Best of Australia Vacation - Sydney & Cairns
This write-up is from our postponed trip from 2020 so prices will likely change. We are working on finalizing this trip

September 6th - 18th, 2022

5-nights in Sydney, 5-nights in Cairns, Domstic Air and Daily Breakfast - $2,450

International air is separate and listed below as an option

This will be our 5th visit to the "Land Down Under" and we're doing it right. Come join us as we explore this wonderful country and take in the best tours. This is the Australia trip you've been waiting for - with a fun group of singles to the 2 most interesting places in the country without a whole lot of moving around.  With this trip we will be spending 5-nights in Sydney, then 5-nights on Hamilton Island which is one of the Whitsunday Islands.

SYDNEY

We start off in Sydney where, over the coarse of 5 days, we'll have a chance to visit the top beaches and attractions. You will fall in love with this cosmopolitan city.  Surrounded by water, beautiful beaches and scenic parks everywhere you turn, it's beautiful. We'll start off with a nice city tour to visit the highlights of Sydney -  the Opera House & Harbour Bridge; see the shopping heart of the city; visit Sydney's trendy district of Oxford Street; travel through elegant Paddington with its terrace houses before arriving at the Pacific Ocean to see the superb coast cliff walk. We'll travel on to famous Bondi Beach, visit the beachfront promenade, enjoy a coffee or cool drink (at own cost) and see bronzed Aussie lifesavers & Sydney's best panoramic view.  We'll return to Sydney via Double Bay, Kings Cross & city centre.

We'll also organize an optional tour to experience the Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb.  You will need to wear suitable rubber soled shoes and be ready to wear special suits over your existing clothing. You will climb to the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge some 130 meters above sea level.

Another fun way to see Sydney is by bike. We've really had fun with this one. Check out my video!

On past trips we also chartered a beautiful sailing yacht for a Sydney Harbor cruise that was so much fun. We had some good music going, some wine and the most spectacular scenery all around us! We'll be doing this again for sure.

On another optional tour we'll spend the day heading outside the city to the famous Blue Mountains. This fantastic Ecotour makes our way to the Great Dividing Range of Australia. It is here we leave the ‘average’ Blue Mountains tourist behind & enter the National Park to unlock a piece of Australia you would never have known existed.  We visit an ancient Aboriginal site & outstanding lookouts; examine rock formations & the unusual plants & wildlife that abound the area. From the quaint little village of Leura we skirt around Cliff Drive to Katoomba where you will find yourself looking out over the magnificent Jamieson Valley (Australia’s Grand Canyon) & the Three Sisters. We enjoy a delicious barbeque lunch including a selection of fine Australian wines with a cheese platter under the canopy of the Australian bush. Before returning to Sydney we drop into a hidden valley where we roam the area, seeking out the many kangaroos that graze in the wild (conditions permitting). Reluctantly we leave the National Park passing through the Olympic 2000 site, arriving at your hotel around 5.30pm.

You'll have opportunities to take a seaplane tour, or go out jet-boating or you may want to take in a show or tour at the famous Opera House. There is so much to do in Sydney, this is not even scratching the surface!  Plus, if you enjoy nightlife, there's an abundance in Sydney and we'll be walking distance to much of it at The Rock's area. This is where it's really all happening, so that's where we want to be.

 

CAIRNS

No Australia trip is complete without spending some time at the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, which is Cairns. Again, we'll be staying at the Novotel Oasis, a 4-star hotel right in the heart of Cairns walking distance to the Esplanade where all the shops and restaurants are. We'll have snorkel and scuba trips set up as well as some more adventure tours.  Of course the diving is the best in the world, which I can vouch for. Unbelievable soft and hard corral and extremely clear turquoise water.  We will typically get quite a few divers on this trip, and you won't be disappointed. We'll take our divers and snorkelers to the most spectacular sites for the maximum number of hours on the outer Great Barrier Reef. In one day you will visit two magnificent sites where you will explore vast coral gardens, walls drop-offs, caverns and isolated pinnacles with an array of colorful marine life.

If you want the ultimate in rafting, you want an unforgettable day on the Tully River. The Tully is Australia¹s most famous one-day whitewater rafting experience. It¹s the North¹s guaranteed tropical white water, white-knuckle adventure.  On our Tully River full day trip, rafters can tackle over  45 extraordinary rapids. The magnificent waterfalls that cascade down the gorge walls through World Heritage Jurassic era rainforest provide an unforgettable backdrop.  November is an excellent time to raft, and the rapids are up to Grade 4.  Lots of excitement.  A person looking for a good, exciting time will absolutely love it.

We'll take another optional tour aboard the luxury "Ocean Spirit", a 105-foot sailing vessel - the largest of her kind in the world.  We'll take a sail/ cruise in the Great Barrier Reef to Michaelmas Cay, known as the Isle of the Birds, a year-round home to thousands of sea birds of some 14 different species. It is a spectacular coral reef that thrives in the ideal conditions of clear, shallow, sunlit water, and is home to a variety of marine life including giant clams and brilliant fish. Because Michaelmas Cay is a National Park, the fish are so tame you can feed them from the beach and birds know they are safe to wander among you with their chicks.  Divers will be able to put on some tanks and enjoy a very nice dive today as well. On our last trip, this was one of the most enjoyable days.     

Another tour that's set up is an Aboriginal Culture, Sky Rail and Rainforest tour. This breathtaking journey, on one of the world's most scenic train routes, will take us through hand-hewn tunnels and across bridges with amazing views. Stop at Barron Gorge to view the Falls before arriving at beautiful Kuranda Station. We'll have some time to explore the "Village in the Rainforest". Explore the markets or visit the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary and colorful Birdworld. We'll get on the Skyrail and enjoy the world's most beautiful rainforest experience. Glide over the Rainforest canopy and take advantage of the two stops en-route to a walk through the rainforest.

What else?  Well, of course along our journey you will have opportunities to see plenty of koala bears and kangaroo.

 

INCLUDES:

  • Domestic air (international air will be posted soon)
  • All ground transportation
  • 10-nights accommodations (double occ.)
  • Daily Breakfast
  • Departure Tax

 DOES NOT INCLUDE:

  • Optional tours
  • International air

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $850 (Will have private room and bath but will be sharing a living space on Hamilton Island).

 

OUR AIR:

We have secured 40 seats on Qantas Airways at a discounted group rate ($222.80 less per seat than the current individual rate). This is the only airline that flys to Hamilton Island so we don't see any other choice. You are welcome to purchase your own air but we highly recommend getting on these fllights. Please let us know by June 10th if you plan to use your own air. Once these 40 seats are claimed the cost will likely be significantly higher for air.

Flight:Qantas Airways 12 Departure: Los Angeles 06SEP/1055P Arrival:Sydney 08SEP/655A
Flight: Qantas Airways 578 Departure:Sydney 13SEP/915A Arrival:Hamilton Isl 13SEP/1145A **One daily service at the same time**
Flight: Qantas Airways 577 Departure:Hamilton Isl 18SEP/130P Arrival:Melbourne 18SEP/420P **Shortest connection**
Flight: Qantas Airways 93 Departure:Melbourne 18SEP/925P Arrival:Los Angeles 18SEP/645P
Base fare $1500 plus taxes $282.57 = $1782.57 (*Total Fare Estimate per seat with taxes and fees at time of booking*).


        Click here to see tentative itinerary with tours and approximate cost of tours

        See photos of our last Australia trip

HOTELS:

Sydney: Old Sydney Holiday Inn  4-1/2 star hotel right in The Rocks!  Awesome hotel! Check out the rooftop pool!
Tripadvisor review


Perfectly located for the best Sydney experience, Holiday Inn Old Sydney effortlessly combines new and world charm right in the historic Rocks district. The Rocks is a uniquely historical Australian quarter, where you can eat in restaurants located in some the oldest surviving buildings in Sydney. Set only a street back from Sydney Harbour, Holiday Inn Old Sydney is just a short stroll from the famous Harbour Bridge and Opera House, and hence ideally located for an unforgettable Sydney experience. Circular Quay is only just a few minutes' walk from the hotel, you can catch a ferry across Sydney Harbour to view local and exotic wildlife at Taronga Zoo or over to Manly beach. Native plants are on show at the 30-hectare Royal Botanic Gardens, located 300 metres away and stylish boutiques in the surrounding cosmopolitan Rocks precinct. Climb the outer arch of Sydney Harbour Bridge, metres away, for stunning views across Sydney. Arrive at Holiday Inn Old Sydney from Sydney Airport, only 15km away, and take a short 10 minute stroll to the city’s central business district, or the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, just 20 minutes away. Wireless Internet is available from your guest room, our Lobby Lounge Bar and the rooftop terrace. They say a picture paints a thousand words and, by day or night, there a magnificent views of the world’s most stunning harbor from the attractive rooftop pool and spa.

 

 

 

Hamilton Island: Oasis - Shorelines - Panorama - Blue Water - Tripadvisor review

We have secured 2- bedroom, fully equiped ocean view condos on Hamilton Island. You willl be sharing the living space but both bedrooms have their own bathrooms. These are the best selection of luxury serviced apartments and holiday homes on Hamilton Island, with options that cater for various group sizes. We have condos in 4 different complexes which are all nearby each other and even come with a 4-passenger "buggy" which is like an electric golf cart to go around the island with. The roommates will want to coordinate with each other on the tours and meals.

Breakfast is not included on this part of our trip as these are condos, not a hotel. You will want to either go to the harbor for breakfast or stock up at the market to eat breakfast at the condo.

 

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