Taste of Australia Tour

Australia Touring Highlights:

• Learn about Koorie peoples, cultures, and communities at the Koorie Heritage Trust
• Spot the crocs on Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures Wildlife River Cruise
• Tree Planting with Rainforest Rescue
• Cruise and snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef – a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Explore the flora and fauna of the Wet Tropics of Queensland – a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Guided tour of the Sydney Opera House
• Visit Bondi Surf Life Saving Club & Lunch at the Bondi RSL Club
• Cruise around Sydney Harbour and see the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sample Itinerary (Subject to Change):

Day 1: Arrive Melbourne, Australia

Welcome to Melbourne and Australia. This evening, join your group for dinner.

Day 2: Melbourne

Take a Melbourne city sightseeing tour that includes a guided walk through Melbourne’s hidden laneways. Gaze up at the beautiful Victorian façades lining grand boulevards. Stroll past famous street art that shows a stylish contrast to federation buildings and churches as Melbourne’s coffee aroma wafts overhead. Discover more of Melbourne at the Koorie Heritage Trust Gallery, learning about the Koorie peoples, cultures and communities. There’s time afterwards to explore the city on your own, enjoy an optional experience to Phillip Island to see the nightly ritual of the Penguin Parade (optional excursion, additional expense). Or simply relax and watch the world go by.

Day 3: Melbourne – Cairns

Fly to Cairns (Note: flight prices not included in this tour) in the heart of Tropical North Queensland. Jump aboard a cruise at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures to discover some of the wildlife that calls this part of the state home, koalas, wallabies and crocs among them. Now that you’ve appreciated the beauty of the area, put your passion into practice helping with a Rainforest Restoration project, to protect the natural wonder of the nearby Notophyll Vine Forest, an area older than the Amazon. By helping the team plant trees, you’re supporting the protection of this rare type of dry rainforest from development and restoring it to an important wildlife corridor of native birds.

Day 4: Great Barrier Reef

Go from city to sea today on a full day bucket list exploration of the world’s largest coral reef system, the Great Barrier Reef – also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Set sail on a high-speed catamaran for these tropical waters then explore this underwater wonderland up close donning your mask and fins for a snorkel (equipment provided). You’ll feel like a fish in an aquarium weaving through the rainbow of reefs and fish. Or you can choose to stay dry in a semi-submersible, air-conditioned craft with an underwater observatory. However you choose to explore, you’ll love learning the insights on the reef the colourful fish and plants that call it home from your local guide. On board you’ll enjoy a buffet lunch and afternoon tea and coffee to soak up the Aussie sun before you cruise back into Cairns.

Day 5: Cairns

Today you have a day at leisure in Cairns to do as you choose.  There are a number of great optional sightseeing tours (optional excursions, additional expense) such as Skyrail Rainforest Cableway to Kuranda over and through World Heritage rainforest, explore quaint Kuranda village and Kuranda Scenic Rail for a historic rail journey. If you’d prefer to spend the day relaxing by your hotel pool or sitting back at a local café you can do that too!  In the evening rejoin your travelling companions for dinner.

Day 6: Cairns – Sydney

After a leisurely morning, switch the tropical vibes to city highlights as you fly to Sydney (Note: flight prices not included in this tour). The day is at your leisure, check into your centrally located hotel and spend the rest of the day and evening exploring as you wish. You could visit Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair for views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge or the new Sydney Modern Art Gallery, which are both close by.

Day 7: Sydney

Sydney is home to many famous landmarks, with the Sydney Opera House being one of the most notable. Take a guided tour of this unique building to learn about its architecture and the renowned artists who have performed there. Next a visit to Bondi Beach and a special behind-the-scenes tour of Bondi Surf Life Saving Club. This members’ only club has granted us special access. You’ll be shown around the club and learn about the club’s history and lifesaving operations. Following this, your Surf Life Saving guide will host lunch at the Bondi RSL club with views across this famous beach and out to the Pacific Ocean. Afterwards, enjoy a Sydney Harbour cruise to view the Opera House from the water, along with sights like Circular Quay, Shark Island, impressive mansions, beaches, and parks. The cruise also takes you under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, offering a memorable experience.

Day 8: Sydney

Today is yours to explore at your leisure or book an activity (optional excursions, additional cost). There are so many sights and experiences to be had in this city and further afield. You might choose to visit the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains, for fresh mountain air and stunning scenery. Or get your adrenaline racing with a thrilling climb up (and over) the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This evening you can share your stories of your day with your fellow travellers at dinner.

Day 9: Depart Sydney, Australia

Your Australia tour comes to an end today. After breakfast, bid farewell to your fellow travel companions.

Ask our Destination Specialists about adding the best flights to this tour, or if you are looking for something else we have many other Australia and New Zealand guided tours to choose from.