Grand Tour of Australia

Day 1: UK
Today you’ll depart on your scheduled flight to Perth.

Days 2 – 3: Perth
You will arrive in Perth in the early hours of day 3. You’ll stay here for four nights. A half-day sightseeing tour is included during your stay. Optional excursions include a cruise on the Swan River in Fremantle.

Days 4 – 5: Perth
Relax after your flight then explore at your leisure. Perth features golden beaches, superb restaurants, lush parks and a lovely warm climate.

Day 6: Darwin
Today, you’ll fly to Darwin – the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory and gateway to some of the fantastic natural landscapes and unique flora and fauna Australia has to offer. Enjoy an included city tour before checking in at your hotel for an overnight stay.

Day 7: Kakadu National Park
You’ll stay overnight in this stunning national park – and today, you’ll see waterbirds and crocodiles in their natural habitat as you cruise on the famous Yellow Waters Lagoon. You’ll take a ‘Jumping Crocodile Cruise’ on the Adelaide River, to witness giant crocodiles leaping from the water.

Day 8: Katherine
You’ll drive to Katherine and Nitmiluk National Park via the stunning Nourlangie Rock, where you’ll stay tonight.

Day 9: Darwin
Start today with a cruise through the Katherine Gorge, carved through ancient sandstone by the Katherine River. Find out more about the ancient rocks and caves decorated with Aboriginal rock paintings, as well as the area’s unique wildlife.

You’ll return to Darwin for an overnight stay.

Day 10: Alice Springs
You’ll fly to Alice Springs this morning to begin your two-night stay in this Outback town. A half-day tour is included, showing you the Flying Doctor base, the old telegraph station and – depending on the time of your visit – the famous School of the Air, which uses the Flying Doctor service and internet broadcasts to connect schoolchildren in remote locations.

Day 11: Alice Springs
Alice Springs is situated in an area of natural springs and red desert. Today, you can join an optional excursion into the MacDonnell Mountain Range to see the stunning Standley Chasm.

Day 12: Ayers Rock
Today you can take a camel ride if you wish. Camels were introduced into the Outback in the 19th century to help with the construction of transport routes across the desert, and as you travel through the heart of Australia, we’ll be stopping at a camel farm.

Arriving at Ayers Rock, you can take an afternoon excursion to the mysterious Olgas – striking, domed rocks looming large above the desert. At sunset, you’ll visit Ayers Rock itself. Watching the colour of the rock change as the sun goes down is the perfect finish to your day.

Day 13: Cairns
Visiting Ayers Rock for sunrise is an unmissable experience. You can also tour the base of the rock and view Aboriginal rock paintings. This afternoon, you’ll fly to the tropical city of Cairns to begin your four-night stay.

Day 14: Cairns
Explore a whole new world today on our included trip by catamaran to the outer Great Barrier Reef. It is a 1,400-mile wonderland of breathtakingly beautiful coral and colourful marine life, studded with unspoilt tropical islands.

Marine life comes incredibly close to the boat, meaning you can experience the reef without getting wet if you wish from the comfort of a semi-submersible submarine or an underwater observatory. Alternatively, you can go snorkelling – all the equipment is provided as well as lots of guidance from the crew. Lunch is included on today’s tour.

Days 15 – 16: Cairns
Relax and soak up the sun in Cairns, or take advantage of the wide range of excursions on offer – such as a ride on the Kuranda Railway. Regarded as one of the world’s most spectacular rail journeys, it will take you through lush tropical vegetation and past spectacular waterfalls.

Day 17: Sydney
The distinctive ‘sails’ of the Sydney Opera House await you today, as you fly to cosmopolitan Sydney for a four-night stay.

Day 18: Sydney
Our half-day tour of this beautiful harbour city takes in Bondi Beach, Darling Harbour and Mrs Macquarie’s Chair – exposed sandstone rock cut into the shape of a bench by convicts in 1810, as a gift to Governor Macquarie’s wife, Elizabeth.

Days 19 – 20: Sydney
Explore Sydney at your leisure, joining our optional excursions if you wish. These include a harbour cruise, a tour of Sydney by night and a trip to the beautiful Blue Mountains.

Day 21: Canberra
Today you’ll drive to Canberra for an overnight stay. An included tour features the government buildings and the Prime Minister’s lodge. En route, you will stop at a sheep station for a sheep-shearing demonstration followed by a barbecue lunch.

Day 22: Melbourne
After a morning visit to the Australian War Memorial Museum, you’ll continue to Melbourne for a three-night stay.

Your included city tour this afternoon will take in the Colonial-style buildings, wide boulevards and trams that give Melbourne a distinctly European feel. You will also see Captain Cook’s cottage and the old gaol where the notorious outlaw Ned Kelly was executed.

Days 23 – 24: Melbourne
There are many sightseeing and shopping possibilities in Melbourne and you are free to explore as you wish. You can also join our optional visit to Phillip Island, home to one of the largest colonies of little penguins in the world. Every sunset, these creatures emerge from the sea and waddle across the beach to their sand dune burrows in a delightful ‘penguin parade’.

Day 25: Warrnambool
Start your journey along one of the most spectacular coastal routes in the world, the Great Ocean Road, to see the Twelve Apostles, the Arch and many other fantastic rock formations. You will enter Port Campbell National Park, renowned for its ragged and spectacular coastal landscape, before continuing to Warrnambool for an overnight stay.

Day 26: Barossa Valley
his morning, you’ll depart for the drive to the Barossa Valley via Mount Gambier, with its stunning volcanic lakes and scenery. You’ll arrive at your hotel this evening for an overnight stay.

Day 27: Adelaide
Our included tour of the Barossa Valley, famous for its wines, features a visit to the famous Jacobs Creek visitor centre for wine-tasting and lunch. Then it’s on to Adelaide for a two-night stay, with an included afternoon tour of the city.

Day 28: Adelaide
Explore Adelaide at your own pace, perhaps taking in Adelaide Zoo or the distinctive architecture of Hahndorf, Australia’s oldest German community. There are plenty of shopping opportunities too, especially at Rundle Mall.

Day 29: Adelaide via Melbourne
Transfer to the airport for your flight to the UK, via Melbourne.

Day 30: UK
Arrival in the UK.

Please note

Accommodation throughout is in hotels of a comfortable standard, typical of the hotels you will stay in are:

4-star Travelodge Perth
4-star Mirambeena Resort Darwin
3.5-star Gagudju Crocodile Inn at Kakadu National Park
3-star All Seasons Katherine Hotel
3.5-star Aurora Alice Springs
3.5-star Outback Pioneer Hotel Ayers Rock
3.5-star Cairns Queenslander Hotel
3.5-star Travelodge Wynyard in Sydney.
3.5-star Mercure Canberra and in Melbourne
3.5-star Best Western The Travel Inn
3.5-star Sebel or 3-star Country Comfort Warrnambool Hotel
4-star Novotel Barossa Valley Resort
4-star Grand Chifley Adelaide
All hotels have a restaurant and a bar. All guest rooms have en suite facilities, TV and telephone and tea/coffee-making facilities.

All hotels will be confirmed in your final documentation.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Included excursions and visits

Perth sightseeing tour (half day)
Darwin city tour
Cruise on Yellow Waters Lagoon in Kakadu National Park
Jumping Crocodile cruise in Kakadu National Park
Visit to Nourlangie Rock in Kakadu National Park
Katherine Gorge cruise
Alice Springs sightseeing tour (half day)
Visit to camel farm
The Olgas visit
Ayers Rock caves visit
Great Barrier Reef catamaran trip
Sydney sightseeing tour (half day)
Sheep station visit
Canberra city tour
Australian War Memorial Museum
Melbourne sightseeing tour
Barossa Valley sightseeing tour
Jacobs Creek visitor centre visit with wine-tasting and lunch
Adelaide city tour

Optional excursions

Cruise on the Swan River, Fremantle
MacDonnell Mountain Range and Standley Chasm
Sydney harbour cruise
Sydney by Night tour
Blue Mountains
Phillip Island’s ‘penguin parade’

Your holiday includes

Scheduled flights and internal flights
Overseas transfers and other transportation
27 nights’ accommodation on a room-only basis, plus 3 lunches
The services of a Travelsphere Tour Manager
Hotel porterage (one bag per person)
All airport taxes and security charges
UK Airline Passenger Duty
All state and local taxes

With 50 years’ experience in arranging escorted tours to exciting destinations across the globe, Travelsphere have built an excellent reputation founded on quality and value.

By choosing a Travelsphere escorted holiday you can travel with confidence, knowing that every aspect of your holiday has been carefully planned and arranged from start to finish. Further to this they are ATOL bonded and members of ABTA.

Travelsphere’s thorough planning of travel arrangements, itineraries and accommodation combined with the unique insight of their knowledgeable Tour Managers and Local Guides will enable you to experience the culture, traditions and hidden away places less accessible to other travellers.

Our Opinion
“Travelsphere are one of the biggest names in the Escorted Tour market. Finely tuned over the last 50 years their tours have been tried, tested and refined by thousands of customers.”