Complete Australia image
Operated by G Adventures

Complete Australia

From
Price on request
Duration
28 days
Countries
Australia
Activity
moderate

The adventure

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, wine tastings, 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.

At a glance

Duration
28 days
Route
Melbourne → Cairns
Countries
Australia
Activity level
moderate
Style
Beach & Islands, Culture & History, Food & Drink, National Parks & Wilderness, Rail Journeys, Sailing & Marine, Trekking & Hiking, Wildlife & Safari
Group size
Ask
Flights
Not included
Solo travellers
Welcome

Where you'll go

Complete Australia image

Day by day

A picturesque rural road winds through the rolling hills of the Australian countryside under a cloudy sky.
Your journey through

Australia

Day 1Arrival dayArrivalThere 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.
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.
Day 2Say hello to the Great Ocean Road
Say hello to the Great Ocean Road — arguably the most iconic road in all of Australia! You won’t even mind waking up early for views like the ones you’ll see as you drive to Port Campbell. Travel up the famous surf coast visiting quaint towns like Lorne and Apollo Bay en route. Get in touch with nature on an included rainforest walk in Great Otway NP. Then gaze in wonder and feel the wind whip through your hair as you admire the 12 Apostles, the kind of landmark that somehow finds a way to be more stunning in person than in photos.
Day 3Open your eyes in the laid-back coastal town…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 Indigenous 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.
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 Indigenous 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.
Day 4Skip sleeping in this morning to get out…
Skip sleeping in this morning to get out and about in Grampians National Park. Wander through lush forest, view the craggy sandstone Wonderland range in the distance, and examine impressive Indigenous rock art. Home to some pretty amazing scenic lookouts this national park will grant you with many photo opportunities so make sure those cameras are charged before heading into the thick of it all. Walk to the stunning Balconies for expansive views of the Victoria Valley below, then stop at one of the largest waterfalls in Victoria; Mackenzie Falls and watch the water cascading down cliff faces as it creates rainbows in the air. Close your eyes, breathe in the fresh air, and find peace in the moment. As the day winds down head to Adelaide with the group and find some nightlife to enjoy as the stars fill the sky.
Day 5Get ready to stuff your face…
Get ready to stuff your face in the food and wine capital of Australia; Adelaide. Wander the clean laneways and sample your way from place to place as the sun warms your skin. With an emerging art scene, natural beauty, interesting attractions, and incredible restaurants, Adelaide has tons to see and do. Get out and discover the hub of South Australia!
Day 6Enjoy a local food experience in the Clare ValleyHit the road in the morning. Admire scenic views across the Clare Valley and enjoy a local food experience featuring South Australia's best regional produce. Continue to Flinders Ranges.
Hit the road in the morning. Admire scenic views across the Clare Valley and enjoy a local food experience featuring South Australia's best regional produce. Continue to Flinders Ranges.
Day 7Explore Wilpena Pound
Explore Wilpena Pound, the heart of Flinders Ranges National Park, for a walk to a natural amphitheatre sacred to the Indigenous Adnyamathana people. Learn about Indigenous art and early settler history.
Day 8Travel from Flinders Ranges to Glendambo…
Travel from Flinders Ranges to Glendambo with a stop along the way at the salt lake of Lake Hart.
Day 9Travel to the town of Coober PedyTravel to the unique opal mining town of Coober Pedy, where people live underground to avoid the heat. A guided mine tour gives insight to the mining process and the importance of opal to the area. Overnight like the locals by sleeping in an underground hostel, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Travel to the unique opal mining town of Coober Pedy, where people live underground to avoid the heat. A guided mine tour gives insight to the mining process and the importance of opal to the area. Overnight like the locals by sleeping in an underground hostel, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Day 10Take in the vastness of the Outback…
Take in the vastness of the Outback on a driving day, then bed down in a swag (padded canvas bedroll) around a campfire and sleep under the Outback sky.
Day 11Enjoy a morning walk through the gorges…
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.
Day 12Enjoy the Mala Walk at Uluru to learn…The next morning, awake before sunrise to do the Mala Walk around part of the base of Uluru (Ayers Rock) while learning its significance to the local Indigenous people. 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.
The next morning, awake before sunrise to do the Mala Walk around part of the base of Uluru (Ayers Rock) while learning its significance to the local Indigenous people. 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.
Day 13Transfer to the airport and fly to Sydney
Transfer to the airport and fly to Sydney.
Day 14Enjoy a free day to explore Sydney
Enjoy a free day to explore Sydney. Opt to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge, hop on a jet boat ride through the harbour, or chill out at Bondi Beach.
Day 15Travel to the Hunter Valley for a wine…
Travel to the Hunter Valley for a wine tutorial before continuing on to Tamworth for a taste of Australian country living.
Day 16Travel over the Great Dividing Range to YambaContinue north, visiting Raspberry Lookout and Boundary Falls in Gibraltar National Park en route. Once in Yamba, head to the beach for a swim.
Continue north, visiting Raspberry Lookout and Boundary Falls in Gibraltar National Park en route. Once in Yamba, head to the beach for a swim.
Day 17Continue up the coast to Byron BayAfter 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. Options are abound — walk to the lighthouse (located on Australia's most easterly point) for a chance to see whales swimming off shore or hang ten with the locals after an included surfing lesson.
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. Options are abound — walk to the lighthouse (located on Australia's most easterly point) for a chance to see whales swimming off shore or hang ten with the locals after an included surfing lesson.
Day 18Enjoy free time to hit the beach, get a massage, or try sea kayakingThe 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.
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.
Day 19Venture north with your group to the capital…
Venture north with your group to the capital of Queensland; Brisbane. Pass by national parks, mountains, surfy enclaves, and endless stretches of sand bordering brilliant blue water. Feeling hungry? Grab a delicious pastry creation from the famous Yatala Pie shop, serving hungry patrons for 130 years. Word of advice… make sure those cameras are charged and ready. Experience a night out with the group in Queensland's capital.
Day 20Escape the city as you journey north up…
Escape the city as you journey north up the coast to the Noosa Everglades. Get ready for an evening surrounded by stunning wilderness in one of the most pristine wetlands in the world. Relax as you cruise along this "river of mirrors" and chow down with a delicious Aussie BBQ lunch before further exploring your surroundings. Grab a kayak to get up and personal with the dark, tranquil waters as you paddle through ancient landscapes and sub-tropical rainforest. Then relax around the lake or hike one of the trails to further appreciate the serenity that seeps from this unique landscape.
Day 21On your mark
On your mark...get set.... go! Travel by private vehicle and ferry with your group to reach K'gari (Fraser Island); for a true Aussie experience. K'gari (Fraser Island) is the largest sand island in the world and the only known place where rainforest grows on sand. Think pure paradise; with striking blue lakes, crystal clear creeks, giant dunes, and dense rainforests in a place truly unlike any other. Once on the island the group will go for a 4x4 tour, driving along over 100km of beach to get a sense of your surroundings. Then take a swim in Lake Mckenzie, or be on the lookout for wild Dingoes (this is one of the few places in Australia where you are able to see them).
Day 22Your second day on K'gari (Fraser Island) comes…
Your second day on K'gari (Fraser Island) comes with more free time to enjoy this paradise. In the morning continue exploring by 4x4 along wide stretches of pearly white beach and then duck into the shade of the forest to really appreciate the peaceful solitude that surrounds you. In the afternoon board an overnight train (get ready to post some ‘grams) north to Airlie Beach, where more sand, sun, and fun await you.
Day 23Awake as the train pulls to a stop…Great Barrier Reef
Explore the vibrant underwater world of a coral reef, teeming with colorful fish and marine life.Great Barrier Reef
Awake as the train pulls to a stop in your next destination. Hop out, stretch those legs, and head out for brunch with the group in Airlie Beach; home to the Whitsunday Islands and located on the Great Barrier Reef. Then head to the marina and embark on a maxi yacht which will be your home for the next two nights. Set sail to a secluded cove (we’re so excited for you) in the Whitsunday islands where you will drop anchor for the night. Our only advice; try not to pinch yourself too many times because no, this is not a dream, it is reality and we want you to experience it as best you can!
Map showing Great Barrier Reef
Day 24Remember those stranded-on-a-deserted island fantasies that we all…Great Barrier Reef
Explore the vibrant coral reef underwater in Australia, teeming with diverse marine life and stunning colors.Great Barrier Reef
Remember those stranded-on-a-deserted island fantasies that we all had growing up? (no, just us?) Either way get ready to relive that castaway dream as you hike to an island lookout over Whitehaven Beach (one of the most famous beaches in the world) and enjoy the views of powdery sand and the Coral Sea’s azure waters. You probably won’t ever want to leave. And you haven’t even gone below the surface yet! After some free time on the beach basking in the sun you’ll spend time as a group learning about the community efforts to protect and restore coral in the Great Barrier Reef before heading out to snorkel; over a Planeterra-supported coral garden. Then it’s off to another secluded tropical island spot where the group will anchor for the night.
Map showing Great Barrier Reef
Day 25Expected forecast today is
Expected forecast today is; peace, serenity, paradise, and lots of gorgeous views. You may want to pull out your phone or camera every chance you get, but try to refrain and simply enjoy the moment as you and the group continue sailing through the picturesque backdrop of the Whitsunday Islands. Swim, snorkel, or lounge on the boat deck before sailing to the resort town of Airlie Beach for a night on the town with your best adventure buds! Live it up because let’s face it, how often are you really in this kind of paradise?
Day 26With an early morning departureCairns
The 1907 School of Arts building with palm trees in Cairns, Queensland, Australia.Cairns
With an early morning departure, admire the scenery on the train ride north to Cairns.
Map showing Cairns
Day 27Cairns is quite the place to visit if…
Explore the tranquil tropical beach with clear turquoise waters and lush greenery at Dunk Island, Australia.Cairns
Cairns is quite the place to visit if you love warm weather (it would be headline news for the city’s temperature to drop much below 20°C (68°F)) and want to visit the Great Barrier Reef. Take advantage of a free day to book one of the many optional activities that will get you out in nature’s playground. Snorkel or dive in the Great Barrier Reef, get that adrenaline pumping by whitewater rafting, skydiving, or bungee jumping and cap it all off on a Big Night Out in Cairns with your fellow travellers. Drinks all around are well deserved after spending the day escaping your comfort zones.
Map showing Cairns
Day 28Departure dayDepartureDepart at any time.
Depart at any time.

Discover Australia

A glimpse of the destination you'll explore.

Exotic Eucalyptus wandoo trees growing on sandy terrain against cloudless sunset sky in Yathong Nature Reserve
Discover the serene beauty of a winding country road under a clear blue sky with distant mountain views.
A picturesque meadow under a bright sky with Tasmania's lush landscape and distant mountains.
Serene sunrise over Cape Le Grand, capturing tranquil waters and golden hues.
Explore the breathtaking limestone rock formations along the rugged coast of Western Australia.
Operated by G Adventures

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