Excellence Luxury Villas · Australia
Luxury Holiday Homes in Australia
Beach houses, harbour villas and a private reef island, from Noosa and Byron Bay to Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart
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A long way to go, and worth every mile
Nobody goes to Australia for a long weekend. The journey is long, so the trip should be too, and the best way to do it is to settle into a house rather than move between hotels. Spend a fortnight on the Sunshine Coast, then a week above the water on the Mornington Peninsula, and you will start living like the people who are lucky enough to be there all year.
Our Australian collection runs to 60+ homes. They include beachfront villas in Noosa, hinterland houses near Byron Bay with pools and tennis courts, sea-view houses at Sorrento and Dromana, a large house beneath kunanyi in Hobart and Pumpkin Island, a privately owned island in Keppel Bay on the southern Great Barrier Reef.
Below is a guide to the coasts, the cities and the seasons, which run the opposite way round to ours.
Australia at a glance
- Homes
- 60+ across Australia, with up to 17 bedrooms
- Guide prices
- Typically £5,200 to £9,700 a week, from around £3,500
- Best areas
- Noosa, the Gold Coast and the Keppels in Queensland; Byron Bay and Sydney in New South Wales; the Mornington Peninsula, Melbourne and Hobart
- Best time
- September to April in the south; May to October for tropical Queensland and the Red Centre
- Getting there
- Nonstop from London to Perth, or one stop via Asia or the Gulf to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane
Browse all 60+ properties in Australia
Villa numbers and guide prices are updated daily from our live collection.
House Waratah Bondi: Luxury 3-Bedroom Villa with Seaview and Pool, New South Wales3 bedrooms
Villa Boreas Tamarama Australia: Luxury 4-Bedroom Villa with Seaview and Pool, New South Wales4 bedrooms
House Kunanyi Hobart: Spacious 6-Bedroom Luxury Villa with Hot Tub, Tasmania6 bedrooms
House Waratah Sydney: Luxury 4-Bedroom Villa with Seaviews and Pool, Sydney4 bedroomsWhere to stay in Australia
Queensland for Noosa, the Gold Coast and the reef islands, New South Wales for Sydney, Byron Bay and Kangaroo Valley, and South Australia and the Northern Territory for wine country and the Red Centre.
Noosa, surf beaches and a reef island to yourselves
Noosa sits at the northern end of the Sunshine Coast. Hastings Street runs along a sheltered beach, and the coastal path through Noosa National Park often turns up koalas in the gum trees above the water. Just south, Marcoola is close to Sunshine Coast Airport. Further south again, Burleigh Heads is the most likeable corner of the Gold Coast, with a headland of hoop pines and a right-hand point break that surfers queue for.
Pumpkin Island is something else entirely. It covers around six hectares in the Keppel group, roughly fourteen kilometres off Yeppoon, and the ferry from Keppel Bay Marina takes around half an hour. Book it and the island is yours, with coral reef a short swim from the beach.
Explore Queensland
The harbour, the hinterland and the most easterly lighthouse
Sydney takes some beating as a place to arrive. Its harbour has the Opera House, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007, ferries to Manly and Watsons Bay, and a clifftop walk from Bondi to Coogee that every visitor should do at least once.
On the north coast, Byron Bay has a lighthouse on Cape Byron, the most easterly point of the Australian mainland, with whales passing offshore in the winter months. Inland, Bangalow is a small hinterland village with a good Saturday market and green hills all round, and a quieter place to stay. South of Sydney, Kangaroo Valley has wombats on the river flats and the turreted Hampden Bridge, which dates from 1898.
Explore New South Wales
Bay views, cool-climate wine and a museum like no other
Melbourne is the country's food and coffee city. St Kilda has its pier, its palm-lined Esplanade and a colony of little penguins that come ashore at dusk. About ninety minutes south, the Mornington Peninsula curls round Port Phillip Bay. Sorrento has limestone cottages and back beaches facing Bass Strait, Dromana looks across calm bay water, and the cellar doors around Red Hill pour very good pinot noir.
Hobart is a harbour town with a mountain behind it: kunanyi, or Mount Wellington, rises to around 1,270 metres. Below, Salamanca Market fills the waterfront every Saturday, and MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art, is a short ferry ride up the Derwent.
Search homes in Australia
Flat whites, Moreton Bay bugs and upside-down summers
The seasons are the reverse of ours. December to February is high summer in the south, the time for long beach days in Sydney and on the Peninsula, and it is when the Australian Open comes to Melbourne each January. The tropical north is better in the dry months from May to October, which is also the time to visit Uluru and the Red Centre in the Northern Territory.
Australians eat well. Expect Moreton Bay bugs and barramundi in Queensland, Tasmanian oysters, and shiraz from South Australia's Barossa Valley. Our concierge can arrange internal flights, reef trips, winery days, private chefs and restaurant tables, and can plan a route that links several of our homes.
Ask our conciergeFeatured properties in Australia
House Pandanus Noosa: Luxury 5-Bedroom Villa with Infinity Pool and Seaview, Queensland5 bedrooms · sleeps 10From £13,741 a week
Pumpkin Island Australia17 bedrooms · sleeps 34From £17,199 a week
House Illawarra Gerringong: Luxurious 5-Bedroom House with Infinity Pool and Sea Views, New South Wales5 bedrooms · sleeps 12From £10,570 a week
House Bangalow Byron: Luxury 4-Bedroom Villa with Swimming Pool and Tennis Court, New South Wales4 bedrooms · sleeps 8From £5,075 a week
House Wylies Coogee: Luxury 3-Bedroom House with Stunning Sea Views, New South Wales3 bedrooms · sleeps 8From £12,362 a week
House Corroboree StKilda: Luxury 5-Bedroom Villa with Private Pool, St Kilda5 bedrooms · sleeps 10From £12,152 a week
Manor Bangalay Ulladulla: Luxury 5-Bedroom Villa with Private Pool and Ocean Views, New South Wales5 bedrooms · sleeps 10From £8,813 a week
Villa Banksia Victoria: Luxury 4-Bedroom Villa with Pool and Sea Views, Victoria4 bedrooms · sleeps 10From £10,990 a weekWhy book your home in Australia with Excellence Luxury Villas
The right house, not the nearest one
Australia is too big to get wrong: a house that looks close to the beach in Queensland may be a drive from it, and we know which homes put you on the sand, near the cellar doors or within reach of the city. With 60+ properties in Australia, we can usually find the house that suits you rather than the one that happens to be free. Search by size, pool, location and price, or tell us what you have in mind and we will put together a shortlist.
Book direct
You book with us directly, with no booking fees. Questions about access, parking, pool heating or how far it really is to the nearest beach go to people who can find out the answer.
A concierge who knows the territory
Internal flights and transfers, ferries and helicopters to Pumpkin Island, reef and whale-watching trips, winery days on the Mornington Peninsula, private chefs and restaurant reservations in Sydney and Melbourne. Our concierge team arranges all of it, leaving you free to decide which terrace to sit on.
A house for every kind of party
Couples, families with small children, three generations together or a crowd of friends celebrating a birthday: we match the house to the group, down to the number of bathrooms and whether the pool is fenced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best place to stay in Australia for a villa holiday?
For beaches and warm water, choose Noosa, the Gold Coast or Byron Bay. Sydney is the obvious choice for city life with the harbour on your doorstep. For wine, good food and cooler summers, try the Mornington Peninsula or Hobart. Many guests split a longer trip between two of these.
When is the best time to visit Australia?
The southern states are best from spring through to early autumn, roughly September to April, with high summer from December to February. Tropical Queensland and the Red Centre are more comfortable in the drier months from May to October.
Is Pumpkin Island on the Great Barrier Reef?
Yes. Pumpkin Island is a private island in Keppel Bay, part of the southern Great Barrier Reef, around fourteen kilometres off Yeppoon in central Queensland. A ferry runs from Keppel Bay Marina in around half an hour, and the nearest airport is Rockhampton.
Can you arrange a private chef at a home in Australia?
Yes. Our concierge can arrange a private chef for a single dinner or your whole stay, along with cookery lessons, guided visits, transfers and restaurant reservations.
How much does a luxury propertie in Australia cost?
Across our 60+ properties in Australia, weekly rates typically range from £5,200 to £9,700, with the most affordable from around £3,500 a week and the largest estates well above. Prices depend on the size of the property, its location and the season, with July and August the most expensive. These are guide prices based on current listings; each property page shows its own rates for your dates.
How do I get to Australia from the UK?
Qantas flies nonstop from London to Perth. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are usually reached with one stop in Asia or the Gulf, which many travellers turn into a night or two to break the journey. Our concierge can arrange internal flights and transfers once you land.
Are there homes in Australia for large groups?
Yes. Our Australia collection includes properties with up to 17 bedrooms. Tell us the size of your party and the occasion, and we will send a shortlist that suits it.
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Find your home in Australia
60+ homes from Noosa to Hobart, with our concierge planning the long way round