should not be missed. Dinner tonight in the Salamanca Inn is included.
Day Seven
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Back to the cars today for the 100km drive to Port Arthur, a village and historic site on the Tasman Peninsula, the location of a 19th-century penal settlement and now an open-air museum. From 1833 until 1853, it was the destination for the hardest of convicted British criminals and those who were secondary offenders having re-offended after their arrival in Australia. Rebellious personalities from other convict stations were also sent here, a quite undesirable punishment for misbehaving. Ruins include the huge penitentiary and the remaining shell of the Convict Church, which was built by inmates. Solitary confinement cells in the Separate Prison building were used to inflict mental punishment in place of floggings and make this Australia’s most intact and evocative convict site. Return to Hobart at your leisure and on the way stop at the Tasmania Devils Unzoo to come face to face with this endangered species. Dinner tonight is your choice.
Day Eight
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A late start this morning for the drive north to Devonport to board the Spirit of Tasmania for the overnight voyage back to Melbourne. Some interesting sights en-route and we stop for lunch at the Tasmanian Food & Wine Conservatory. The conservatory is 100% Tasmanian owned and operated, showcasing the best the island state has to offer and is only fifteen minutes from the Spirit of Tasmania terminal for our 7:30pm departure. Our deluxe cabins await and we arrive in Melbourne tomorrow morning at 6:30am. Dinner on board is your choice.
Day Nine
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After disembarking from the ferry, we breakfast near the dock to avoid the early morning Melbourne traffic before we head west to Warrnambool, the starting point for the drive back along the Great Ocean Road the next day. Our lunch stop is at the Timboon Railway Shed Distillery for some fine food and an chance to taste the award winning malts. Tonight we visit Flagstaff Hill for the world class sound and laser show that takes us on the last voyage of the clipper Loch Ard and retells the famous story of her only two survivors Eva Carmichael and Tom Pearce. A truely unique voyage. The Deep Blue Hotel and Spa at Warrnambool is our hotel tonight and dinner is your choice.
Day Ten
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Today we drive the Great Ocean Road. First stop is Port Campbell and its famous 12 Apostles, a group of magnificent rock stacks rising up from the Southern Ocean. There's ample time to stop at lookouts over the cliffs of the Loch Ard Gorge and just beyond Port Campbell is the beautiful Bay of Islands. Magnificent coastal views will dominate the next 150 kilometres as we drive to the beach town of Lorne, the perfect spot for lunch. After lunch, take a short detour to the Anglesea Golf Course famous for the kangaroos lounging under the trees surrounding the greens then continue on to our hotel for tonight, the Novotel Hotel on Geelong’s waterfront. Dinner tonight is included in the hotel.
Day Eleven
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Leaving Geelong this morning it's a short drive to Queenscliff on the western heads of Port Phillip Bay to take the ferry across Port Phillip Bay to Sorrento on the eastern shore. The lunch stop today is Charlie’s Auto Museum an eclectic collection of cars, motorcycles, petrol bowsers, thousands of model cars and memorabilia spanning over 100 years. It’s then about an hour’s drive to our hotel for the next four nights, the Silverwater Resort at San Remo not far from the Phillip Island track. Dinner tonight is included in the hotel and we will have a short briefing on activities for the next three days at the historic race meeting.
Day Twelve
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The Phillip Island GP Track is about 15 minutes drive from the hotel. Scrutineering of competitors cars takes most of the morning and is followed by the Regularity events in the afternoon. For those looking for something other than the racing, Phillip Island boasts a range of attractions including a Koala and Animal Park, Chocolate Factory, wildlife cruises, and the iconic penguin parade . A ferry tour to the mainland for local markets or a coach trip to Melbourne for a shopping tour is also available. (90 minutes drive each way + shopping time) Dinner tonight is your choice.
Day Thirteen
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The first day of the full racing program. Entry to the track is included for all three days and for Saturday and Sunday we have included entry to the Grandeur Club which is in a climate controlled glass fronted suite overlooking Pit Lane. The club features flat screen TV’s with timing feed, an outdoor rooftop viewing area and reserved car parking. Morning tea, a buffet lunch, afternoon tea, beer, wine and soft drinks are also included. Leave the event at your leisure and dinner tonight is your choice.
Day Fourteen
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The classic racing continues today with notably fierce completion between the Production Touring Cars of a type that were raced in Australia before the end of 1972, historic Formula Ford and Production Sports Cars. The full racing program will be released early 2019. Dinner tonight is your choice.
Day Fifteen
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On the way to our Melbourne hotel, we visit an outstanding private collection of classics of a local enthusiast and our Farewell Dinner tonight is in the Sofitel Hotel in Melbourne City.
Day Sixteen
The tour ends after breakfast this morning. If you are flying out today your cars can be returned to the airport or if staying on in Melbourne, the Australian F1 Grand Prix starts on Thursday and accommodation and ticketing packages can be arranged to extend the tour.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
STANDARD INCLUSIONS
• 15 Nights accommodation in Luxury 5 Star hotels
• 14 Days Luxury Car Hire - Options available
• 6 Dinners including Welcome and Farewell dinners
• Full Breakfast Every Day
• 3 Day Entry to Phillip Island Historics
• Phillip Island Grandeur Club Entry on Saturday and Sunday of the Historics
• Overnight Spirit of Tasmania ferry with Double Cabin and Car Transport To and From Tasmania
• Gordon River Cruise with Buffet Lunch and Beverages
• Wilderness Railway with Lunch
• Port Arthur Historic Site
• Lyndsay Fox Collection
• Flagstaff Hill Sound & Light Show
• Comprehensive Road Book with Daily Route Notes
• GPS Navigator with Full Route Planning
• Classic Driving Tours Welcome Pack
THE CARS
Standard car for the tour is a Mustang GT Coupe or choose from a range of SUV or exotics at additional cost.
• Welcome Dinner at the Award Winning Sofitel Hotel Melbourne
• Gordon River Captains Premier Upper Deck Buffet
• Timboon Railway Shed Distillery Lunch
• Grandeur Club Lunches at Phillip Island
• Grand Farewell Dinner in Melbourne
TOUR COST
UK£4,995 - US$6,950 - €5,350 - A$8,495
Per Person based on two sharing a room and car hire
A non-refundable deposit of A$1,000 or US$1,000 or UK£500 or €500 per person is required to be sent with the Booking Form and received by us in clear funds to secure your booking. The balance owing for the Tour is due and payable four months prior to Tour departure, however you may remit payment of the Tour prior to this date. All Tour prices (Tour Prices) are in Australian Dollars based on the exchange rate for the AU Dollar applicable on the 1st of October 2017, include GST, and are subject to change and availability. Price increases may occur by reason of matters outside our control, which include, but are not limited to, adverse currency fluctuations, variations in international shipping and transportation costs, fuel surcharges and other taxes, fees or charges. Please see the Classic Driving Tours Purchase Terms & Conditions for more information.
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
• Return airfares to Australia and airport transfers
• Cost of meals and drinks and entry to places of interest other than those specifically included in the final itinerary
• Personal expenses
• Fuel and Tolls