£5,750
Enjoy an amazing rail journey across the Red Centre of this vast continent. Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Cairns are all featured on this once in a lifetime Australian adventure that also takes us to the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru for a truly epic holiday experience.
- The Great Barrier Reef
- The Ghan & Alice Springs
- Kings Canyon
- Uluru & dinner under the stars
- Adelaide & Melbourne
- Great Ocean Road
- Phillip Island's Penguin Parade
- 4 scenic railways
- Barossa Valley wine tour
- Sydney & the Blue Mountains
We depart London in the evening for an overnight flight to Singapore and continue by air to Cairns, arriving early morning on Day 3 with a leisurely day ahead. We stay for three nights in Cairns at the Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort.
Today we travel on the wonderful 129-year old Kuranda Scenic Railway. Our journey takes us into the rainforest through a series of switchbacks and tunnels, above the Barron River Gorge to Kuranda. From here we take a trip on an amphibious 'Army Duck' through World Heritage Rainforest, before a barbeque lunch. We also enjoy an Aboriginal 'corroboree' with songs and dance and follow the path of the Dreamtime Walk through traditional legend. We return to Cairns by coach.
A real highlight of our holiday is today's Quicksilver Cruise to the Outer Barrier Reef with lunch included. Snorkelling is the best way to view the exquisite coral and vibrant fish close up, but our pontoon base also has a semi-submersible vessel to take non-swimmers for a cruise along the reef wall. The underwater observatory is a superb window into this extraordinary world!
We leave Cairns today and fly to the desert to Uluru (Ayers Rock). Uluru, the world's largest monolith, rises majestically more than 1,142 feet (348m) out of the flat desert floor and its perimeter, at the base, is 5.6 miles (9km). We begin at the Aboriginal Cultural Centre with a guided tour around this sacred site, which holds great spiritual significance to local Anangu people. Later, as the sun sets, we watch this giant rock change colour and enjoy a magical dinner under the stars. We spend the night at the Desert Gardens Hotel in the Ayers Rock Resort.
This morning we enjoy a 'Sunrise & Olgas' tour. This circular group of 36 red rocky domes cover a large area and are as mystical as Uluru. We later travel by coach to Watarrka and stay overnight at the Kings Canyon Resort.
On Day 8 we visit Kings Canyon, with its 984 foot (300m) sandstone walls. We then travel by coach to Alice Springs and stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. On Day 9 we visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the School of the Air. We join The Ghan for our epic rail journey travelling from Alice Springs to Adelaide. Named after the Afghan drivers of the camel 'trains', for over 70 years The Ghan has been the ultimate way to travel through Australia and is a mode of transport, a sightseeing trip and a hotel, all in one!
We travel to Adelaide across the barren landscape of the Red Centre. We leave The Ghan for a three night stay at the Majestic Roof Garden Hotel and enjoy a city tour of colonial highlights including Government House and the Parliament building.
On Day 11 we explore the vineyards of the Barossa Valley by coach, with the chance to taste some superb wines. On Day 12 you are free to explore at leisure or take an optional excursion (payable locally) to Kangaroo Island. On Day 13 we leave Adelaide and journey to Melbourne, Australia's 'Garden State', on board The Overland. We check into Melbourne's Swanston Grand Mercure for a relaxing four-night stay.
Our city tour on Day 14 includes the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Parliament House. In the afternoon we join the Puffing Billy steam train for a journey through the rainforest and fern gullies of the Dandenong Ranges. On Day 15 we travel along one of the world's most scenic roads, the Great Ocean Road, to the Twelve Apostles, Bells Beach and the Otway Rainforest. We end our tour in the city of Warrnambool, where we catch the train back to Melbourne. On Day 16 you are free until mid afternoon, when we head by coach to Phillip Island. We visit the Koala Conservation Centre and watch the wonderful spectacle of the wild fairy penguins emerging from the sea and crossing the sand to their burrows in the dunes (numbers vary depending on the season).
We leave Melbourne on the CountryLink XTP on Day 17 travelling through Victoria and New South Wales to Sydney. We spend four nights at the Amora Jamison. We take a cruise around stunning Sydney harbour on Day 18, taking in marvellous views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
We take the train on Day 19 towards the Blue Mountains. Our guided tour of this area includes the Three Sisters rock formation, a cable car trip and a journey on the Katoomba Scenic Railway, plus an excursion on the historic Zig Zag Steam Railway. On Day 20 you have a free day to explore Sydney at your own pace.
On Day 21 you are free for last-minute sightseeing before we catch an evening flight via Singapore to London, arriving early on Day 22.
Combine holidays to Australia and New Zealand. Depart on Feb 1 to Australia then join the New Zealand Feb 21 departure. Price on application.
01904 521 936
The Australia and the Ghan tour has it all - the sea, the centre and the cities!
After a few days in Queensland going in to the rainforest and out to the Great Barrier Reef, a short plane journey takes you to the Red Centre and to what for many is the highlight of the holiday.
Having dinner under the stars and watching the sun set over Uluru, or Ayers Rock as it used to be called, is a magical experience. The geography, geology and empty vastness of the area are unique. After three nights, the new experiences continue with an overnight journey on the Ghan down to Adelaide. A train journey like no other!
The days in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney provide opportunities for more adventures, from a scenic drive along the Great Ocean Road to travel on the Puffing Billy steam train. As expected, penguins, kangaroos, koalas and many other examples of Australian wildlife all appear along the way! Add to this all the opportunities which great cities offer and you will be hard pressed to find a tour which in 22 days manages to fit in such a wealth of experiences in this wonderful country.
John Gordon, Tour Manager