Welcome to stylish and elegant Melbourne! (Flights to arrive prior to 12pm). You'll be transferred to your hotel located on the banks of the Yarra River before starting your travels on a high note, getting to know your Travel Director and fellow travellers over dinner at a popular restaurant on the waterfront, a picturesque welcome to your Australia highlights tour.
Hotel: Crowne Plaza
Start your first full day seeing the best of Melbourne that includes a private walk with your Travel Director sharing their in-depth knowledge of the city. You'll stroll past postcard-worthy Victorian architecture, arcades, and eclectic little laneways. As Melbourne's signature coffee aroma wafts through the air, head to grand Federation Square, filled with shops, galleries, and exhibits and home to many cultural events. Have a look at the nearby neighbouring 19-century neo-gothic cathedral, St Paul's. After a big morning getting acquainted with the city, you have the rest of the day free to explore more tempting haunts and eateries or join an Optional Experience such as a trip to Phillip Island to see the famous penguin parade. Here you'll watch the Little Penguins make their daily trip from the sea to their onshore burrows. It's a once in a lifetime wildlife viewing experience. Don't miss it!
Hotel: Crowne Plaza
You have a free day in Melbourne to explore as you like. Stroll this stylish city browsing antique shops, checking out Brunswick Street's quirky boutiques, and taking in the town at one of the many cafes or world class eateries. Foodies will want to be sure to visit the historic Queen Victoria Market stopping for nibbles at one of the many stalls. Or, perhaps exploring the city on foot with a History and Donuts Walking Tour is more your thing. If you'd rather venture outside of the city, join an Optional Experience taking the ultimate road trip on the Great Ocean Road. Driving along this stunning coastline, you'll be in awe of breathtaking scenery from one moment to the next. Admire the famous Twelve Apostles towering limestone formations jutting out of the sea against jagged cliffs. From sea-hugging structures to seaside towns, you'll also stop in the quaint town of Apollo Bay. Whether you adventure in the city or along the sea, there's so much to experience in Melbourne and its surroundings.
Hotel: Crowne Plaza
Get excited for a bucket list experience today as you depart Melbourne for Ayers Rock Resort, near the sacred ancient site of Uluru and your home for the next two days in Aussie's cultural heartland. You'll fly over dry salt lakes and red desert before your first of many mesmerizing encounters with Uluru in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. As the desert sun begins to set, you're treated to a classic Uluru sundowner: sparkling wine and light refreshments amidst the red dirt and blowing spinifex grasses as the Outback sky ignites in shades of red, yellow, and purple. Gazing at massive Uluru - which at 348 metres high is taller than the Eiffel Tower - you'll experience a kind of magical connection to the land. Relaxed and happy, you'll make your way to the Desert Gardens Hotel for a Stays with Stories experience. Surrounded by desert trees and distant Uluru, this indigenous-owned hotel showcases the natural beauty of the landscape. Stay in this evening or, after sunset, join an Optional Experience Uluru BBQ Dinner as you watch the changing desert colours and are treated to an informative star talk in one of the best places to view the southern night sky.
Hotel: Desert Gardens
Experience Uluru in a different light with magical sunrise. Savour every second as, hot cocoa in hand, the dawn makes its way across the desert and illuminates Uluru. After a grand start to the day, tour the base of Uluru with your Travel Director to learn about its ancient rock art hear stories of the Anangu, caretakers of this remote arid landscape, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experience. Later, an Anangu artist will explain just what makes it so spiritual over an introduction to Western Desert art, introducing totems and symbols important to the region and represented in paintings and installations, on another MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experience. The red desert follows you through the desert plains to Kata Tjuta. Explore it on a walk amidst its towering domes through Walpa ("wind") Gorge to a lookout. You're then treated to another stellar sunset from a different vantage point at Kata Tjuta. Without many of the crowds at Uluru, you may have the beauty of this hidden gem to yourself. A glass of sparkling wine with new travel mates in a beautiful setting is the perfect way to end your day.
Hotel: Desert Gardens
It's your last day in Uluru. Consider the Optional Experience kaleidoscopic Field of Light art installation of artist Bruce Munro. Witness the darkness of night change to a rainbow-coloured dawn lit up from a field of changing colours, with Uluru in the distance. You'll feel like you're walking through flowers in this totally unique Uluru sunrise, then as dawn continues to creep across the land, you'll end the experience watching the desert awaken over Uluru from the top of a sand dune. Head to your next stop, Cairns for a change of scenery and more beautiful sights.
Hotel: Hilton
We say farewell to Cairns flying south to Sydney and spend the afternoon and evening exploring the beauty of this harbour city. From your centrally located hotel, you can take a stroll around the waterfront at Circular Quay or visit one of the city's many pubs, bars, or restaurants. Sydney is walkable and offers something for everybody.
There's plenty to discover in Sydney today and you'll kick it off on a guided tour of the iconic Sydney Opera House with a Local Specialist, delving into the story of a building 'that changed the image of an entire country' and learning the history of this iconic structure. Then see the city from the water on a Sydney Harbour lunch cruise, enjoying a menu focusing on local food and wine. One icon to another: The world's most famous beach beckons this afternoon, with your chance to pad along the sand at Bondi with Sydney's beautiful people.
Enjoy a full free day to explore Sydney. Or consider joining an Optional Experience to discover even more further afield. You could take a day trip to the spectacular Blue Mountains, whose eucalypt haze you'll see looming in the distance, for fresh mountain air and stunning natural scenery. You'll see the famous Three Sisters rock formation - each of which stands over 900 metres high - and hear the Aboriginal legend behind these massive structures.
You're free to explore Sydney at your own pace. You might choose to walk along Circular Quay, browse local galleries and shops, or enjoy a coffee overlooking the harbour. For those keen to stretch their legs, the Rocks district offers cobbled laneways and convict-era buildings full of character. Late morning, walk through the Royal Botanic Garden to the Art Gallery of New South Wales and join a guided tour with a Local Specialist, who shares insights into First Nations and Australian art. Discover how artists express connection to land, story and identity. Later, toast to your journey and share a meal, enjoying the company of your fellow travellers and Travel Director.
It's been an incredible trip of wildlife, wild places, and stellar city sites but sadly your journey comes to a close today. Enjoy one last breakfast with your travel mates before saying goodbye before your transfer to Sydney Airport (flights anytime).
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