Australia Awaits

Itinerary

DAY 01: MELBOURNE

Arrive in Melbourne, consistently voted as the world's most livable city. Transfer to your hotel via private transfer, shuttle bus or taxi.

DAY 02: MELBOURNE

Start your trip in Melbourne at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. Explore the inner sanctum with the MCG Tour and don't leave the stadium before visiting the Australian Sports Museum. Follow the MCG tour with a free City Circle tram that runs throughout town, take in must-see attractions such as St Paul's Cathedral, Parliament House and the Royal Exhibition Building. Hop off the tram at Flagstaff Station and take a five-minute stroll to Queen Victoria Market. The market has been a Melbourne landmark for more than a century and offers an incredible range of local and imported gourmet foods. Grab a coffee from the many coffee shops and hop back on the tram to Federation Square. For the art and fashion lovers, do visit the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), walkable from Federation Square.

DAY 03: GREAT OCEAN ROAD

Day trip to the Great Ocean Road: Experience the rugged beauty along the south-west coast of Victoria by setting off along one of the world's most scenic coastal drives. Embark on a scenic drive from Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road and arrive at the wondrous 12 Apostles. Make sure you take a helicopter ride over the majestic Apostles. Rising out of the Southern Ocean, alongside Australia's famous Great Ocean Road, you'll find these spectacular, 45m (150ft) tall, limestone pillars that were once connected to the mainland cliffs. Stay overnight at Warrnambool, and don't miss the light and sound show. On your return leg, drive towards Ballarat and stop over at Sovereign Hill, it represents goldfields townships from the 1850s.

DAY 04: PHILIP ISLAND

Day trip to Philip Island: Take a little extra time to sleep off the exhaustion because today you will witness thousands of Little Penguins make their way home at sunset at the Phillip Island Penguin Parade. Please note the sunset timings differ in summers and winters, hence plan the day accordingly. You may also add a couple of activities that can be added at Philip Island; like a visit to Moonlit Sanctuary, Nobbies Centre, Amaze-n-things, Churchill Island to name a few. Or you can consider spending the first half of the day in Mornington Peninsula, tasting wines, and relaxing down at the Mornington Peninsula Hot Springs followed by the penguin parade in Philip Island.

DAY 05: SYDNEY

Arrive in Sydney and transfer to your hotel via private transfer, shuttle bus or taxi. Freshen-up, then head to the historic Rocks precinct. There are several quintessential-Sydney activities that you could participate in: Explore hidden alleyways, cobbled lanes and catch glimpses of the sparkling harbour as your animated Rocks Walking Tours guide brings the past to life with stories of Sydney's settlement. Bridge Climb gives you the opportunity to see Sydney from a high as you climb to the top for 360-degree views. Take a behind-the-scenes peak at the Sydney Opera House and spend half a day experiencing the wildlife, sea life and Madame Tussauds with Merlin Entertainment or visit Australian National Maritime Museum. Use the Hop-on, hop-off Sydney bus tours, to have the flexibility to plan your day, your way. Don't forget to end your trip with a dinner with a cruise.

DAY 06: BLUE MOUNTAINS

Day trip to the Blue Mountains: For a holiday centred around the outdoors, head to the Blue Mountains to marvel at impressive rock formations, potter around in quaint villages or explore epic wilderness. The foothills of the Blue Mountains are an easy one-hour drive west of Sydney, with the central Blue Mountains towns of Katoomba and Leura a further 30 minutes west.

DAY 07: PORT STEPHENS / JERVIS BAY

Day trip to Port Stephens: Discover Port Stephens' wonderful beaches and resident wild dolphins. You'll enjoy dolphin-watching cruises and parasailing on the sparkling blue waters. There are 26 sandy beaches, some sheltered in bays that are perfect for families as well as swimming, snorkeling. The towering Stockton sand dunes are great for quad-biking, horse-riding and sand tobogganing. AND/OR Day Trip to Jervis Bay: Enjoy a dolphin-watching cruise year-round in Jervis Bay. Take the spectacular White Sands Walk from Greenfield Beach to Hyams Beach.

DAY 08: CAIRNS

Arriving in Cairns. The region of Cairns is home to the iconic Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics World Heritage Rainforest, but the city of Cairns itself is also a must-visit. Escape to Kuranda. A spectacular way to travel to Kuranda is riding the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway from Cairns. For lunch one could walk down to the village at Kuranda and experience beautiful French cafe and buy some authentic Australian honey. Kuranda Koala Gardens is a wildlife park where you can visit wallabies, wombats and even crocodiles. After taking the Skyrail up to Kuranda, hop aboard the Kuranda Scenic Railway to make your way back down the mountain.

DAY 09: GREAT BARRIER REEF

Experience the Great Barrier Reef with a reef tour with Sunlover/ Quicksilver or Experience Co. Whether you've visited once or several times, the magic of the Great Barrier Reef never fades. Experience it in a new way with a private island picnic, an underwater scooter adventure or an up-close whale encounter. Stroll along Cairns Esplanade to experience open-air markets and popular al fresco cafes. If you want to make your trip a bit more adventurous, you can bungee jump and/or sky dive in Cairns.

DAY 10: GOLD COAST

Arrive in Gold Coast. How about get some wildlife experience? Visit Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary before you head to Surfer's Paradise. They don't call it the Gold Coast for nothing. Here you'll find more than 70 kilometres of golden sand with waves to catch, sun to soak up and seaside pubs to enjoy. There's more than one way to get sky-high in the Gold Coast. With a Sky Point, you'll catch unmissable views as you scale the outside of one of the Coast's most iconic buildings.

DAY 11 & 12: GOLD COAST THEME PARKS

Gold Coast Theme Parks: Gold Coast is the 'theme park capital of Australia' with plenty of choices to appeal to all ages. Dreamworld/ Movie World / Sea World/ Paradise Country Farm/ Wet 'n' Wild, you name it, we have it. The perfect way to end this day is, with a 3 course Indian meal and a show at the Australian Outback Spectacular!

DAY 13: GOLD COAST

Visit HOTA - Home of the Arts for an art gallery experience or take Hot air balloon experience combining it with glow worm tour/ rainforest tour in the hinterland region. It's a lot more fun if you end your day at a high with Paradise Jet boating experience!

DAY 14: TANGALOOMA ISLAND

No family vacation is complete without a day trip the Tangalooma Island resort. Just a 75 min catamaran ride from Brisbane, this is the perfect spot for ATV Quad Bike tours, desert safaris with sand tobogganing, Snorkelling the Tangalooma Wrecks to name a few. The star attraction at the Resort is hand feeding bottlenose dolphins! What a perfect way to end the day.

DAY 15: BRISBANE

Don't miss the opportunity to shop to your heart's content before you fly out of Brisbane! You cannot miss the view of the iconic Story Bridge. How about head to Howard Smith Wharves HSW for a meal. Situated right beneath the Story Bridge, HSW has become a riverside hub. Floating riverside bars, Greek, Italian and Japanese fine dining spots dotted along the boardwalk.