Your itinerary
Day 1
Melbourne, Capital of Victoria
Arrive in Melbourne before noon and check into your hotel on the banks of the Yarra River. Meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers for dinner at a restaurant on the river’s South Wharf.
Meals: Dinner
Day 2
Uncover Melbourne's Laneways
Take a guided walk through Melbourne’s lanes, arcades, cafés and Victorian boulevards. Learn about Koorie peoples, cultures and communities on a guided cultural experience and walk. Spend the rest of the day at leisure, or optionally visit Phillip Island to watch Little Penguins return from the sea to their beach burrows.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 3
Tropical City of Cairns
Fly from Melbourne to Cairns. At Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures, join a Local Specialist for a private boat cruise to see crocodiles and learn about their habits, then help regenerate the Wangetti Valley rainforest. Return to Cairns for a free evening; seafood near the marina and the Cairns Night Markets are suggested options. A boxed breakfast is provided if departing Melbourne on an early flight.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 4
Great Barrier Reef, a Natural Wonder
Take a high-speed catamaran from Cairns for a full-day visit to the Great Barrier Reef. Snorkel with provided equipment or view the reef from a semi-submersible craft with an underwater observatory, and learn about its marine life from a local guide. Enjoy a buffet lunch, afternoon tea and coffee on board before cruising back to Cairns.
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch
Day 5
Cairns, All Yours to Enjoy
Spend a free day relaxing at the hotel pool, exploring Cairns or venturing farther afield. An optional excursion takes the Kuranda Scenic Railway past forests, gorges and waterfalls to Kuranda, with time for its trails, wildlife sanctuaries, shops and markets, before a return trip on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. Rejoin the group for dinner at Ochre Restaurant.
Meals: Breakfast,Dinner
Day 6
Breathtaking Sydney
Travel from Cairns to Sydney and settle into your centrally located hotel. You could walk to Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair for views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. The evening is at leisure, with Circular Quay and the Rocks District suggested for exploring.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 7
Savour the Sights of Sydney
Tour the Sydney Opera House, then visit Bondi Surf Life Saving Club behind the scenes with a local guide. Share a hosted lunch with a Surf Club member at Bondi RSL Club, overlooking the beach. Later, cruise Sydney Harbour for views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch
Day 8
Sydney Through Your Eyes
Explore Sydney independently. Optional choices include a trip to the Blue Mountains, a Sydney Harbour Bridge climb or a walk along the harbour foreshore through the Royal Botanic Garden. Celebrate the trip with a group dinner.
Meals: Breakfast,Dinner
Day 9
Farewell Sydney
Have breakfast, say farewell to your travel companions and transfer to Sydney Airport. Flights may depart at any time.
Meals: Breakfast
What’s included
What’s not included
Additional information
Sydney Opera House Guided Tour
Step inside the Sydney Opera House on a guided tour that reveals the ingenuity behind its iconic sails and world-class performance spaces. Hear backstage stories of premieres and virtuosos in one of the planet’s most recognizable cultural venues.
Learn how architect Jørn Utzon transformed a headland on Bennelong Point into a sculptural masterpiece of ceramic tiles and soaring vaults. Your guide explores the building’s acoustics, challenges of construction, and the creative energy it continues to inspire.
Sydney Harbour Sightseeing Cruise
Cruise Sydney Harbour for postcard views of the Harbour Bridge, Opera House, and glittering bays that scallop the shoreline. From the open deck, photograph ferries tracing wakes past Garden Island, Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, and Fort Denison.
Your crew sets the scene with stories of First Nations edges, convict beginnings, and modern maritime life. The shifting perspective from waterline to skyline captures the harbour’s theatre of sails, sandstone, and sea breezes.
Kuranda Scenic Railway & Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
Ride the heritage Kuranda Scenic Railway through Barron Gorge past waterfalls and rainforest to the village of Kuranda. Browse markets and wildlife spots before gliding back above the canopy on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.
Interpretive commentary brings the Wet Tropics World Heritage rainforest to life, from giant fig trees to Aboriginal stories of Country. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.
Bondi Surf Life Saving Club Behind-the-Scenes & Be My Guest Lunch
Head to Bondi Beach for a behind-the-scenes visit to Australia’s oldest surf lifesaving club, hosted by a club member. Learn how patrols read rips, set the flags, and keep swimmers safe on one of the world’s most storied strands.
Continue across the road for a Be My Guest lunch at the Bondi RSL, with sweeping Pacific views. Swap stories with your host and taste Sydney’s coastal lifestyle where surf culture, community, and sea air meet.
Melbourne Laneways Walking Tour
Explore Melbourne’s creative heart as you join a guided walk through its eclectic laneways and historic arcades. Pause where baristas pull silky espresso, admire ever-changing murals in Hosier Lane, and browse independent boutiques beneath ornate skylights in the Block Arcade.
Gain insight into a city shaped by gold-rush grandeur and a coffee culture that fuels its artistic spirit. Hear how 19th-century Victorian facades frame today’s street art and small bars, creating a layered urban tapestry of heritage and contemporary expression.
First Peoples Cultural Gallery & Birrarung Walk (MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®)
Discover living Aboriginal culture on a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience</strong) with a guided visit to a not-for-profit First Peoples arts and cultural gallery. View significant works and artifacts while hearing stories that bring language, Country, and identity into sharp focus.
Continue with a short guided walk along the Birrarung (Yarra River), learning about the waterways’ role for the Kulin Nation. Your guide shares perspectives on seasonal foodways, trade routes, and the resilience of culture in modern Melbourne.
Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures Cruise & Wangetti Valley Conservation
Glide through a coastal wetland on a private wildlife cruise at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures, watching powerful saltwater crocs surface from tannin-dark water as expert guides decode their behavior and the ecosystem they rule.
Contribute hands-on to habitat restoration in the Wangetti Valley by helping regenerate native rainforest species. This purposeful activity supports biodiversity corridors and underscores a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience that links wildlife conservation with traditional and scientific knowledge.
Great Barrier Reef Catamaran Cruise & Snorkeling
Cruise the Great Barrier Reef by high-speed catamaran to a coral cay or outer-reef site within this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Slip on provided gear to snorkel among coral gardens alive with parrotfish and angelfish, or view the reef via semi-submersible for a dry-foot perspective.
Onboard marine experts share insights into coral polyps, reef resilience, and symbiosis. A buffet lunch and refreshments between swims let you savour tropical breezes and turquoise horizons before the return across sunlit waters.
Yarra River Welcome Dinner, South Wharf
Begin your journey as you meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a relaxed dinner on South Wharf on the Yarra. Share first impressions over seasonal dishes that showcase modern Australian flavours in a vibrant riverfront setting.
Floor-to-ceiling views frame the city’s skyline views while your host outlines the days ahead. It’s a convivial start that sets the tone for easy conversation and a sense of place anchored by Melbourne’s culinary confidence.
Cairns Dinner at Ochre Restaurant
Dine on the waterfront at Ochre, where chefs champion local produce and Australian native ingredients. Expect bright tropical flavours and dishes that might weave lemon myrtle, wattleseed, or reef-fresh seafood into contemporary plates.
Set beside Trinity Inlet on the Cairns waterfront, the restaurant’s menu reflects Far North Queensland’s seasonal larder. Enjoy regional wines or a cool craft brew as your group toasts a day of reef or rainforest discovery.
Phillip Island Penguin Parade Evening
Travel to Phillip Island for the twilight Penguin Parade, where Little Penguins waddle ashore after a day at sea. From boardwalks and tiered viewing platforms, watch their determined shuffle to sandy burrows.
Ranger commentary illuminates the species’ lifecycle and the conservation work protecting the Summerland Peninsula. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; warm layers and a camera for low-light photography are recommended.
Blue Mountains Scenic Day Trip
Venture into the UNESCO-listed Blue Mountains for sweeping lookouts over sandstone cliffs and forested valleys. At Echo Point and the Three Sisters, breathe eucalyptus-tinged air and learn how ancient geology and Dreaming stories shape the landscape.
Optional visits to scenic boardwalks or cableways reveal canyons, waterfalls, and birdlife from new angles. This full-day excursion is at additional cost and bookable on tour.
Sydney Harbour BridgeClimb Summit
Clip in for a guided ascent to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge, traversing catwalks and ladders to the 134-metre summit. Celebrate with panoramic harbour views across sails, skyline, and Pacific horizon.
Your climb leader shares engineering history, safety tips, and local lore as the city unfurls below. All equipment is provided. This iconic adventure is at additional cost and bookable on tour.
Operated By
AAT Kings
Dining Summary
- 3 Dinner (D)
- 8 Breakfast (B)
- 2 Lunch (L)
