Christmas Cruise - X160

For those with a little more time to spend in Melbourne, there are many easy day trips to enjoy beyond the city limits by guided tour or with a hire car. Not even an hour from Melbourne, you’ll find Australia’s best-preserved steam train Puffing Billy - the historic railway puffs through the leafy Dandenong Ranges. The Mornington Peninsula offers first-rate wineries, local cuisine, and both bay and ocean beaches. To get up close with native fauna, a trip to Healesville Sanctuary will give you a fix - the beautiful, bushland-set sanctuary gives you the chance to cosy up with koalas, kangaroos and wombats as well as lesser-known Australian animals. Read more about Melbourne, Australia

Set on Tasmania's eastern coast, deep amongst the stunning beauty of Freycinet National Park, Wineglass Bay enjoys some of the world's best climate conditions, with over 300 days of sunshine a year. The bay with its 1.8km white sand beach is one of three bays defining the narrow Freycinet Peninsula. In the 1820s whalers came to Wineglass Bay and set up shore bases. Whenever the whalers went about their grisly business, the bay was dyed red with blood - like rich red wine in a glass - hence its name. Read more about Wineglass Bay, Australia

Take a stroll along the waterfront and enjoy the view of the river lined with sailing boats, whilst admiring the sandstone architecture warehouses throughout the city centre. Make your way through the iconic and most visited Salamanca market which operates every Saturday showcasing Tasmania’s local artisans, designers and producers. Heading west of the city centre, Mount Wellington is a spectacular site to visit and one not to be missed! Take a tour or a scenic drive up to the summit and stroll along historic walking trails. Read more about Hobart, Australia

Take time to experience the scenery, the stunning and almost deserted beaches, bush walking trails and sea cliffs of the area. The most famous destination is the Historic Site where visitors may take a guided tour to Point Puer, the site of the first boys' reformatory in the British Empire. Here they were given some basic education and taught trade skills. Another museum shows written records, tools, clothing and other curiosities from convict times. Read more about Port Arthur, Australia

Burnie, on the NW coast of Tasmania, is a regional city best known for its busy container port and major industries. It is becoming famous for the wealth of unexpected places for visitors to explore. The central business district provides a thoroughfare to the beach-side board-walk, while Burnie Park with its historic tearoom the 'Burnie Inn', a wildlife sanctuary and a walking track to Oldaker Falls, are close to the city centre. Just a few minutes’ drive away you can view wild platypuses along the banks of the Emu River, then head to the Lactose Cheese Tasting centre and enjoy the region's famous cheeses, specialty products, and the best Tasmanian wines. Read more about Burnie, Australia

Cruise ships anchor off the town of Penneshaw and tender to the jetty. Kangaroo Island, named by Matthew Flinders in 1802, is Australia's third largest island. Situated 112 km SW of Adelaide, it is a pristine untamed wilderness where the koalas aren't being cuddled, they're relaxing at home in native trees. The seals aren't performing, they're lazing beside you on the beach. Read more about Kangaroo Island, Australia

For those with a little more time to spend in Melbourne, there are many easy day trips to enjoy beyond the city limits by guided tour or with a hire car. Not even an hour from Melbourne, you’ll find Australia’s best-preserved steam train Puffing Billy - the historic railway puffs through the leafy Dandenong Ranges. The Mornington Peninsula offers first-rate wineries, local cuisine, and both bay and ocean beaches. To get up close with native fauna, a trip to Healesville Sanctuary will give you a fix - the beautiful, bushland-set sanctuary gives you the chance to cosy up with koalas, kangaroos and wombats as well as lesser-known Australian animals. Read more about Melbourne, Australia