Walk into Walpa Gorge between two of the tallest domes of Kata Tjuta. The trail leads through a rocky corridor where towering walls frame the sky and desert plants find shelter in the gorge.

Kata Tjuta lies within Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and holds deep cultural significance for the Anangu. Its clustered domes form a striking contrast to Uluru’s single great form, making this walk a distinct encounter with Central Australia’s ancient landscape.

Cruise Sydney Harbour while enjoying a lunch menu focused on local food and wine. From the water, take in the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and the city’s shoreline from changing angles.

The harbour’s coves and headlands have shaped Sydney’s development and remain central to its daily life. Seeing the waterfront by boat gives a sense of the city’s scale, while lunch makes this a leisurely sightseeing experience rather than a simple crossing.

Ride the Kuranda Scenic Railway from the Cairns region to the rainforest village of Kuranda, crossing bridges and passing through tunnels on the historic route. Explore the village’s arts and crafts before travelling above the forest on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.

The pairing offers contrasting perspectives on the Wet Tropics: railway engineering through the mountains and a cableway view over the canopy. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Cruise the wetlands at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures to observe the habitat of saltwater crocodiles. The boat travels through Melaleuca wetlands, offering a perspective on the wildlife and vegetation of tropical North Queensland.

This visit is offered as an addition to the optional Kuranda excursion, pairing a rainforest journey with a wildlife encounter. Crocodiles are viewed in a managed setting rather than approached on foot. The experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

• 2 Dinner (D)
• 12 Breakfast (B)
• 3 Lunch (L)

• Guests should be comfortable with regular walking, standing and light hikes on uneven ground. This includes walking around Uluru’s base, short walks at Kata Tjuta, city sightseeing on foot, boarding boats for the Great Barrier Reef, and full days of touring with early starts.

• Day 1: Flights to arrive prior to 12 noon into Melbourne AirportDay 13: Flights to depart anytime from Sydney Airport
  Airport to Hotel transfers are available to purchase on request.
  Flights to and from your tour are not included in the tour price.
   
  Internal-holiday flights IncludedPlease note that prices include land and internal-holiday airfares, which AAT Kings will book to fulfil the holiday itinerary. Internal flights on this itinerary may operate with a stop or connection rather than direct.
  Day 4: Melbourne to Ayers RockDay 6: Ayers Rock to CairnsDay 9: Cairns to Sydney

• Comfortable walking shoes
  Warm layers in cooler months
  Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat
  Water bottle
  Camera

Watch sunset over Uluru from a viewpoint chosen by your guide, with a glass of bubbles in hand. As the light fades, the sandstone’s colour shifts through deep reds and purples against the open desert sky.

Uluru stands within Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, a World Heritage-listed landscape of profound significance to its Anangu Traditional Owners. The viewing offers time to appreciate the scale and changing appearance of this iconic rock formation.

See the first light reach Uluru before joining a guided tour at its base. Walk through the desert landscape and hear stories that introduce Anangu connections to the land and its distinctive features.

Uluru is more than a geological landmark: it is a living cultural place for the Anangu, whose knowledge and traditions shape its meaning. This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience brings cultural context to the rock’s immense presence.

Stroll along Bondi Beach and its promenade, with time to feel the sand underfoot and watch the activity along Sydney’s celebrated shoreline. Surfers, swimmers and walkers give the beachfront its distinctive rhythm.

Bondi is a gathering place as well as a postcard view, closely associated with Australia’s beach and surf culture. The walk offers a ground-level perspective on its broad curve of sand, rolling Pacific waves and lively coastal atmosphere.

AAT Kings

Meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers over dinner at a restaurant in Melbourne’s South Wharf district. A walk to the riverside venue offers a first look at the Yarra River and the city’s lively waterfront.

Once part of Melbourne’s working port, South Wharf now brings restaurants and public spaces to the river’s edge. The hosted meal offers a relaxed setting for conversation and a taste of the city’s dining culture.

Explore Melbourne with your Travel Director on a city sights tour featuring a private walk through its hidden laneways and arcades. Discover compact streets lined with cafés, small shops and the details that give the city its distinctive character.

Melbourne’s lanes grew around the nineteenth-century city grid and have become gathering places for coffee, art and independent businesses. Walking them reveals a more intimate side of the city than its broad central streets.

Meet an Anangu artist and try Aboriginal dot painting during an introduction to Western Desert art. Learn how symbols and totems can convey relationships with Country as you create a piece of your own.

This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience places the artwork in its cultural setting rather than treating its patterns as decoration alone. Hearing directly from an artist offers insight into a living practice and the significance of the stories it may express.

Cruise by catamaran to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns and explore its marine world. Snorkel among colourful reef fish, or view life below the surface from an underwater observatory and semi-submersible craft. A tropical buffet lunch is served onboard.

This World Heritage-listed reef system supports an extraordinary range of coral and marine species. The different viewing options offer ways to appreciate its underwater colours and movement, whether or not you choose to get into the water.

Step inside the Sydney Opera House on a private guided tour exploring its architecture and performance spaces. Hear how the building works as a venue and discover the ideas behind its unmistakable roof shells.

Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the Opera House opened in 1973 and stands on Bennelong Point overlooking Sydney Harbour. This tour goes beyond the familiar waterfront view to reveal the creative and engineering story of Australia’s best-known performing arts landmark.

Walk through Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden to the Art Gallery of New South Wales for a guided tour focused on First Nations and Australian art. Explore selected works with a guide before enjoying a hosted lunch infused with native Australian flavours.

The garden’s harbourside paths offer a leafy approach to an institution with collections spanning historical and contemporary art. Together, the tour and lunch offer perspectives on Australian creativity, cultural expression and ingredients connected to this place.

Watch the Penguin Parade on Phillip Island, where little penguins return from the sea at dusk and make their way ashore. This organised evening experience offers a chance to observe the nightly ritual from designated viewing areas.

Little penguins are the world’s smallest penguin species, and the Phillip Island colony is a celebrated example of wildlife close to Melbourne. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; sightings take place in a natural setting.

Travel along the Great Ocean Road on an excursion beyond Melbourne, following a celebrated stretch of Victoria’s southern coast. Take in changing views of the sea, coastal cliffs and landscapes along the winding route.

Built by returned servicemen and opened in stages during the twentieth century, the road is both a scenic drive and a memorial. The excursion is at additional cost and bookable on tour, offering a coastal contrast to Melbourne’s urban streets.

Explore Bruce Munro’s Field of Light in the pre-dawn desert near Uluru. Walk among approximately 50,000 illuminated stems, then view the installation from a sand dune as daylight reveals the surrounding landscape.

The artwork places a delicate pattern of colour against the wide Central Australian desert. Its appearance changes as the sky brightens, creating a distinctive encounter with both contemporary art and the setting. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Explore the Blue Mountains on an excursion from Sydney into a landscape of sandstone escarpments, forested valleys and waterfalls. Scenic viewpoints reveal the scale and layered terrain of this mountain region.

Part of the World Heritage-listed Greater Blue Mountains Area, the region is known for its eucalypt forests and dramatic geology. It offers a change of pace from Sydney’s harbour and beaches. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.