Day 1: Welcome to Melbourne

On arrival you’ll be transferred to your hotel. This evening join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a welcome reception and dinner on board Melbourne's famous Colonial Tramcar Restaurant. It's a great opportunity to get to know everyone in a unique setting. 

Day 2: Melbourne

Explore Melbourne on a city sights tour then discover its eclectic little laneways, arcades, café society and fascinating street art on your private walking tour. The rest of your day is free for you to do as you please. You may like to take an optional experience to Phillip Island to see the famous Penguin Parade on Summerland Beach or maybe you'd prefer to relax or even experience some of Melbourne's well-known food and culture.

Day 3: Melbourne ‘Free Time’

Today is free for you to explore the delights of Melbourne. You may like to take a full day optional experience to the Great Ocean Road to discover the stunning coastline and the Twelve Apostles. Or maybe treat yourself to a theatre production or indulge in some world class fare at one of the city's famous eateries.

Today you fly to Alice Springs. On arrival visit the School of the Air and hear how it delivers education to children living in remote areas. Next stop is the Royal Flying Doctor Service, where you'll learn how this facility provides a 'mantle of safety' to the people of the outback. ‘You’re invited’ this evening to join us on a discovery tour at Earth Sanctuary World Nature Centre. Enjoy an Aussie barbecue dinner and afterwards hear from the Falzon brothers, Tom and Danny, about the sustainable lifestyle they have established.

Day 5: Alice Springs – Ayers Rock

Travel through the West MacDonnell and James Ranges and pause to view majestic Atila (Mt. Conner) often mistaken for Uluru, before arriving at Ayers Rock Resort. This afternoon is free for you to enjoy the resort’s facilities. Later, travel to the Uluru sunset viewing area. Witness and photograph the striking colour changes of Uluru at sunset while enjoying gourmet canapés and wine.

Day 6: Kata Tjuta (the Olgas)

This morning experience the magical Uluru (Ayers Rock) sunrise. Afterwards, gain an insight into the traditional owners of the land, the Anangu, as you tour the caves at the base of Uluru discovering ancient rock art and hearing stories of the Aboriginal Dreamtime. Travel through the desert plains to Kata Tjuta (the Olgas). Take a walk at Walpa Gorge and later experience a Kata Tjuta sunset while enjoying sparkling wine and nibbles.

Day 7: Ayers Rock – Cairns

Join a local Aboriginal artist for a fun introduction to Western Desert Art. Your Anangu artist will explain the meanings of their totems, before assisting you to complete your own painting to take home as a memento of your experience. In the afternoon you will fly from Ayers Rock to Cairns. Hotel: Hilton Hotel, Cairns, 3 nights. B

Day 8: Great Barrier Reef

Get ready for an experience of a lifetime - board a high speed catamaran and cruise out to the Great Barrier Reef. You can snorkel and view this natural living wonder up close (equipment provided) or stay dry and explore the stunning reef from the comfort of a semi-submersible craft, just one metre underwater. Enjoy a tropical buffet lunch before you return to Cairns. This evening you'll dine at Dundee's Restaurant on the Cairns waterfront. B L DW

Day 9: Cairns ‘Free Time’

Spend your free day relaxing or exploring. Perhaps take an optional experience to Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park to discover the secrets of this ancient culture through theatre, didgeridoo and firemaking demonstrations and the famous Tjapukai dance. Or visit Hartley's Crocodile Adventures for an opportunity to encounter native Australian animals. You could travel to Kuranda, the 'village in the rainforest', on the historic Kuranda Scenic Railway and return to the lowlands above the breathtaking canopy of the Barron Gorge National Park through some of the oldest rainforest in the world on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. B

Day 10: Cairns – Sydney

Spend time at Cairns Wildlife Dome, where you'll have the chance to see some Australian wildlife, including the cuddly koala. Later, you'll fly from Cairns to Sydney where you will have a free evening to do as you please.

Day 11: Sydney

A day of sightseeing around this stunning harbour city awaits! Join a local guide for a guided tour of the iconic Sydney Opera House before discovering Sydney's Eastern Suburbs and putting your feet in the sand on famous Bondi Beach. Then take to the water on a Captain Cook highlight lunch cruise, sailing around the glistening harbour while you enjoy a fresh seasonal menu. Spend the rest of your day seeing the sights of your choice or relax and take a stroll around the harbour front. Maybe even take an optional experience to see a performance under the famous sails of the Sydney Opera House.

Day 12: Sydney ‘Free Time’

Enjoy a full free day in exciting Sydney. Maybe take an optional experience to the Blue Mountains to see the Three Sisters or climb the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge on a 'BridgeClimb'. Spend your last evening in Sydney at a farewell dinner with your Travel Director and new-found friends at a local restaurant by the water.

This morning after breakfast say goodbye to your fellow travellers as your memorable holiday throughout Australia comes to an end. You will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight.