Witness sunrise over Uluru from the wide desert lookout at Talinguru Nyakunytjaku, as the rock shifts from deep plum to burnished ochre in the cool morning air. Feel the hush of the Red Centre as first light washes the spinifex and mulga scrub.

Learn how the monolith is entwined with Anangu culture, its caves, waterholes and rock art holding stories passed down across generations. It’s a quiet, contemplative start that places you in the landscape’s rhythm and colour.

Fuel up at Kings Creek Station with a hearty Big BBQ brekkie cooked the Outback way. Tuck into a classic spread beneath wide skies on a working cattle and camel station that has supported travellers and stockmen for decades.

Chat with station hands and soak up the red-dirt surrounds as the morning warms. This flavoursome start brings a taste of pastoral life and sets the mood for a day of canyon country exploration.

Scale the iconic arches on a harnessed ascent to the 134-metre summit and drink in 360° views across Sydney. Follow expert leaders along catwalks and ladders as the harbour, Sydney Opera House sails and Pacific horizon unfold below.

Hear stories of engineering daring and city legends while the breeze lifts over the steel. This is a bucket-list perspective and a true skyline photo moment. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Paddle Byron Bay Marine Park on a guided kayak tour, scanning for bottlenose dolphins and sea turtles with the lighthouse as your backdrop. Learn paddle techniques, then slip over gentle swells to quiet coves and reefs.

Guides share marine life insights and seasonal whale-spotting tips (during migration). It’s an active, nature-rich way to experience the bay’s turquoise waters. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Board a 4WD for a full-day exploration of K’gari (Fraser Island), the world’s largest sand island. Float in the turquoise of Lake McKenzie, drive the 75 Mile Beach sand highway, and wander rainforest growing from pure sand at Central Station.

Spot dingoes, visit Eli Creek or the Maheno shipwreck as your guide unpacks natural and cultural history. Lunch included on tour. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Test your nerve at Australia’s original rainforest bungy site. Choose your style atop the tower, count down with your jump master and launch into a heart-pounding drop framed by tropical treetops.

Friends can cheer from viewing decks as you collect your certificate — and your heartbeat. Pure adrenaline in a lush setting. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Wander a desert installation of 50,000 glowing stems as Field of Light blooms beneath the night sky. Created by artist Bruce Munro, this immersive artwork ripples with changing colour against the silhouette of Uluru.

Guides share the inspiration behind the piece while you absorb the hush and shimmer of the illuminated dunes. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Glide along the base of Uluru on an easy-to-ride Segway, covering more ground while stopping at rock features, caves and Mutitjulu Waterhole. Guides highlight ancient rock art sites and share Anangu perspectives on Country.

It’s a fun, low-impact way to appreciate the textures and stories etched into the rock’s surface. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Visit The Farm Byron Bay for a hands-on look at regenerative agriculture and paddock-to-plate living. Meet the growers and producers, wander between orchards and veggie plots, and learn how heritage breeds and seasonal crops are nurtured using low-impact methods that prioritise soil health and biodiversity.

Sample what’s fresh from the fields and bakery as you discover why this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experience supports local food systems and community education. Expect honest flavours, open skies and an inspiring lesson in sustainable farming done the Byron way.

Explore the soaring domes of Kata Tjuta on guided walks through Walpa Gorge and the dramatic Valley of the Winds. Follow rocky paths between conglomerate boulders, feel cool breezes funnel through the chasms and watch for desert oaks and hardy wattles thriving in this arid world.

Hear how these towering domes formed over millions of years and why they hold deep cultural significance. The scenery is raw and monumental, rewarding hikers with sweeping Outback views and moments of rare stillness.

Join a guided hike into the sculpted sandstone of Kings Canyon. Traverse rim edges and natural stairways to gaze across beehive domes and ancient fissures before descending to the shady waterhole of the Garden of Eden, where cycads and ferns cluster around a cool oasis.

Hear about the canyon’s geology and fragile desert ecosystems as you pause for photos and reflection. The shifting light, echoing walls and sheer scale deliver Central Australia at its most dramatic.

Toast the day as you raise a glass at sunset with Uluru glowing crimson on the horizon. Nibbles in hand, capture the colour-changing monolith as the sky drifts from apricot to indigo and the desert cools.

Guides share stories and point out subtle shifts in hue and shadow that make every evening unique. It’s a simple, celebratory moment that frames the desert skyline at its most photogenic.

Experience a chef-guided bush food tutorial that introduces native ingredients such as lemon myrtle, wattleseed and finger lime. Smell, taste and learn traditional uses before sitting down to a flavour-packed dinner highlighting seasonal produce and native game.

Discover how Aboriginal knowledge underpins sustainable harvesting and respectful cooking. This cultural feast celebrates connection to Country and supports local producers, leaving you with recipes, stories and a new appreciation for Australia’s pantry.

Blast across the water on a high-speed jetboat, carving fishtails and 360° spins as the skyline races by. Skim past Circular Quay and Fort Denison, feel the spray and buzz with adrenaline on this fast-paced harbour adventure.

Skippers mix thrills with sightseeing, pointing out landmarks between manoeuvres for the perfect blend of speed and scenery. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Leap into a pure rush with a tandem jump, free-falling before the canopy opens to sweeping coast-to-harbour vistas. With expert instructors, feel the surge of 60-second freefall and the serenity of a glide back to earth.

Capture the ultimate brag-worthy footage and tick off an Australian adrenaline classic in style. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Grab a board and master the basics with local instructors on Byron’s gentle beach breaks. Practice your pop-up, ride whitewater and feel the buzz of your first glide at Main Beach or The Pass, framed by the Cape Byron Lighthouse.

Expect warm water, sandy bottoms and plenty of encouragement in Australia’s laid-back surf capital. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Salute the sun with a guided session overlooking the Pacific as morning light spills across Byron’s shoreline. Flow through stretches and breathwork to the sound of waves, finding calm focus before the day begins.

Teachers offer modifications for all levels, pairing mindful movement with that distinct salt-air serenity Byron is known for. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Ride through cool night air to quiet forested trails and discover glow-worm colonies shimmering like constellations in the dark. Guides light the way and explain the delicate lifecycle of these bioluminescent larvae.

Pause to listen for nocturnal birds and frogs, then roll back beneath starry skies. A gentle, otherworldly adventure after dusk. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Climb to Australia’s most easterly point for a pastel-hued dawn at the Cape Byron Lighthouse. Watch the Tasman Sea light up while waves fold onto beaches far below and dolphins trace arcs in the bay.

Learn about the 1901 beacon and coastal shipwreck tales as you capture that golden, cliff-top glow. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Glide through tea-tree-tinted waters in one of only two Everglades systems on Earth. Paddle beneath paperbarks and reeds as the mirrored surface reflects sky and forest, earning this place the nickname “River of Mirrors”.

Guides point out birdlife and explain how tannins shape this serene ecosystem within the Great Sandy Biosphere. A tranquil, muscle-powered escape into nature. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Zip across aquamarine seas to Whitehaven Beach, famed for its powder-fine, silica sands. Swim in clear shallows, stroll to Hill Inlet for swirling turquoise views and snorkel vibrant fringing reefs with guidance from the crew.

Learn about reef life, currents and conservation between beach time and reef stops. A sun-kissed Whitsundays classic. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Take the ultimate leap above a mosaic of islands and reef. Experience an electrifying freefall over the Whitsundays before a canopy glide reveals turquoise lagoons and coral cays in every direction.

Tandem instructors handle the details while you soak up the view — and the endorphins. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Board a small aircraft for a window-seat panorama of the islands, swirling sands of Hill Inlet and the perfectly formed Heart Reef. Your pilot traces reefs, lagoons and channels as the Great Barrier Reef unfolds in luminous colour.

It’s pure aerial theatre for photographers and dreamers alike, with live commentary throughout. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Journey into the world’s oldest tropical rainforest for a day of culture and nature. Join a welcoming smoking ceremony, hear Dreaming stories and create artwork with a local artist before walking boardwalks through the lush, ancient Daintree.

Guides share Kuku Yalanji perspectives on bush foods, medicines and river country as you explore. A meaningful blend of heritage and green wonder. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Cruise the calm waters of Trinity Inlet as mountain silhouettes fade and city lights twinkle on. Settle in on deck with a drink while mangrove-lined channels and the working harbour glide past.

Skippers share stories of Cairns’ pearling past and tropical tides as you relax into the evening breeze. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Sail to outer reef sites for guided snorkelling or introductory dives over coral gardens teeming with parrotfish, clownfish and giant clams. Learn reef ecology in onboard briefings, then slip into crystal-clear waters with attentive marine crew.

Between sessions, refuel on deck and scan for turtles gliding by luminous bommies. A signature encounter with the living Great Barrier Reef. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Glide above rainforest canopies on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, pausing at lookouts for sweeping views of Barron Falls. Explore artsy Kuranda village before descending the range aboard the heritage Kuranda Scenic Railway, spiralling through hand-cut tunnels and towering bridges.

It’s a nostalgic and nature-rich loop linking rainforest, river gorge and mountain scenery. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Paddle fast, laugh hard and thread through rapids with expert river guides. Choose the Barron for fun, accessible grade-3 action close to Cairns, or tackle the Tully for a full-day, higher-energy run through World Heritage rainforest.

All equipment and safety briefings included — just bring your spirit for splashy adventure. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Jump with seasoned pros for a reef-meets-rainforest panorama that defines Cairns from the sky. Feel the roar of freefall before drifting under canopy with coastline, cane fields and coral seas spread below.

Photo and video packages capture the grin you can’t wipe off. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Join a guided orientation walk through the heart of Sydney to soak in the foreshore buzz around Circular Quay, the historic lanes of The Rocks and the green calm of the Royal Botanic Garden. Snap the city’s most famous duo — the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge — from classic vantage points as your Trip Manager shares local tips and neighbourhood highlights.

Hear stories of Gadigal Country, early settlement, and the city’s surf-to-skyscraper lifestyle while you map out cafés, bars and beaches to revisit. It’s the perfect scene-setter to explore Sydney’s harbour, heritage and creative energy with confidence.

• 5 Breakfast (B)
• 4 Dinner (D)

• Sydney: A modular trip means fellow travellers will join and leave at various locations. There’ll be some goodbyes, sure, but there’ll also be plenty of hellos with new like-minded travellers.
• Sydney: Contiki acknowledges the Traditional and Torres Strait Island owners of the land, sea and waters of the spectacular Australian continent. Dual-naming reflects that, as we explore this remarkable land, we recognise and respect Indigenous custodianship of a unique, ancient culture and country.
• Yunbenun (Magnetic Island): During your 2-night stay in Magnetic Island, you’ll stay in multi-share rooms with the same sex even (if you’ve booked single or twin room for the trip duration). But if you’d like some privacy, you can request a paid upgrade to a single or twin room, but the confirmation would depend on availability.
• Gimuy (Cairns): It’s best to wait at least 24 hours after your last dive before flying.

• Sydney: Your Trip Manager will hand out a 2-day Opal Card on your first day of the trip. Which means, access to the city’s trains, buses, ferries and light rail. Beach this morning, harbour views by afternoon, hidden neighbourhoods by night – it’s all on the cards. 
• Sydney: The Opera House. ANZAC Memorial. Royal Botanic Gardens. It’s all here for you to post on social and make your friends jealous!
• Sydney: Step onto the golden stretch of one of the world’s most famous beaches. The ultimate sandy nirvana for sun worshippers. 
• Sydney: Passports at the ready folks.
• Noosa Everglades: The gateway to tree-lined waterways and ancient rainforests of Noosa Everglades. And if that doesn’t tempt you: there’s a micro-brewery onsite. 
• Noosa Everglades: We’ll say hey to Scottish cows and English pigs. We’ll explore a unique 80-acre farm, where the farmers share a passion for sustainability. We’ll sample food that’s grown using traditional methods and is 100% chemical-free. What ‘moo’ could you ask for?
• Noosa Everglades: Our Special Stay Eco Lodges are in the heart of the action. You may even have a jumping joey as a friendly neighbour.
• Brisbane: Time to take to the sky. Airlie Beach, here we come!
• Townsville: Catch a boat from the mainland to Magnetic Island.
• Magnetic Island: Pack some comfy shoes and climb up to Hawking’s Point for sundown. Yoga poses for Insta: optional. 
• Magnetic Island: Go koala-spotting, see WWII fortifications, or just have a beer in the sun. There’s something for everyone on this trail. 
• Magnetic Island: Mingle with Magnetic Island’s resident Rock Wallabies at dusk. Just watch these cheeky little guys don’t steal your wallet! 
• Magnetic Island: Catch a boat from Magnetic Island to the mainland. Wave goodbye to your new BFF Reggie the Koala and promise you’ll write. 
• Townsville: Things heat up as the landscape gets even more tropical. Soak up the scenery on this train trip from Townsville to Cairns. 
• Cairns: Eat like a local with this chef-guided bush food tutorial and dinner (thankfully, not a witchetty grub in sight!)
• Gimuy (Cairns): Time to take to the sky. Uluru, here we come!
• Uluru: Chill with your new BFFs over dinner at Uluru.
• Uluru: Start the day the right way – by enjoying the sunrise over Uluru. This should be on everyone’s #lifegoals list. 
• Kata Tjuta: Walk around this sacred site. See the Valley of the Winds and Walpa Gorge, with its towering domes that change colour in the sunlight. 
• Uluru: Does it get any better than a ‘Big Brekkie’ cooked up on the BBQ? We think not. 
• Uluru: Salute this sacred landmark with drinks and nibbles as you watch the sun set. A moment you’ll replay in your mind forever. 
• Kings Canyon: Climb the ‘stairway to heaven’ to the aptly named Garden of Eden, Kings Canyon.

Contiki