Once just for holiday rentals, Airbnb now plans your whole trip

Emily Murphy Emily Murphy
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From art tours in Melbourne to Bowral beehives, Airbnb has just launched its biggest evolution yet.

Forget scrolling endless booking sites or relying on travel agents to curate your perfect escape. Airbnb’s latest global release redefines what the platform can offer, moving beyond accommodation to become a full-service travel companion that plans your entire trip.

Luxury services are now bookable

Airbnb Experiences flow on phone
Book experiences and services through Airbnb now. (Image: Airbnb)

At the centre of the shake-up is Airbnb Services, a brand-new offering that lets users book top-tier professionals across 10 categories, with five of those launching in Sydney and Melbourne.

Need a private chef for an anniversary dinner? Want a photo shoot with an award-winning photographer? Prefer to skip the supermarket and have your Airbnb fridge pre-stocked before you arrive? It’s all now possible, straight from the app.

And these aren’t just any service providers – we’re talking Michelin-starred chefs, renowned wellness practitioners with serious credibility and more.

Experiences that go way beyond the standard city tour

AirBeenBee honey Airbnb Experience in Bowral
Travellers can book a honey experience in Bowral. (Image: Airbnb)

Also making a big comeback: Airbnb Experiences, now completely reimagined and relaunched with a sharper focus on expertise, authenticity and local flavour.

The new line-up includes thousands of activities hosted by locals who know their cities best – and Aussies are already embracing the idea. You can now book everything from tasting rare honey straight from the hive in Bowral to a deep dive into Melbourne’s street art with an artist.

Duckboard Place street art
Airbnb Experiences can be booked in your own city. (Artwork: Middle: Steen Jones/Right: Lukas Kaspar)

It’s not just for travellers, either. Airbnb reports that over 40 per cent of Australians say they’re keen to use Experiences to explore their own backyard.

The categories span everything from history and culture to food and drink, art and design, entertainment, fitness, wellness and nature, with new options rolling out globally and across Sydney and Melbourne this season.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

AI Prompt

Next-level exclusives hosted by global icons

Megan Thee Stallion eating ramen for Otaku Hottie Quest
Airbnb Originals are one-of-a-kind experiences hosted by world-renowned figures. (Image: Adrienne Raquel)

And for those seeking something truly out of the ordinary, Airbnb has introduced Airbnb Originals: one-of-a-kind experiences hosted by world-renowned figures, exclusively for the platform.

Think making croissants with a French pastry legend, playing volleyball with an Olympian in Rio, or even cosplaying with Megan Thee Stallion at her Otaku Hottie Quest.

You can also toss a football with Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City or join K-pop royalty SEVENTEEN in Seoul for an exclusive fan celebration.

For Aussie travellers, it’s all part of a broader shift: from simply booking a place to sleep, to curating unforgettable moments – all in one tap.

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Emily Murphy
Emily Murphy is Australian Traveller's Email & Social Editor, and in her time at the company she has been instrumental in shaping its social media and email presence, and crafting compelling narratives that inspire others to explore Australia's vast landscapes. Her previous role was a journalist at Prime Creative Media and before that she was freelancing in publishing, content creation and digital marketing. When she's not creating scroll-stopping travel content, Em is a devoted 'bun mum' and enjoys spending her spare time by the sea, reading, binge-watching a good TV show and exploring Sydney's vibrant dining scene. Next on her Aussie travel wish list? Tasmania and The Kimberley.
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Victoria’s surprising new outdoor adventure hotspot

    Craig Tansley Craig Tansley
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    A town charmingly paused in time has become a hot mountain biking destination. 

    There’s a forest reserve full of eucalyptus and pines surrounding town – when you combine all the greenery with a main street of grand old buildings still standing from the Victorian Gold Rush, Creswick looks more period movie set than a 21st-century town.  

    old gold bank Victoria
    Grand buildings from the Victorian gold rush. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    This entire region of Victoria – the Central Goldfields – is as pretty-as-a-picture, but there’s something extra-special about Creswick. I used to live 30 minutes north; I’d drive in some evenings to cruise its main street at dusk, and pretend I was travelling back in time. 

    It was sleepy back then, but that’s changed. Where I used to walk through its forest, now I’m hurtling down the state’s best new mountain bike trails. There’s a 60-kilometre network of mountain bike trails – dubbed Djuwang Baring – which make Creswick the state’s hottest new mountain biking destination.  

    Meet Victoria’s new mountain biking capital 

    Creswick bike trail
    This historic town has become a mountain biking hotspot.

    Victoria has a habit of turning quiet country towns into mountain biking hotspots. I was there in the mid-2000s when the tiny Otways village of Forrest embarked on an ambitious plan to save itself (after the death of its timber cutting industry) courtesy of some of the world’s best mountain bike trails. A screaming success it proved to be, and soon mountain bike trails began popping up all over Victoria. 

    I’m no expert, so I like that a lot of Creswick’s trails are as scenic as they are challenging. I prefer intermediate trails, such as Down Martuk, with its flowing berms and a view round every corner. Everyone from outright beginners to experts can be happy here. There’s trails that take me down technical rock sections with plenty of bumps. But there’s enough on offer to appeal to day-trippers, as much as hard-core mountain-bikers. 

    I love that the trails empty onto that grand old main street. There’s bars still standing from the Gold Rush of the 1850s I can refuel at. Like the award-winning Farmers Arms, not to be confused with the pub sharing its name in Daylesford. It’s stood since 1857. And The American Creswick built two years later, or Odessa Wine Bar, part of Leaver’s Hotel in an 1856-built former gold exchange bank.  

    The Woodlands
    The Woodlands is set on a large bushland property. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

    Creswick is also full of great cafes and restaurants, many of them set in the same old buildings that have stood for 170 years. So whether you’re here for the rush of the trails or the calm of town life, Creswick provides. 

    A traveller’s checklist 

    Staying there 

    1970s log cabin
    Inside the Woodlands, a chic 1970s log cabin. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

    RACV Goldfields Resort is a contemporary stay with a restaurant, swimming pool and golf course. The Woodlands in nearby Lal Lal comprises a chic log cabin set on a 16-hectare property abundant in native wildlife. 

    Eating there 

    Le Peche Gourmand
    Le Peche Gourmand makes for the perfect pitstop for carb and sugar-loading.

    The menu at Odessa at Leaver’s Hotel includes some Thai-inspired fare. Fuel up for your ride on baguettes and pastries from French patisserie Le Peche Gourmand. The Farmers Arms has been a much-loved local institution since 1857. 

    Playing there 

    Miss NorthcottsGarden
    Miss Northcotts Garden is a charming garden store with tea room. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Creswick State Forest has a variety of hiking trails, including a section of the 210-kilometre-long Goldfields Track. Miss Northcotts Garden is a quaint garden store with tea room.