OverView
Iconic cities, famous landmarks and natural wonders are yours to discover on an incredible journey from Melbourne to Cairns.
Highlights
- Return indirect flights from Heathrow with Qantas Airways via Singapore
- 20 nightsin 3 & 4-star hotels plus 2 nights in flight
- 23meals:19 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2dinners including welcome dinner and drink
- Local flavours: AuthenticAussie bush barbecue
- Just YouTour Manager as your host & Specialist Local Guides
- A dedicated Just You representative to greet you at all UK airports
- Use of an airport lounge in the UK
- Overseas transfers & other transportation
- Porterage
Itineraries
- Days 1 & 2 UK – Melbourne
- You'll depart on your scheduled flight to Melbourne, arriving in the early hours of day 3.
- Day 3 Melbourne
- On arrival in Melbourne early this morning, we'll transfer you to your hotel. Spend the rest of the day at leisure, settling in and exploring this vibrant city at your own pace.
- Day 4 Melbourne
- Enjoy a tour of Melbourne this morning. Highlights include Federation Square, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Flinders Street Station and the Grand Prix Circuit that circles Albert Park Lake. Another stop is Fitzroy Gardens, which features pathways lined with towering elms, colourful floral displays and the Fairies' Tree sculpture – a centuries-old tree stump featuring delightful carvings.
This evening get to know your travelling companions better over a welcome drink and dinner.
- Day 5 Melbourne – at Leisure
- You can spend a further day at leisure, making your own discoveries. Alternatively, you might be tempted to join an optional excursion to Phillip Island, to see the remarkable penguin parade. At sunset, after a hard day's fishing, hundreds of these delightful creatures – the world's smallest penguin – appear from out of the ocean and waddle their way across the beach to their sand dune burrows. You can take in this marvellous spectacle from special viewing stands and boardwalks, which give you the chance to get up close to nature.
- Day 6 Melbourne – Warrnambool
- Your journey to Warrnambool today takes you along one of the most spectacular coastal routes in the world, the Great Ocean Road. As you go you'll see the Twelve Apostles, although only eight of these towering limestone stacks remain, the Arch and many other fantastic rock formations.
- Day 7 Warrnambool – Adelaide
- We'll depart Warrnambool today and travel further along the coast to Adelaide.
- Day 8 Adelaide
- We'll start the day with a tour of Adelaide's main highlights, including the cricket and football stadium, the Adelaide Oval, broad expanses of lush parkland and the imposing St Peter's Cathedral.
Next, we continue to the Barossa Valley, which is famous for its wines. At the Jacobs Creek visitor centre we'll stop for a tasting and lunch. We'll also taste wines at the award-winning Wolf Blass winery.
- Day 9 Adelaide – at Leisure
- Today has been left free for you to soak up Adelaide's sights independently or in the company of your fellow travellers.
- Day 10 Adelaide – Alice Springs
- Your tour now continues as we head to Australia's Red Centre, and the outback town of Alice Springs.
- Day 11 Alice Springs
- A fascinating tour today will introduce you to the Flying Doctor Base and the old Telegraph Station, the original site of the first European settlement in central Australia, which is now a museum. Depending on timings we'll also visit the famous School of the Air.
This evening attend an Aussie bush barbecue – a fantastic included highlight where you can sample traditional cuisine. This is an authentic experience that really sums up the spirit of the Australian Outback. The fun starts at sunset as we take to the road to try to spot kangaroos. Before you eat you can try your hand at boomerang throwing, and afterwards you can indulge in a spot of star-gazing.
- Day 12 Alice Springs – Uluru
- We take to the road today and journey to Ayers Rock, or Uluru, situated in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. This huge sandstone monolith, which is two miles long, 1,000ft high and measures six miles around the base, is a majestic sight and one of the world's most treasured natural wonders. It is a wondrous sight at any time of day, but even more so at sunrise and sunset, when its colours change dramatically. You will have the chance to admire Uluru at both of these magical times.
This evening you can enjoy an optional visit to the impressive Field of Light installation.
- Day 13 Uluru – Sydney
- We will visit Uluru as the sun rises this morning. We will also have the very special opportunity to step into some of the caves in the base of the rock and admire the fascinating Aboriginal art that graces the walls. Off in the distance you will spot the mysterious Kata Tjuta, or the Olgas, a range of 36 spectacular rock domes. Later we will fly to Sydney via Alice Springs.
- Day 14 Sydney
- Our included sightseeing tour will show you Sydney's highlights, including the world-famous Harbour Bridge and Opera House, which dominate the vast and picturesque harbour. Other memorable sights include Bondi Beach, Hyde Park, Darling Harbour and Mrs Macquarie's Chair. This huge sandstone rock was hand-carved by convicts in the shape of a bench for Governor Macquarie's wife, Elizabeth, in 1810. It's a great vantage point, so take a few minutes to enjoy the view.
After your tour, you could join an optional hour-long cruise around the harbour.
- Day 15 Sydney – at Leisure
- If you choose to join today's optional excursion, you've a full day of thrills ahead. You head through the Blue Mountains, past the Three Sisters rock formation and along Jamieson Valley – Australia's answer to the Grand Canyon. Finally, you'll visit Scenic World, where you can opt to take a journey on the world's steepest incline railway into ancient rainforest, or enjoy a cable-car ride over the valley.
- Day 16 Sydney – Port Stephens – Port Macquarie
- We've a lovely journey along the coast this morning as we leave Sydney behind and head to Port Stephens. This idyllic coastal resort, known as the 'blue water paradise', is home to white-sand beaches, picturesque bays lapped by turquoise seas, and immense sand dunes. Enjoy some time at leisure here, lazing on the beach or maybe you'll choose to head off on an optional dolphin-watching cruise. Later, we'll continue to Port Macquarie.
- Day 17 Port Macquarie – Brisbane
- This morning, we'll take to the road once again, making our way along the coast to Byron Bay, famous for its beautiful beaches and laid-back surf culture. We'll stop here to admire its iconic lighthouse, which sits on a rocky headland.
We'll then continue along the stunning Gold Coast, renowned for its fabulous beaches, and on to Brisbane.
- Day 18 Brisbane – at Leisure
- You can spend today at leisure in Brisbane, or you could choose to join an optional excursion to North Stradbroke Island. Fondly known as Straddie by the locals, it is the world's second largest sand island at about 38km long and 11km wide. You can relax on the beach, or maybe head off on a bush walk, keeping an eye out for resident wildlife, including kangaroos, koalas and kookaburras – the largest member of the kingfisher family.
- Day 19 Brisbane – Port Douglas
- Enjoy a morning tour of Brisbane, Queensland's cosmopolitan capital, which boasts spectacular architecture and is set on the Brisbane River.
This afternoon we'll fly to Cairns, transferring to Port Douglas on arrival. This picturesque resort boasts white-sand beaches and tropical rainforest, and it's your gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.
- Day 20 Great Barrier Reef
- Today you have the chance to explore a whole new world on an included trip by catamaran to the outer Great Barrier Reef. Marine life comes incredibly close to the vessel, and you can experience the reef without getting wet from the comfort of a semi-submersible or an underwater observatory. Of course, you can also go snorkelling in this amazing underwater world all the equipment and guidance you need is provided, as well as lunch.
- Day 21 Port Douglas – at Leisure
- On this free day you can simply relax and soak up the sun in Port Douglas. However, if you want to see more, a ride on the Kuranda Railway is an option to see the Atherton Tablelands.
Your first stop will be the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, where you'll glide over and through heritage rainforest. After free time in the village of Kuranda, you'll take a journey on the Kuranda Scenic Railway, with the Barron Falls just one of the incredible highlights.
- Day 22 Cairns – UK
- Today we'll transfer to Cairns for our flight back to the UK.
- Day 23 UK
- You'll arrive back in the UK today.
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