Essential Australia: Sydney to Cairns

Arrive in Sydney (Gadigal Country), where a private driver transfers you to your hotel on Darling Harbor, your base for three nights. Sydney is a city defined by its sparkling harbor, relaxed outdoor lifestyle, and more than 70 beaches.

In the evening, enjoy a VIP tour beneath the sails of the Sydney Opera House, venturing backstage before the night's performances, followed by a two-course dinner with uninterrupted harborside views.

Accommodation for the next 3 nights at PARKROYAL Darling Harbour or similar 4* accommodation

See the best of Sydney on a morning panoramic tour, taking in the historic Rocks and its convict history, the Queen Victoria Building, elegant Paddington, and the coastal cliffs above Tamarama and Bronte. Continue on to the famous Bondi Beach for a beachfront walk, or a promenade beverage before returning to the city and concluding your tour.

In the afternoon, head out to explore the little-seen corners of Sydney Harbor on a lunch cruise aboard a luxury sports cruiser, slipping into secluded coves and national park waterways home to penguin and seal colonies. During the tour, enjoy lunch at the prestigious Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, host of the famous Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

As the day cools, cap it with a twilight climb to the summit of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, 134 m (440 ft) above the water, for 360-degree views from the Opera House to the Blue Mountains.

Enjoy a free morning to relax or explore Sydney at your own pace. In the afternoon, set out on a wildlife safari into the Southern Highlands, driving about 1.5 hours south to the countryside around Bowral.

Over a light lunch, learn about local conservation projects before spending the afternoon tracking native wildlife, with a good chance of spotting kangaroos, wombats, echidnas, platypus, and a host of colorful parrots. After sunset, red-tinted spotlights reveal nocturnal creatures like possums and sugar gliders in the trees before a casual dinner at a historic pub and the drive back to the city.

This morning, a private driver takes you to the airport for your flight north to Cairns, known as Gimuy and set on the shores of Trinity Bay (your flight is not included). Cairns is the gateway to two World Heritage treasures: the Great Barrier Reef offshore and the ancient rainforests of the Daintree to the north, both living cultural landscapes filled with sacred sites and story places.

On arrival, transfer to your modern waterfront hotel near the city center, your base for four nights, with a pool and gardens overlooking the Esplanade. 

Accommodation for the next 4 nights at Cairns Harbourside Hotel or similar 4* accommodation

Today, head out to the Great Barrier Reef on a full-day outer reef and snorkeling cruise. A high-performance 25 m (82 ft) catamaran sails to two outer reef locations, where you can snorkel among turtles, colorful fish, and an astonishing variety of corals, with guides on hand to help new or nervous snorkelers feel at ease. A marine naturalist presentation, buffet lunch, morning and afternoon tea, and all snorkeling and stingersuit gear are included, and diving is available at an additional cost (please inquire in advance). Soak up the sun on the decks between swims before cruising back to Cairns. 

Spend a free morning at leisure, then set out in the afternoon for the Atherton Tablelands, a region of lush tropical rainforest and volcanic crater lakes. Enjoy afternoon tea beside Lake Barrine and keep watch for musky rat-kangaroos, forest dragons, rainforest birds, and flying foxes, then head to a riverside viewing spot at dusk in search of the platypus.

After dinner at a country restaurant, a guided night walk into the World Heritage rainforest reveals its nocturnal residents, from the Lumholtz's tree-kangaroo to leaf-tailed geckos, possums, gliders, and owls. 

On todays full day adventure, travel north along the scenic coast via Mossman into the Daintree, the world's oldest surviving tropical rainforest. Cross the Daintree River for an informative cruise, then ascend the Alexandra Range to walk an elevated national park boardwalk, watching for the rare and striking Southern Cassowary.

Continue to Cape Tribulation, where the rainforest meets the reef, with time to stroll the beach and boardwalk to a lookout over the mountains and coast. A tropical-fruit ice cream stop and lunch round out the day before the return to Cairns. 

Your Australian discovery comes to an end today. A private driver collects you from your hotel for the transfer to Cairns Airport and your onward flight home, with plenty of unforgettable memories to take with you.