Luxury On The Road

Australian TravellerBy Australian Traveller
hero media
If you’re striving to be the most stylish thing on wheels on your next luxury holiday, command the road with these decadent Australian touring options.

Driving holidays remain very close to the hearts of Australians of all shapes and sizes. From rugged 4WD or caravanning adventures with the family in tow to carefree top-down cruising of the Great Ocean Road with the wind in your hair, the road-trip possibilities in Australia are endless.

 

But what are the options at the lofty, luxury, tippy-top end of the road touring market?

 

Currently, the world’s most expensive luxury motorhome is the frankly extraordinary EleMMent Palazzo from Austrian manufacturers Marchi Mobile with a sticker price of a whopping $US3 million. (It took the title from the Featherlite Vantare Platinum Plus which changes hand for a far more reasonable $US2.5 million). 

eleMMent Palazzo Superior RV from Marchi Mobile
The world’s most expensive RV, the eleMMent Palazzo Superior has a ‘pop-up’ roof top deck they call the Sky Deck.

The interiors are ridiculously plush and marble laden which justifies the hefty 600 horsepower engine – that’s a ridiculous amount of ‘horses’ as motoring nerds would say; the entry level Toyota Camry has 178 while an F1 car tops out at 1000 to give you a comparison.

 

One of the craziest additions to the “Mobile Mansion" (the MM in eleMMent) is the ‘Sky Lounge’. A lift elevates a deck from the roof of the RV to create a private roof top terrace accessed by a stairwell on the outside of the RV. 

 

But it’s the drivers cab, they like to call it the ‘cockpit’, which will cause other drivers to rubberneck and run off the road. The sloping elliptical window may be aerodynamic is more spaceship than road warrior. 

Bedroom eleMMent Palazzo Superior RV
The kind bed, made by the same people who supply the Royal Family with their bedding, inside the world’s moist expensive RV, the eleMMent Palazzo Superior.

The king bed is made by the same company that supply the royal family’s bedding but you will have to want to get off the 4m sofa in front of the widescreen TV to use it. The full kitchen comes with the most important accouterments – an ice makes and wine fridge.

 

Both sides of the Palazzo expand to make the living space tiger swinging sized and the bathroom is full sized, accessible from either the bedroom or the living room. Driving, the passengers have some seriously gold class cinema seating to arrive in style.

Living room eleMMent Palazzo Superior RV
The living room, with 4m sofa, on board the world’s most expensive RV, the eleMMent Palazzo Superior.

Back on earth, I mean Australia, the most expensive RV used to be the Avida Winnebago Classic which used to set you back a comparatively modest $613,000. Times beign what they are the most luxurious and expense RV right now in Australia would probably be the Avida Longreach which is only half a mortgage at around the $250k-$300k mark.

Other ways to hit the road in style

There are a multitude of luxury touring options around Australia that have the high-end road experience firmly in mind – and they don’t all involve cars.

 

If that all sounds a bit too dirt-in-the-goggles for your tastes, there’s always the more luxurious option of exotic car hire. Can you picture yourself hugging the corners of the Great Ocean Road in a Ferrari, Maserati, Porsche or Lamborghini? Around $1900 will get you into a Ferrari California or $2300 a McLaren from Unique Car Rentals .

 

Or if winery touring the Mornington Peninsula is more your style, Red Balloon has a whole category of all luxury car rental, diver experiences and touring you can do.

Luxury at 300km/h

When it comes to sticker price, nothing comes remotely close to the amount of cash poured into your average Formula 1 car. However, unless you have the kinds of connections the rest of us only dream about, chances are you’re never going to get a drive in one (in fact, if you have, we’d love to hear about it). The next best thing, of course, is being trackside for all the action of the Australian F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne.

 

There are plenty of packages available to take this trip in style, and AT has seen a few good ones – but nothing we’ve seen so far comes close to the kinds of packages being organised by Sportsnet Holidays (1300 888 858, www.sportsnetholidays.com).

 

Their basic packages include three nights accommodation packages from $1029.

 

For upwards of $10,000 per person, you’re met at the airport and whisked to the Park Hyatt Melbourne for four nights lodging. You’re then given daily private transfers from hotel to track, a four-day corporate hospitality pass entitling you to food, drinks, reserved-seat dining, a dedicated viewing area overlooking Pit Straight, plus morning and afternoon tea, gourmet buffet luncheon with dessert and full bar service every day. Tickets to the Official Grand Prix Ball are thrown in, along with a champagne breakfast on the Sunday morning and (gasp!) a pit walk per day for each guest. Private access to a rooftop tiered viewing deck is the icing on the cake, as is a helicopter tour of the CBD and the Albert Park Grand Prix circuit before being whisked back to the airport at the end of it all.

 

 Now that’s what we call a road trip. 

Australian Traveller
See all articles
Geminid meteor shower 2018 over Ulanhada Volcano, Inner Mongolia, China
Australia

How to see the last (and best) meteor shower of 2025

Look up for the last (and best) meteor shower of the year.

Read more
Lake Burley Griffin
Australia

12 summer weekends away across Australia to plan now

The weather is heating up, the days are getting longer, and the break we are all looking forward to is nearing closer. Here, 12 different ways to spend your summer weekends, from beach breaks to city stays.

Read more
26 incredible ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve
Australia

26 incredible ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve

Still don't have plans for New Year's Eve? Here are 26 ways to welcome 2026.

Read more
cold moon december
Australia

Friday’s Cold Moon is your last chance to see a supermoon in 2025 

On 5 December, a spectacular 'Cold Moon' will close out this year’s supermoon trilogy with a bang.

Read more
hero media

Unforgettable First Peoples tours and experiences in Victoria

    Angela SaurineBy Angela Saurine
    Continue
    From ancient aquaculture systems to sacred rock art shelters, Victoria’s First Peoples cultural experiences offer a powerful connection to one of the world’s oldest living cultures – where every site, story and smoking ceremony invites a deeper understanding of the land beneath your feet. 

    Victoria’s sweeping landscapes hold stories far older than any road map can trace – stories etched into stone, sung through generations and woven into every bend of river and rise of hill. From the lava flows of Budj Bim to the ancient middens of Moyjil/Point Ritchie and the volcanic crater of Tower Hill, the state is home to some of the most significant First Peoples cultural sites in Australia. These places, along with other immersive experiences, offer not only a window into a 60,000-year legacy, but a profound way of understanding Country itself. As more travellers seek connection over checklists, guided tours by Traditional Owners offer respectful, unforgettable insights into a living culture that continues to shape the land and the people who walk it. 

    Budj Bim cultural landscape  

    Budj Bim Cultural Landscape
    Budj Bim Cultural Landscape is on Gunditjmara Country. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Venture beyond the surf and sand of the Great Ocean Road to discover a deeper story etched into the volcanic landscape. At Budj Bim , ancient aquaculture channels built by the Gunditjmara people to trap, store and harvest kooyang (short-finned eel) reveal one of the world’s oldest living cultures. While you’re in the area, head over to the state-of-the-art Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre, where you can observe the eels in a special tank, wander the shores of Tae Rak (Lake Condah), and enjoy a bite at the Bush Tucker Cafe. Also nearby is Tower Hill, a dormant volcano reborn as a wildlife reserve, offering trails through bushland teeming with emus and koalas. 

    eel tank
    The kooyang (eel) tank at Tae Rak. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Dumawul Kooyoora Walking Tour 

    Dumawul walkingtour
    Guests are guided through Kooyoora State Park on the Dumawul walking tour. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Step into a timeless landscape with Dumawul’s guided tour through Kooyoora State Park, around an hour’s drive west of Bendigo in north-central Victoria. Led by Djaara guides, this immersive half-day journey breathes life into Country, weaving together stories, bush tucker and ancient rock art. Known to the Dja Dja Wurrung people as Guyura – the ‘mountain of light’ – this dramatic granite range is rich with cultural and spiritual significance.  The adventure begins with a meet-up at the Bridgewater Hotel on the banks of the Loddon River, before guests are welcomed onto Country with a traditional Smoking Ceremony – a powerful ritual that honours ancestors and cleanses those who walk the land. From there, it’s a gentle wander through rugged outcrops and open bushland, with sweeping vistas unfolding at every turn. Along the way, guides share their knowledge of how the Dja Dja Wurrung peoples have cared for and adapted with this land for generations, offering a rare and moving window into an ancient way of life that continues to thrive today.  

    Kooyoora walking tour
    Knowledge of the Dja Dja Wurrung is shared on the trail. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Kingfisher Cruises  

    Kingfisher Cruises
    Cruising the Murray with Kingfisher Cruises. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Glide quietly through the Barmah-Millewa forest – the nation’s largest river red gum ecosystem – on a scenic journey along the Murray River and into the Barmah Lakes with Kingfisher Cruises . Led by passionate guides who share stories of the cultural significance of this ancient landscape, these cruises reveal the stories, totems and traditional knowledge of the Yorta Yorta people. As you navigate narrow waterways and spot native birds, you’ll gain a richer understanding of how First Peoples have lived in harmony with this floodplain for tens of thousands of years. It’s a gentle, immersive experience that leaves a lasting impression – one where every bend in the river carries echoes of culture, connection and Country.  

    wawa biik 

    Taungurung leaders
    Exploring Nagambie with Taungurung leaders. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Translating to ‘hello, Country’ in the language of the First Nations People and Custodians of the rivers and mountains of Taungurung Country in Central Victoria, wawa biik guides a range of authentic and deeply immersive experiences. Leaving from either Nagambie or Euroa, the tours are woven with ancient stories of the Taungurung, telling how a sustained connection and responsibility ensures the continued health of biik – benefitting the people, animals and plants that live in and around the Goulburn River. During the wawa Nagambie experience, guests participate in a Welcome Smoking Ceremony, and enjoy lunch and conversation with two Taungurung leaders as they cruise through the wetlands of tabilk-tabilk (place of many waterholes). The 4.5-hour tour begins at Tahbilk Winery, which is set in the wetlands of Nagambie on Taungurung Country and collaborates with Taungurung Elders to share knowledge of biik. 

    Bataluk Cultural Trail  

    Bataluk Trail
    Cape Conran on the Bataluk Trail. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    The Bataluk Cultural Trail winds through East Gippsland like a thread stitching past to present, tracing the deep connection between the Gunaikurnai people and their land. Starting at the Knob Reserve in Stratford, visitors walk among scarred trees and ancient stone tools once used for survival and ceremony. At the Den of Nargun near Mitchell River, the earth holds stories of women’s sacred spaces, cloaked in myth and legend. Further along, Legend Rock at Metung tells of greed and consequence, its surface etched with ancient lore. At Cape Conran, shell middens lie scattered like breadcrumbs of history – 10,000 years of gatherings, stories and saltwater songs still echoing in the wind.  

    Healesville Sanctuary  

    echidna at Healesville Sanctuary
    Get up close with a resident echidna at Healesville Sanctuary. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Set on the historic grounds of Coranderrk Aboriginal Station, Healesville Sanctuary honours the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation through immersive storytelling and connection to Country. Along Wurundjeri Walk, visitors are invited to reflect on the land’s rich First Peoples history, with native plants revealing their traditional uses. Wurundjeri Elder and educator Murrundindi shares culture in-person with the Wominjeka Aboriginal Cultural Experience every Sunday, and most days during Victorian school holidays. Murrundindi’s smoking ceremonies, storytelling and bush tucker knowledge reveal the sacred relationship between people, animals and the environment. Bird-lovers can’t miss the incredible Spirits of the Sky show featuring native birds daily at 12pm and 3pm. 

    The Grampians 

    Rock art at Bunjil Shelter in The Grampians
    Rock art at Bunjil Shelter in The Grampians. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Known as Gariwerd to Traditional Owners, the Grampians is a place of immense cultural and spiritual significance. This rugged landscape holds more than 80 per cent of Victoria’s known First Peoples rock art, offering a powerful window into the region’s deep heritage. Visitors can respectfully explore five remarkable rock art sites: Billimina and Ngamadjidj in the Wartook Valley, Manja Shelter near Hamilton, Gulgurn Manja shelter near Laharum, and the Bunjil Shelter near Stawell, where the creator spirit is depicted. Each site tells a unique story of connection to Country, shared through ancient handprints, dancing figures and Dreaming narratives etched into stone.