Adventure across Australia on this 13-day guided tour. Just outside of Cairns, explore the tropical rainforest of Daintree National Park with a Local Expert, who will teach you about the indigenous Kuku Yalanji people who live there. Fly to Uluru, where a guide will lead you through the Walpa Gorge and past its red, rocky domes. Later, watch as 50,000 solar-powered lights illuminate the desert during its Field of Light display by Artist Bruce Munro. Explore Melbourne's laneways and visit the Yarra Valley for a chocolate masterclass, winery visit and gin tasting. Cruise the Sydney Harbour, then go inside its famous Opera House for a VIP tour.
Your Day by Day Experience
Day 1: Meet your Travel Concierge for a Welcome Dinner at the Reef House Restaurant, where you will enjoy a meal made from seasonal ingredients as you overlook the crystal-clear water of the Coral Sea.
Included Dining: Dinner
Accommodation: The Reef House Palm Cove, Cairns.
Day 2: A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Daintree National Park is the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest on the Australian continent. Join your Local Expert for a fascinating exploration in Daintree National Park and learn about the relationship the indigenous Kuku Yalanji people have with their land. Lunch is served in the quaint Daintree village. Return to your hotel, where you have the evening at your leisure.
Included Dining: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: The Reef House Palm Cove, Cairns.
Day 3: Experience the wonders of Cairns your way. Step aboard a glass-bottom boat and head into the Great Barrier Reef. In this shimmering paradise and wildlife-rich environment, soak up the sun on deck or snorkel in the crystal-clear waters past iridescent hard and soft corals and colourful marine life. With a bountiful lunch served on-board, it’s the most glamorous way to explore the reef. Or, take in the local culture by visiting the vibrant village of Kuranda in the world’s oldest living tropical rainforest. Your adventure begins on the scenic SkyRail Rainforest Cableway, traveling through the rainforest as you ascend the mountain range. Linger in the Heritage Markets rich with local arts and crafts before returning to Cairns on the quaint Kuranda Scenic Rail
Included Dining: Breakfast
Accommodation: The Reef House Palm Cove, Cairns.
Day 4: Depart the holiday hotspot of Cairns, flying to Uluru, the heart of Australia. The domes of Kata Tjuṯa are your first stop. Join your Travel Concierge for a guided walk deep through whistling Walpa Gorge, tracing the cultural significance of Kata Tjuṯa's ancient rocky domes. In the late afternoon, venture into the spiritual midst of Uluru in time to enjoy sparkling wine and a spectacular sunset.
Included Dining: Breakfast
Accommodation: Sails in the Desert, Ayers Rock Resort, Uluṟu.
Day 5: Experience the renowned Field of Light by Artist Bruce Munro – 50,000 hand-crafted glass spheres of coloured light – a magical sight to behold. Wander through the paths and then, from the dune-top, watch as the dawn creeps across the desert plain and lights up Uluru. Later, spend time at the base of Uluru’s red slopes, embracing the timeless stories of the Anangu people, whose rock art you’ll have the opportunity to view. Visit the Mutitjulu Waterhole, home to the Anangu’s wanampi, an ancestral water snake. Then venture to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre, where you’ll learn about the strong connection shared over millennia between the Anangu and this ancient land. Explore the Tjukurpa Tunnel and read about the history and flora and fauna of the park. This evening, meet the magical stars of the Southern Hemisphere at the sensational Sounds of Silence Dinner.
Included Dining: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Sails in the Desert, Ayers Rock Resort, Uluṟu.
Day 6: This morning, fly to Melbourne, the cultural and food capital of Australia. Later this evening, enjoy a delicious dinner in a local restaurant.
Included Dining: Breakfast, Dinner Accommodation: InterContinental Melbourne.
Day 7: Venture to the Yarra Valley, famous for its boutique local food and wine and breathtaking scenery.
Firstly, visit the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie to take a Masterclass in tasting and making your own chocolates. Next, visit a local winery to learn about their vintages before enjoying lunch. Lastly, visit the famous Four Pillars Gin Distillery and experience a gin tasting before returning to Melbourne for an evening at leisure.
Included Dining: Breakfast, Lunch Accommodation: InterContinental Melbourne.
Day 8: This morning, take a tour of the city, seeing the main sights before a walk through the world-famous laneways with their graffiti and art. You will then have lunch at a restaurant specialising in Indigenous food from the Torres Strait region, Big Esso by Mabu Mabu. Later, you will fly to Sydney where you will have a free evening to explore the vibrant harbour city.
Included Dining: Breakfast, Lunch Accommodation: The Langham, Sydney.
Day 9: Enjoy a Sydney sightseeing tour including seeing the famed Mrs. Macquarie's Chair. Mid morning offers you an Included Choice activity so you can see more of the Harbour City. Customise your day and escape to a world long ago, before colonial settlement, and be touched by the most ancient human culture on earth. Join an Aboriginal guide for a 90-minute leisurely walkabout through the Rocks District, hear Dreamtime stories passed down from Elders and discover how Aboriginal people existed by the harbour. For a different pace, say ‘cheers’ to your local guide from Dave’s Tours on a historic walking tour of some of Sydney’s oldest pubs. Tread in the footsteps of the convicts, larrikin gangs & locals of the past as you share a drink in four of Sydney's oldest pubs. Between watering holes, your guide will take you through the alleys & cobbled streets of the Rocks as they share the gossip, shouts, and stories of Australia's first European settlement. This afternoon, depart Sydney for the Hunter Valley wine region.
The evening finds you checking into your boutique hotel before dinner.
Included Dining: Breakfast, Dinner Accommodation: voco Kirkton Park Hunter Valley.
Day 10: Spend the day exploring the amazing Hunter Valley Wine Region. Today includes good food, great wine, and beautiful scenery. Indulge in exclusive private wine tastings at boutique vineyards and sit down to an exceptional tasting lunch. There will be time to explore cellar doors, a cheese shop, chocolatier, and more before spending the evening at leisure.
You may like to relax on your balcony with a good book and a bottle of wine, enjoy the hotel's Grecian-style heated pool, spa, and sauna, or treat yourself to one of the dining options.
Day 11: Return to Sydney in time to tour magical Sydney Harbour. Cruise around the glistening harbour while you savour a delicious lunch with a strong focus on local produce and wines. Relax on the spacious deck as you cruise past iconic sights like the Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge and small secluded coves surrounded by multimillion-dollar waterfront homes. This evening is free for you to explore and discover one of Sydney’s local restaurants.
Included Dining: Breakfast, Lunch Accommodation: The Langham, Sydney.
Day 12: Wake up to a day at leisure in the harbour city of Sydney. There are so many sights to experience. You may choose to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge, take the ferry to Manly Beach, or explore some of the lesser-known interesting pockets of Sydney to see how the locals live. Late afternoon, join a VIP guided tour of the Sydney Opera House before a Celebration Dinner at Peter Gilmore’s Bennelong restaurant under the sails of the Opera House itself, the perfect location for our last meal together.
Included Dining: Breakfast, Dinner Accommodation: The Langham, Sydney.
Day 13: After breakfast, bid farewell to your fellow travellers and transfer to the airport for your onward journey.
Included Dining: Breakfast
