Australian Highlights

Welcome to Melbourne! On arrival you will be transferred to your hotel (flights to arrive prior to 12pm). Early evening join your Travel Director for a Welcome Reception and dinner on board the famous Colonial Tramcar Restaurant, for what is not only a culinary delight, but a trip into a little piece of Victoria's history. As you cruise the city streets of Melbourne, you'll enjoy a seasonal menu and quality Australian wines. It's a great opportunity to get to know everyone in a unique setting.

Explore Melbourne on a city sights tour then discover its eclectic little laneways, arcades, café society and fascinating street art on your Cultural Insight private walking tour. The rest of your day is free for you to do as you please. You may like to take an Optional Experience to Phillip Island to see the famous Penguin Parade on Summerland Beach or maybe you'd prefer to relax or even experience some of Melbourne's well-known food and culture.

Today is free for you to explore the delights of Melbourne. Consider a full day Optional Experience to the Great Ocean Road to discover the stunning coastline and the Twelve Apostles. Or maybe treat yourself to a theatre production or indulge in some world-class fare at one of the city's famous eateries.

Today you fly to Alice Springs. On arrival visit School of the Air and hear from a Local Specialist how it delivers education to children living in remote areas. Next stop is the Royal Flying Doctor Service, where you'll join a Local Specialist to learn how this facility provides a 'mantle of safety' to the people of the outback. This evening join us on a discovery tour at Earth Sanctuary World Nature Centre. Enjoy a Be My Guest dinner and afterwards hear from the Falzon brothers, Tom and Danny, about the sustainable lifestyle they have established.

Journey across rugged outback landscapes to Ayers Rock Resort. On arrival, travel to Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park to see the spectacular sunset. Enjoy nibbles and sparkling wine as Uluru (Ayers Rock) changes colour as the sun dips below the western horizon.

This morning, view the magical Uluru (Ayers Rock) sunrise. Afterwards, gain a Cultural Insight into the traditional owners of the land, the Anangu, as you tour the waterholes at the base of Uluru discovering ancient rock art and hearing stories of the Aboriginal Dreamtime. Travel through the desert plains to Kata Tjuta (the Olgas). Take a walk at Walpa Gorge and later experience a Kata Tjuta sunset with sparkling wine.

Join your Local Specialist Aboriginal artist for a fun introduction to Western Desert Art. Your Anangu artist will explain the meanings of their totems, before assisting you to complete your own painting to take home as a memento of your experience. In the afternoon you will fly from Ayers Rock to Cairns.

Spend your free day relaxing or exploring. Perhaps take an Optional Experience to Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park to discover the secrets of this ancient culture through theatre, didgeridoo and fire-making demonstrations and the famous Tjapukai dance. Or visit Hartley's Crocodile Adventures for an opportunity to encounter native Australian animals. You could travel to Kuranda, the 'village in the rainforest', on the historic Kuranda Scenic Railway and return to the lowlands above the breathtaking canopy of the Barron Gorge National Park through some of the oldest rainforest in the world on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.

Get ready for an experience of a lifetime when you board a high-speed catamaran and cruise out to the Great Barrier Reef. You can snorkel and view this natural living wonder up close (equipment provided) or stay dry and explore the stunning reef from the comfort of a semi-submersible craft, just one metre underwater. Enjoy a tropical buffet lunch before you return to Cairns. This evening you'll dine at a restaurant on the Cairns waterfront.

Today you will fly to Sydney. This evening is free for you to do as you wish. Your Travel Director will give you hints and tips on the best places to eat, and after dinner why not take a stroll around this famous harbour city.

A day of sightseeing around this stunning harbour city awaits! Join a Local Specialist for a guided tour of iconic Sydney Opera House before discovering Sydney's Eastern Suburbs and putting your feet in the sand on famous Bondi Beach. Then take to the water on a Captain Cook Lunch Cruise Regional Meal, sailing around the glistening harbour while you enjoy a fresh seasonal menu. Spend the rest of your day seeing the sights of your choice or relax and take a stroll around the harbour front. Maybe even take in a performance under the famous sails of the Sydney Opera House.

Enjoy a free day in exciting Sydney. Maybe take an Optional Experience to the spectacular Blue Mountains. You'll visit the charming village of Leura, see the famous Three Sisters rock formation and visit Featherdale Wildlife Park, where you can pat a cuddly koala. See our amazing Australian animals including kangaroos and crocodiles. Or if you've always wanted to climb Sydney Harbour Bridge, today could be your chance on a thrilling 'BridgeClimb'. Tonight celebrate your trip at a Farewell Dinner with your Travel Director and new-found friends at a waterfront restaurant.

This morning after breakfast say goodbye to your fellow travellers as your memorable holiday throughout Australia comes to an end. You will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight (flights anytime).