DAY 1 – DEPARTURE Arrive at the airport for your flight to Melbourne, via Dubai.
DAY 2 - ARRIVAL IN MELBOURNE Welcome to Australia! Melbourne is one of the world’s greatest cities and our home for three nights is the five-star Pullman on the Park in East Melbourne, just 10-minutes walk from the centre with its free tramcar services.
DAY 3 - MELBOURNE A morning city sightseeing tour includes Federation Square, the Victoria National Gallery, the Old Melbourne Gaol and the Exhibition Building built for the 1880 Great Exhibition. Our first stop is the spectacular Eureka Skydeck Tower with its sensational 88th floor viewing platform (the highest in the Southern Hemisphere) and ‘Edge Experience’ (at extra charge) – a glass cube sliding out from the building, with you inside! Our included lunch is on Melbourne’s famous Colonial Tramcar Restaurant. Enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure – stroll along the Southbank Promenade or join your Tour Manager and discover some of Melbourne’s famed ‘laneways’.
DAY 4 - MELBOURNE The morning is free to relax or explore, with one option the bustling Queen Victoria Market that has served Melbourne for over a century. Early afternoon we drive into the Dandenong Ranges overlooking the city, riding on the historic ‘Puffing Billy’ steam train through lush mountainside from Belgrave to Emerald Lakeside. The evening is at leisure – why not take in one of Melbourne’s many theatrical productions.
DAY 5 - GREAT OCEAN ROAD We set off early on the Great Ocean Road, Australia’s most spectacular coastal highway. We join the “Shipwreck Coast” that stretches through Port Campbell National Park and stop for photos of the Twelve Apostles - huge rock pillars shaped by the Southern Ocean - before continuing to the seaside town of Warrnambool. Our hotel for the night is the three-star superior Quality Suites Deep Blue Hotel & Spa.
DAY 6 - ADELAIDE Today, we head to the South Australian town of Mt. Gambier. Built on the slopes of an extinct volcano, it’s famous for its spectacular Blue Lake whose waters inexplicably change to a brilliant blue in summer. Back on the road, we pass through the wine growing region of Coonawarra and typical south Australian bush country (look out for kangaroos & emus!) before our afternoon arrival in Adelaide. We stay for two nights at the centrally-located five-star Intercontinental.
DAY 7 - BAROSSA VALLEY A morning tour of Adelaide includes the location where Colonel William Light planned the city in 1836. His simple blueprint – a one square mile centre surrounded by parks and open spaces – is still in evidence today. Leaving Adelaide mid-morning, we head to one of Australia’s most renowned wine regions – the Barossa Valley. We visit the historic Seppeltsfield winery, where you will enjoy a private tasting.
DAY 8 - FLY TO ALICE SPRINGS We transfer to the airport for our flight to Alice Springs, capital of Australia’s ‘Red Centre’. A short drive includes ANZAC Hill for panoramic views of the town. This afternoon we visit the Old Telegraph Station, established in 1871 to relay messages between Darwin and Adelaide. Our hotel for two nights is the four-star Lasseters, with a pool and spa. Our authentic Outback dinner is at The Earth Sanctuary at the Quandong Homestead – enjoy a
bush BBQ with music and entertainment, hear stories of the Aboriginal Dreamtime and relax around the camp fire before returning to the hotel.
DAY 9 - ALICE SPRINGS Early risers have the option of an unforgettable hot-air balloon ride at sunrise. Later this morning we visit the School of the Air and the Royal Flying Doctor Service Museum. This afternoon, we explore the beautiful Western MacDonnell Ranges. We stop at Simpsons Gap, an important spiritual site for the Arrarnta Aboriginal peoples, and finish the day walking the picturesque gorge at Standley Chasm.
DAY 10 - ALICE SPRINGS TO ULURU (AYERS ROCK) We leave Alice Springs and head south, stopping off at some typical Australian ‘roadhouses’ as we enter the barren landscape of the ‘Red Centre’ - a vast desert plain dotted with spinifex and desert oaks. Mid-afternoon we arrive at Yulara, near Ayers Rock (traditional name Uluru), and check into the four-star Desert Gardens, with breakfast. In the evening we drive to ‘Sunset Strip’, pop some bubbly and enjoy Uluru’s remarkable light show as the Rock changes colour … utterly breathtaking.
DAY 11 - ULURU (AYERS ROCK) It’s an early start to reach the viewing area to watch the sun rise above Uluru. A guided ‘Mala’ walk around the Rock’s base reveals its spiritual significance through Dreamtime stories and Anangu rock art before an opportunity to purchase lunch at the Cultural Centre. Early afternoon, we visit the Kata Tjuta rock formations and take a short walk into the beautiful Mount Olga Gorge. Back at the resort you can visit the Yulara Village.
DAY 12 - FLY TO DARWIN OR FLY TO CAIRNS Certain departures between May-August now continue on to Darwin for a three-day ‘Top End’ tour, while other departures (during Darwin’s Wet Season) will fly directly to Cairns and will be three days shorter – see day 16 (13) below. The days included in the shorter tour are in brackets below. ‘Top End’ travellers transfer to Ayers Rock Airport
and fly to Darwin, Northern Territory’s capital. Our hotel for the night is the four-star Oaks Elan Darwin. A late-afternoon trip to the Mindil Beach Sunset Market offers 130 craft stalls and 60 stalls selling delicious global food.
DAY 13 - KAKADU NATIONAL PARK We depart early for Kakadu National Park. Local Aboriginal people will show you medicinal plants and techniques for making baskets and spears – you can even blow a digeridoo! Next, we join the Adelaide River Queen for a ‘Jumping Croc Cruise’ to observe saltwater crocodiles (Australia’s most dangerous reptile) leaping out of the water. We lunch at the Bark Hut Inn roadhouse before entering Australia’s largest National Park, World Heritage-listed Kakadu – expect magnificent scenery and unique flora and fauna. At Cooinda we board a sunset cruise to see wildlife including Brolgas, Egrets, Jabiru and – hopefully – crocodiles. Our hotel for the night is the three-star Mercure Crocodile with breakfast.
DAY 14 - KATHERINE GORGE This morning we head to Nourlangie Rock, which features impressive Aboriginal drawings dating back tens of thousands of years. We continue to Katherine and our hotel, the three-star Knotts Crossing Resort with breakfast. In the evening you’ll travel through the Katherine Gorge on the Nabilil Dreaming Sunset Cruise. Enjoy excellent Australian cuisine, learn about local tribes and watch the cliffs turn gold in the setting sun.
DAY 15 - LITCHFIELD NATIONAL PARK & FLY TO CAIRNS After breakfast we travel north along the Stuart Highway to Litchfield National Park, a 65,000-hectare region of virgin rainforests, hot springs, termite mounds and waterfalls. You’ll visit Florence Falls and can swim in Wangi Falls. We continue back to Darwin for our flight to Cairns, the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. Our home for the next four nights, with breakfast, is the four-star superior Pullman Cairns International.
DAY 16 (13) - CAIRNS KURANDA SCENIC RAILWAY This morning we join the historic Kuranda Scenic Railway for a trip through tropical rainforest, ravines and spectacular gorges in the stunning Barron Falls National Park. Surrounded by World Heritage listed rainforest, Kuranda itself brims with arts and crafts shops. We return to the coast via the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, skimming over the top of the rainforest canopy.
DAY 17 (14) - GREAT BARRIER REEF After breakfast we head out to Michaelmas Cay with Ocean Spirit Cruises. One of the world’s great natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef is the largest expanse of living coral on earth. The sand bar at Michaelmas Cay offers the opportunity to snorkel with parrot fish, giant clams and even sea turtles! The cay is also home to over 20,000 migratory terns and gannets. You will enjoy snorkelling (equipment provided), a semi-submersible tour, a glass-bottom boat trip, and a buffet lunch before returning to Cairns.
DAY 18 (15) - FREE DAY IN CAIRNS Today is at leisure in Cairns. Trips are available on the scenic Cook Highway to Cape Tribulation and the Daintree rainforest to the Atherton Tablelands a night- time tour of Cairns zoo or helicopter flights over the Great Barrier Reef.
DAY 19 (16) - FLY TO SYDNEY After our flight from Cairns to Sydney we transfer to the four-star superior Parkroyal Darling Harbour with breakfast for four nights.
DAY 20 (17) - SYDNEY Our tour of Australia’s largest city takes you through the historic ‘The Rocks’ area followed by a stop at Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair for fantastic views of Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. We continue through Double Bay and on to famous Bondi Beach for a stroll along the promenade. This afternoon will be unforgettable – a cruise in the world’s most picturesque harbour.
DAY 21 (18) - BLUE MOUNTAINS We travel inland to the dramatic Blue Mountains that encompass steep cliffs, eucalyptus forests, waterfalls and pretty villages. You’ll see the stunning Three Sisters rock formation and enjoy views of the Jamison Valley below. You can take a short cliff-side walk (or the coach) to the Scenic Skyway cable car 270m above. You then take the world’s steepest incline railway to descend 415m at a gradient of 52 degrees. At the bottom, a path takes you through lush eucalyptus forest teeming with plants and birdlife. We return to Sydney in the late afternoon.
DAY 22 (19) - FREE DAY IN SYDNEY Today is at leisure in Sydney. The opportunities are endless – enjoy the beaches, tour the Opera House, take a sea-plane trip over the city or even climb the famous Harbour Bridge!
DAY 23 (20) - DEPARTURE The morning is free before transferring to the airport for our flight home, via Dubai.
DAY 24 (21) Arrive back in the UK.
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