Complete Australia: Maxi Yachts & Mountains
28 days from Melbourne to Cairns
From $ 5699
Duration28 days
book now

Are you ready to completely slather yourself in all things Australia? Travel to the Land Down Under and spend a month exploring everything this island nation has to offer. Start in Melbourne and move on from there to national parks, the Outback, beach days, sea kayaking, sailing, and loads more. Get the total Oz experience with this all-encompassing tour, and, who knows, you might even acquire a taste for Vegemite by the end.

This tour is operated by

  • Duration: 28 days
    Service level: Basic
  • Starts in: Melbourne
    Physical Grading: Average
  • Ends in: Cairns
    Ages: 18+
Complete Australia - Tour Map

Itinerary

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Day 1: Melbourne

Start place: Melbourne

There are no planned activities during the day, so check into the hotel and explore the city. If you arrive early enough, head into the city to take in the 'cultural capital of Australia'. Get lost in the city's famous laneways, go on the hunt for the perfect flat white (hint: Melbourne loves its coffee shops), catch the tram to St. Kilda, or wander around the über-cool Fitzroy neighbourhood.
Arrive at any time. Please ensure to arrive before 7pm for an important group welcome meeting where you can meet your Chief Experience Officer (CEO) and the other group members.

End place: Melbourne

Day 2: Melbourne/Port Campbell

Start place: Melbourne

Depart early morning for the journey to Port Campbell. Check out the famous surf coast, visiting the towns of Lorne and Apollo Bay en route. Make a stop at Great Otway NP for an included rainforest walk. Explore the scenic attractions of the Great Ocean Road including the picturesque 12 Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge.
Travel past world-famous surf beaches along the Great Ocean Road. Enjoy views of the 12 Apostles and walk through the rainforest in Great Otway National Park.

End place: Port Campbell

Meals: B
Day 3: Port Campbell/Halls Gap

Start place: Port Campbell

Start the day visiting more attractions of the Great Ocean Road including The Arch and the now broken London Bridge. Visit Tower Hill State Wildlife Reserve for a chance to see animals endemic to Australia such as koalas, emus and kangaroos. Opt to visit an Aboriginal Cultural Centre to learn about the significance of the area to the indigenous people. End the day with an evening walk in the Grampians NP.
Visit the Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve en route to Grampians National Park, known for its sandstone mountain range and impressive rock art. Trek through the forest, lush with vegetation and wildlife.

End place: Halls Gap

Meals: B
Day 4: Halls Gap/Adelaide

Start place: Halls Gap

Early start to explore more of Grampians NP. Walk to the stunning Jaws of Death Balconies, visit MacKenzie's Falls, and travel onto Adelaide, the capital of South Australia.
Explore Grampians NP. Enjoy waterfalls, lakes and beautiful vistas. Later, travel to Adelaide.

End place: Adelaide

Meals: B
Day 5: Adelaide

Start place: Adelaide

If you're travelling between mid-September to late-April, opt to pre-book the "Dolphin Swim and Cruise" activity on the checkout page, to include this optional on your tour.
Enjoy a free day in Adelaide. Opt to take the tram to Glenelg beach, visit a nearby winery, grab lunch at the Central Market, or spend some time getting lost in the city. New travellers may join you for the rest of your adventure. You are welcome to join them at a group meeting this evening, followed by an optional dinner.

End place: Adelaide

Day 6: Adelaide/Ikara-Flinders Ranges

Start place: Adelaide

Hit the road in the morning. Admire scenic views across the Clare Valley and enjoy a local food experience featuring some of South Australia's best regional produce. Travel to the Ikara-Flinders Ranges, an ancient mountain range and your base for two nights.
Meals: B
Day 7: Ikara-Flinders Ranges

Start place: Flinders Ranges

Head to Wilpena Pound for a walk to a natural amphitheatre sacred to the Aboriginal Adnyamathana people. Learn about Aboriginal art and early settler history.

End place: Flinders Ranges

Meals: B, L, D
Day 8: Ikara-Flinders Ranges/Adelaide

Start place: Flinders Ranges

Journey back to Adelaide via the historic township of Quorn. Stop for a waterside lunch at Port Pirie.

End place: Adelaide

Meals: B
Day 9: Adelaide/Alice Springs

Start place: Adelaide

Board your flight to Alice Springs, gateway to the Red Centre of Australia. Relax this afternoon, or opt to visit the Royal Flying Doctors Museum or hike up ANZAC Hill.
Meals: B
Day 10: Alice Springs/Kings Creek
Opt to get up early for a hot air balloon flight, before departing Alice Springs to journey to Kings Canyon. Spend your first night under the stars in a true Aussie desert swag (padded canvas bedroll).

End place: Kings Creek

Meals: B, D
Day 11: Kings Creek/Uluru

Start place: Kings Creek

Enjoy the morning taking in the scenery or by going on an optional 6km walk through the gorges and valleys of Kings Canyon of Watarrka National Park.
Enjoy a morning walk through the gorges and valleys of Kings Canyon. Drive to Uluru, where Australia's most iconic view awaits. Experience the colourful sunset at Uluru while enjoying a glass of bubbly.

End place: Uluru

Meals: B, L, D
Day 12: Uluru

Start place: Uluru

This morning, awake before the sun so you can watch it rise over Uluru (Ayers Rock). Then, do the Mala Walk around part of the base of Uluru while learning its significance to the local Aboriginals. Visit the cultural centre to get a better understanding of the area.

Opt to pre-book the "Uluru & Kata Tjuta Helicopter Ride" activity on the checkout page ahead of time, to include this optional on your tour.
Enjoy the Mala Walk at Uluru to learn the importance of the rock to the Aboriginal Australians.

End place: Uluru

Meals: B, L
Day 13: Uluru/Sydney

Start place: Uluru

Transfer to the airport and fly to Sydney. Join a welcome meeting tonight to meet your CEO and travelling companions for the East Coast portion of your adventure.

End place: Sydney

Meals: B
Day 14: Sydney

Start place: Sydney

Opt to pre-book the "Sydney Bridge Climb" or "Sydney Adrenaline Bundle" activity on the checkout page ahead of time, to include one of these optionals on your tour.
Enjoy a free day to explore Sydney. Opt to chill out at Bondi Beach.

End place: Sydney

Day 15: Sydney/Arrawarra

Start place: Sydney

Today travel from Sydney to Spot X Surf Camp, hidden away in Arrawarra on the New South Wales North Coast. En route, stop at the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie to get insight into this unique native animal, and conservation efforts being made to protect it.

End place: Arrawarra

Meals: B, D
Day 16: Arrawarra

Start place: Arrawarra

This morning, hit the beach for an included surf lesson, before heading out on a kangaroo trek. Enjoy a free afternoon.

End place: Arrawarra

Meals: B, L, D
Day 17: Arrawarra/Byron Bay

Start place: Arrawarra

After breakfast, travel the coastal road to the stunning surf and arts town of Byron Bay. Enjoy plenty of free time to experience the hippie surfing town.
Enjoy a scenic drive from Arrawarra to Byron Bay, stopping at Cape Byron Lighthouse - the easternmost point in Australia. If you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse of migrating whales and pods of resident dolphins. After free time for lunch, check in to your accommodation for a relaxing two night stay.

End place: Byron Bay

Meals: B
Day 18: Byron Bay

Start place: Byron Bay

The free time is yours to explore. Walk along the long stunning beach, play in the surf, or simply hang out at the Byron Bay Brewery and people watch. Want to get your adrenaline pumping? Go skydiving, try sea kayaking, or go on a dolphin watch.

Opt to pre-book the "Byron Bay Ocean Kayaking" activity on the checkout page ahead of time, to include this optional on your tour.
Enjoy free time to hit the beach. Opt to get a massage.

End place: Byron Bay

Day 19: Byron Bay/Brisbane

Start place: Byron Bay

Travel north, and opt for a night out in Queensland's capital. Stop along the way to Brisbane for a quick break at one of the many surf spots such as the Gold Coast.

End place: Brisbane

Meals: B
Day 20: Brisbane/Noosa Everglades

Start place: Brisbane

Set off to the Noosa Everglades for an evening surrounded by stunning wilderness. Please note that due to operational reasons, this night and the following night may be reversed. All activities and inclusions will remain the same.

End place: Noosa River

Meals: B, L
Day 21: Noosa Everglades/Fraser Island

Start place: Noosa River

Once on the island, enjoy a 4x4 tour of Fraser Island, driving along over 100km of beach. Go for a swim in Lake McKenzie, and enjoy a rainforest walk along the way.
Travel by private vehicle and ferry to reach Fraser Island, the world's largest sand island. Explore the island by 22-seat 4x4 truck. While on Fraser Island, main luggage will be stored in a secure storage facility. Each person will need to pack an overnight bag with max weight of 5kg, as access to main luggage will not be available again until the next day. This is due to luggage capacity restrictions in 4x4 vehicles.

End place: Fraser Island

Meals: B
Day 22: Fraser Island/Airlie Beach

Start place: Fraser Island

Enjoy a morning of exploring by 4x4 to hit the remainder of Fraser Island's highlights, before hopping an overnight train north to Airlie Beach.

End place: Airlie Beach

Meals: B, L
Day 23: Airlie Beach/Whitsunday Islands

Start place: Airlie Beach

After arriving in Airlie Beach and some time for brunch, head to the marina and embark on a maxi yacht which will be our home for the next two nights. Set sail to a secluded cove in the Whitsunday Islands where you will drop anchor for the night.
Embark on a 3-day maxi yacht sailing adventure. Enjoy beach visits, island bush walks, and time to snorkel the reefs. Anchor off of secluded tropical islands at night.

End place: Whitsunday Islands

Meals: D
Day 24: Whitsunday Islands

Start place: Whitsunday Islands

The sailing route today allows us to follow part of Captain Cook's route up through the Whitsunday Islands.

Planeterra has partnered with Reef Ecologic, a nonprofit specialized in creating innovative solutions to challenges facing coral reefs. In the Whitsundays they are working to engage the community and travellers to restore the reef following the 2017 cyclone. Reef Ecologic's new coral gardens in the Whitsundays foster natural coral fragments to be replanted into the reef for a healthy marine environment.
Hike to an island lookout over Whitehaven Beach, known for its stunning white sand, then enjoy free time on the famous beach. Learn about community efforts to protect and restore coral in the Great Barrier Reef before heading out to snorkel over a Planeterra-supported coral garden. Anchor off of a secluded tropical island at night. Please note that snorkelling over the Reef Ecologic Coral Restoration project may occur on the first or last day of your Whitsunday Islands excursion, if weather conditions or tides are not ideal on this day.

End place: Whitsunday Islands

Meals: B, L, D
Day 25: Whitsunday Islands/Airlie Beach

Start place: Whitsunday Islands

After three days at sea, we sail back to Airlie Beach for a night on land in a local beach hostel. Feel free to relax by the pool at the end of the day.
Continue sailing through the gorgeous backdrop of the Whitsunday Islands. Sail to the resort town of Airlie Beach for a night on the town.

End place: Airlie Beach

Meals: B
Day 26: Airlie Beach/Cairns

Start place: Airlie Beach

Admire the scenery on the train north to Cairns. Get ready for an early morning wake-up today for the journey to Cairns. Make sure to stock up on snacks and bring personal entertainment – it may be one of the longer travel days on this trip, but it's worth it to reach The Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef!

End place: Cairns

Day 27: Cairns

Start place: Cairns

Opt to pre-book the "Great Barrier Reef Snorkelling" activity on the checkout page ahead of time, to include this optional on your tour.
Enjoy a free day to visit the Great Barrier Reef or get the adrenaline pumping by whitewater rafting or bungee jumping. Cap it all off with a Big Night Out in Cairns.

End place: Cairns

Day 28: Cairns

Start place: Cairns

Depart at any time.

End place: Cairns

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Inclusions

Included

  • Your G for Good Moment: Reef Ecologic Coral Restoration, Whitsunday Islands Your Welcome Moment: Meet Your CEO and Group Your Discover Moment: Adelaide Your Foodie Moment: Local Food Experience, Clare Valley Your Hands-On Moment: Surfing Lesson, Spot X Your Discover Moment: Byron Bay Your Discover Moment: Cairns Your Big Night Out Moment: Cairns
  • Rainforest walk in Great Otway National Park
  • 12 Apostles visit
  • Aboriginal cultural centre visit
  • Tower Hill Reserve visit
  • Champagne sunset viewing of Uluru
  • Mala Walk around Uluru and cultural centre visit
  • Hikes at Grampians National Park, Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) and Kings Canyon
  • Sydney orientation walk
  • Fraser Island 4x4 excursion
  • Entrance fees to Cooloola Recreation Area, Fraser Island/Great Sandy NP, Uluru NP, Ikara-Flinders Ranges, Grampians NP, 12 Apostles/Port Campbell NP
  • Noosa Everglades overnight excursion
  • Noosa Everglades canoeing excursion
  • Whitsunday Islands sailing excursion (3 days)
  • Whitehaven Beach visit
  • Koala hospital visit in Port Macquarie
  • Kangaroo trek in Arrawarra
  • Internal flights
  • All transport between destinations and to/from included activities

  • Transport

    Private vehicle, Train, Maxi yacht, 4x4 vehicle, Ferry, Plane, Walking

  • Accommodation

    Hostels (20 nts), Swag camping (3 nts), Maxi-yacht (2 nts), Cabin (1 nt), Overnight train (1 nt) All nights multi-share

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