Upon arrival in Melbourne this morning you will be met and transferred to your centrally located hotel. A little later on, meet your guide for this afternoon’s group city tour. On your tour, you will discover the diversity of this multi-cultural city. See historical buildings, beautiful gardens, and shopping areas famous for their restaurants and fashions. After pick up, your guide will drive you in and around the City, allowing you to visit such wonders as Federation Square, the MCG and our world-famous sports precinct. You will then travel over to St Patrick’s Cathedral, south to Albert Park Lake (Formula 1) and further again to St Kilda Beach. You can even take a stroll in the gardens and visit St Patrick’s Cathedral when permitted.

Your tour will finish by visiting Melbourne’s famous Eureka Tower. You can purchase a ticket on the day to scrape the sky, allowing you to see the awe-inspiring skyline at Eureka Skydeck 88 where you will be spoiled with 360-degree views of the City, Port Phillip Bay and out to the Dandenongs and the Yarra Valley.

Discover one of the many great restaurants in Melbourne for dinner this evening. Stay overnight for the next three nights.

Early this afternoon you will depart Melbourne to visit the beautiful township of Phillip Island. Your unforgettable day will commence with a visit to Moonlit Sanctuary Conservation Park where you are guaranteed plenty of close encounters with an array of Australian native animals like kangaroos, wombats, and echidnas.

Next, head to Phillip Island where time/season permitting, you will visit Woolamai Surf Beach to catch a glimpse of the awesome waves and die-hard surfers.

Following this, travel over to the dramatic west coast of the island. At the Nobbies, you will stroll along the boardwalk to experience the waves crashing along this dramatic coastline and perhaps spot a few seals and some penguin nests.

Finally, your Phillip Island Day Tour is not complete without its black-tie gala event: the Penguin Parade. It’s time to relax and let the show begin. The little penguins will waddle ashore, decked out in their tuxedos as they hurry off to find their burrows.

At the end of the evening, your guide will take you back to your Melbourne hotel.

Experience this majestic coastal drive in style with your small group and enjoy time to relax and fully appreciate the wonders of this world-famous touring of the Great Ocean Road route. Stay on the lookout for some very special animals including whales, dolphins, echidnas, and bandicoots. Your camera will get a good workout along this exciting journey where we will stop for plenty of photo opportunities.

To begin, your expert guide will collect you from your Melbourne hotel to commence your exciting road trip. Your first stop will be at the striking Split Point Lighthouse where you can take in the awe-inspiring scenery. You will have time to stroll along the wild beaches or otherwise, stop for a coffee (at own cost). Your next stop will be at Apollo Bay, a tranquil seaside town which is most noteworthy for its setting among the soft rolling hills. It offers a great selection of cafes and restaurants where you can enjoy some lunch (not included).

Following this, you will enjoy a walk in the forest in the Otway Ranges.

A truly unique day out capped off by a visit to the ancient rock formations of the Twelve Apostles, and Loch Ard Gorge.

Finally, you will be transferred back to the comfort of your hotel in Melbourne.

You will be transferred from your hotel to the airport this morning for your flight to Ayers Rock in Australia’s “Red Center.” On arrival, please utilize the courtesy AAT Kings shuttle service for the transfer to your hotel.

You will be picked up at your hotel this afternoon to begin your tour of Ayers Rock. Ayers Rock (Uluru), sacred to the Anangi aborigines, is an enormous monolith, rising 1,100 feet above the surrounding flat desert. The Olgas, also in Uluru National Park, are 36 individual rock domes, which may once have been a single dome many times the size of Ayers Rock.

Later this afternoon, enjoy an Olgas and Dunes tour, where your group guide will explain the nature of the desert and its development. A short walk to the dune lookout puts you in touch with your environment and lets you delight in the spectacular panoramic view of Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), a very sacred place to the aboriginal people. Stop at the Southern Dune Viewing Platform for panoramic views of Kata Tjuta, and Uluru in the distance. Then travel closer to Kata Tjuta, and from the Western lookout, you will learn about these mighty conglomerate domes and how they have eroded over millions of years.

Finally, take a short drive on the famous Great Central Road to the western boundary of the National Park, before returning to the resort, arriving back in time for any dinner experiences you may have planned. The spirituality of this amazing location embraces everyone who ventures here.

Early this morning, you will be picked up at your hotel before sunrise.  As you travel towards Uluru (Ayers Rock), its vast shape rises from the sand dunes in the early dawn highlighting its presence in this country.  Your group guide will take you to a special location to watch the sunrise over this amazing monolith.  You will learn the Creation stories of Liru (poisonous snake) and Kuniya (python) and hear about the Mala people.  After a picnic breakfast, you will visit Mutijulu Waterhole and then drive around the base of Uluru before returning to your hotel.

Tonight, dine under a million stars at the award-winning Sounds of Silence dinner. Travel out to a secluded dining setting in the middle of the desert with the sound of a lone didgeridoo filling the air as the sun slowly sets over the Kata Tjuta (Olgas) and Uluru. After dining on a gourmet feast of Australian delicacies such as kangaroo, barramundi, and buffalo, sit back and take in the wonder of the desert at night as an astronomer reveals to you the mysteries of the clear southern night skies.

This morning, please utilize the courtesy airport shuttle for your transfer from your hotel to the Ayers Rock Airport. At the airport, you will catch your flight to Alice Springs, the unassuming town that serves as the vital center of the enormous Central Outback. Upon arrival in Alice Springs, you will be met and transferred to the hotel.

This afternoon, you are free to see the sights of “The Alice” on your own and learn how the town got its name. Make a stop at the historic Alice Springs Telegraph Station, the original site of the first European settlement in Alice Springs.  The stone buildings have been restored, and give an idea of the harsh pioneering lifestyle of the first settlers in the early 1900s.  Or visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service to learn how this facility operates to provide medical care and education to the people of the isolated outback. Tour the Alice Springs Reptile Center, where you can see unique Central Australian reptiles such as the Perentie Lizard and the Thorny Devil.  You could end your tour of Alice Springs with a panoramic view from Anzac Hill, which overlooks Alice Springs and the West MacDonnell Ranges.

After breakfast this morning, you will begin a full day of touring the West MacDonnell Ranges . First, explore Simpsons Gap, known for its elusive rock wallabies and beautiful river red gum trees. Take a short nature walk on a path lined with cycads, ghost gum trees, acacias trees, and cypress pines to the majestic Angkerle, also known as Standley Chasm.  Here you’ll stop for morning tea. Next visit the Ochre Pits.

The next stop is at Ormiston Gorge for a sit-down lunch. On your way back to Alice Springs, stop to spend time at Ellery Creek Big Hole. This waterhole is one of Central Australia’s most pristine, so don’t forget your swimsuites in the warmer months!

The panoramic landscapes of the West MacDonnell Ranges are extraordinary for their immensity and the spectacular array of sunburnt oranges, maroons, and purples on display. These mighty ranges light up in brilliant oranges and reds at sunset on the return trip to Alice Springs.

Later this morning, you will be transferred to the airport in Alice Springs for your flight to Cairns, located in tropical Queensland. From here, you will be transferred to Port Douglas, about one hour north of the city, spending three nights in this area.

Your Wildlife Habitat is a 2-hour personalized private tour with amazing opportunities for you to interact with Australian animals. Take the local shuttle to the park. Enter the koala enclosure for one on one time, visit the Wildlife Care Centre to learn about wildlife rescue efforts, a private reptile presentation, and 1.5 hours with a wildlife keeper.

Spend a full day with a local Aboriginal tour guide, learning about the amazing relationships the Kuku Yalanji still have with their land. You will visit the majestic Daintree rainforest and coastal habitats learning about the environment, different foods and medicines utilized from nature, sample some bush tucker, collect shellfish and try traditional Aboriginal hunting practices, have a go at spear throwing and if you are lucky, catch a mud crab. Learn the history, culture, and traditions of the local Aboriginal people and the area. To complete the adventure cool off in a pristine freshwater stream.

You will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight. Connect to your flight home, or ask us about other options for extending your stay in Australia, Tasmania, or New Zealand.