All the hotels during your holiday to Australia will be comfortable 3- or 4-star accommodation. All feature a restaurant and bar, most have a swimming pool and the guest rooms all have private facilities, TV, tea and coffee-making facilities and air-conditioning.
You will stay in the Perth Ambassador Hotel or similar in Perth, the Outback Pioneer Hotel or Desert Gardens Hotel in Ayers Rock, the Aurora Alice Springs or Lasseter’s Hotel & Casino in Alice Springs, the Cairns Queenslander Hotel or the Tropical Queenslander Hotel in Cairns, the Travelodge Wynward in Sydney, the Olims Hotel in Canberra, and the Travel Inn in Melbourne.
DAYS 1 & 2 UK/Perth
We fly overnight to Perth, arriving on Day 2, and transfer to our hotel for a four-night stay.
DAYS 3 – 5 Perth
Experience has shown us that our clients appreciate the opportunity to relax and rest after their flight, so we have allowed plenty of time for this and to explore Perth. The golden beaches, superb restaurants, lush green parks, stunning broad expanses of the Swan River and lovely warm climate give the visitor a fine introduction to the relaxed, contented lifestyle of modern day Australia. A half-day sightseeing tour is included during your stay. There are also plenty of fascinating optional excursions.
DAY 6 Ayers Rock
This morning we fly to Ayers Rock. During the afternoon we enjoy an excursion to the mysterious Olgas, a nearby range of 28 spectacular rock domes. Ayers Rock, situated in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, is one of the world’s most remarkable sights. This gigantic sandstone monolith remains the property of the Anangu tribe of the Northern Territory. The rock is two miles long, 1,000 feet high and six miles around the base. It changes colour dramatically with the light and is a quite wondrous sight at sunrise and sunset. This evening we watch the awe-inspiring sunset, and look forward to sunrise over Ayers Rock tomorrow.
DAY 7 Ayers Rock & Alice Springs
This morning we are up early to visit Ayers Rock for sunrise, when there is the chance for the more energetic to climb to the top! There is also a tour of the base to see the caves. During the afternoon we travel through the heart of Australia, stopping en route at a camel farm, where you may take a camel ride if you wish. Early evening arrival in Alice Springs where we stay for two nights.
DAYS 8 & 9 Alice Springs
Alice Springs is situated amid a vast area of natural springs and red desert. A half-day sightseeing tour is included, showing you the Flying Doctor Base, the Old Telegraph Station and the famous School of the Air (when open) to see the children being educated over the wireless. You can also join an optional excursion into the spectacular MacDonnell Range of mountains to see the Standley Chasm.
There will also be an opportunity to take a dawn balloon flight over the outback (weather permitting). Afternoon flight on Day 9 to Cairns, a lively seaside resort situated on the Great Barrier Reef, for a four-night stay.
DAY 10 The Great Barrier Reef
We include a full-day return trip by catamaran to Frankland Island on the Great Barrier Reef with lunch also included – an unforgettable experience. The Great Barrier Reef is variously described as the world’s largest living thing, the eighth wonder of the world and the marine equivalent of Ayers Rock. It is a stupendous 1,400-mile wonderland of breathtakingly beautiful coral and colourful marine life, studded with unspoilt tropical islands.
DAYS 11 & 12 Cairns
Now that you are halfway through your tour it’s time to relax and soak up some sunshine. Cairns enjoys an idyllic location, sandwiched between the ocean and lush green tropical forests. There are plenty of excursion possibilities. The most popular is a visit to the Atherton Tablelands, featuring a ride on the Kuranda Railway, which is widely regarded as one of the world’s most spectacular rail journeys.
DAY 13 Sydney
Early morning flight to Sydney for a four-night stay. On arrival we enjoy an included city sightseeing tour. Sydney is Australia’s biggest and most exciting city. The centre is surprisingly compact and can be explored easily on foot. We include a half-day sightseeing tour featuring Bondi Beach, Hyde Park, Darling Harbour and Mrs Macquarie’s Chair.
DAYS 14 – 16 Sydney
Free to enjoy the exciting atmosphere and sheer beauty of Australia’s premier city. Optional excursions include a drive to the Blue Mountains and Wildlife Park to see the koalas, possums, wombats and kangaroos, which you may well have already seen in the wild whilst in the outback. You can also enjoy a harbour cruise and tour of Sydney by night.
DAY 17 Canberra
We leave Sydney by coach for the drive to the beautifully landscaped capital city, Canberra for an overnight stay. Our included city sightseeing tour features the government buildings and the Prime Minister’s Lodge. En route to Canberra we stop at a sheep station for a sheep shearing demonstration.
DAY 18 Melbourne
This morning we visit the outstanding Australian War Memorial Museum. It houses a huge collection of relics, models and paintings and is a must for every visitor to Canberra. We then drive to Melbourne for a three-night stay.
This afternoon we enjoy an included city sightseeing tour. Colonial-style buildings, beautiful parks, wealthy garden suburbs, wide boulevards and trams make Melbourne the most European of Australia’s cities, with a sophisticated, more formal atmosphere. Here you can enjoy the finest restaurants in Australia.
DAYS 19 & 20 Melbourne
Free time in Melbourne today, or alternatively choose to visit Philip Island for the remarkable Penguin Parade.
DAYS 21 & 22 Melbourne/UK
We fly overnight and arrive back in the UK the following day.