Reefs and Rainforests (Start Cairns - until Sept 2012) View More Reviews

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Fly over the international date line on your way to Australia.

Check into the Rydges Esplanade Resort & meet your Contiki crew then we're off to town, so you can get a feel of the area you will be spending the next three nights. This evening get to know your new travel buddies over dinner, later on perhaps check out the Cairns night markets, or head out for a night on the town!

Resort

Meet up with the other Contiki travellers and your Tour Manager in Cairns. Then we hit the road and travel north to Port Douglas. Known for its idyllic white sands and palms trees, this resort town attracts both the rich & famous and travellers. You’ll soon see why.

Sticking to the coast, we follow the Coral Sea past remote beaches and gorgeous scenery to the lush, tropical Daintree Rainforest. Get back to nature as we walk through this UNESCO World Heritage listed site and head to a stunningly clear swimming-hole in Mossman Gorge, where you can cool off in the waters.

Tonight, get to know your group and Tour Manager over dinner at the resort in Cape Tribulation.

Resort Dinner

Discover Daintree National Park and its ancient rainforests today. Explore the lush greenery and incredibly colourful wildlife on an interpretive walk with your Local Guide, who’ll tell you about the plants and animals unique to this area. You’ll also learn about the Aboriginals’ beliefs and why this area is important to them.

Enjoy another swim in these fabulous outdoor surrounds at a swimming hole, before heading back to Cape Tribulation, where thick forests grow all the way down to the water’s edge. Keep your camera handy!

Resort Breakfast

After breakfast, we return to the popular traveller’s hub of Cairns where you can use your free time to explore the coastal town and local markets. With a colourful tropical setting, vibrant restaurant scene and happening nightlife, this gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and rainforests is one of Australia’s hottest destinations.

Resort Breakfast

Wake up to the warm waters of Cairns. For those who are keen for a fun and thrilling ride on the rapids of the Tully River, join our optional white-water rafting adventure activity with our professional Local Guides.

There are loads more activities available in Cairns like hot air ballooning, sky diving and bungy jumping – just ask your Tour Manager for some more info.

In your free time in the evening, walk around the buzzing night markets. It’s the perfect place for shopping and with everything from fun, kitsch treasures to local crafts like boomerangs and didgeridoos. There’s something for everyone.

There's another chance to experience the Great Barrier Reef on an optional day trip. Put on your snorkel gear and check out colourful fish, turtles, vivid coral and the incredible clear waters.

Later, hit the seaside esplanade back in Cairns, sit down with a coffee and people watch. For your last night with the group in this city, there’s a chance to head down to a local hot-spot for dinner if you’re up for it.

Resort

Relax on the coach with some tunes as we cruise past thick, tropical rainforests into Tully, home to some of Australia’s best whitewater rafting.

Slowly leaving the tropics behind us, we hit Townsville for some free time. Check out the colonial buildings and get a feel for its maritime past as we drive down the esplanade and into town where you can grab some lunch.

See vistas over Magnetic Island, a National Park and bird sanctuary, before we continue our travels south and board a boat out to stunning Daydream Island in the Whitsundays.

As we cruise, soak up the crystal clear waters, white sands and mountain peaks of the islands.

Resort Breakfast, Dinner

After an included continental breakfast, the first day is free to enjoy the picture-perfect Whitsundays.

If you’re keen to explore further afield and see the UNESCO listed Great Barrier Reef first hand, choose our optional trip to the Outer Barrier Reef. Our fun Local Guides will kit you out with snorkel gear and show you around this natural wonder.

Otherwise, slow the pace down, kick back and make the most of the fantastic facilities available at the resort. Go for a rainforest walk, swim in the pool, get into some beach or water sports, try your hand at fish-feeding, catch a film at the big outdoor cinema or laze about on the beach.

On the second day, get away from it all with our optional day sail. Check out some of the Whitsunday’s 74 islands from the boat - you’ll soon understand why this region is so famous. Experience what is known as one of the top ten beaches in the world, the uninhabited Whitehaven Beach.

Swim off the boat and play beach volleyball or cricket with the local skipper and crew before enjoying a tasty lunch and a few drinks on the way back to Daydream Island.

Resort Breakfast, Breakfast

Today you head back to the mainland, plug in you ipod or chat with friends as we drive through scenic Mackay, with countryside full of vibrant green vegetation and sugar cane plantations. Continue down the Capricorn Coast and head inland to an authentic country homestead, right in the heart of Queensland’s cattle country, for our overnight stay.

During our time at Langmorn, a working cattle station, you’ll experience a taste of real Aussie country life. The owners will show you around the enormous property in a behind-the-scenes look at daily life on the farm.

Taste local hospitality tonight as your welcoming hosts pile your table high with a hearty roast beef and vegetables (like you've never tasted before) followed by an indulgent home made decadent desert.

Later, have a go at whip cracking an authentic leather stock whip under night lights before heading back inside for traditional Aussie bush dancing. Have some fun and a giggle with some evening karaoke. See if you can spot the 'Southern Cross' amongst a chandelier of stars, a constellation only visible in the southern hemisphere & featured on the Australian flag.

Country Homestead Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast we drive back out to the coast and jump on board a ferry. Enjoy the cruise out to famous Fraser Island, where we’ll stay at an eco-lodge for our time here. Each cabin has its own kitchenette and living room, as well as a balcony – perfect for hanging out and listening to the sounds of the bush surrounding your lodge.

If you're done with the pool and spa, you could take a stroll along the sand, check out the busy crabs on their evening march up the beach or the fish that dart amongst the jetty pylons. Make yourself comfortable on the beach and take in a unique sunset over the water near the Jetty Hut.

Tonight, grab a bite to eat at one of the resort restaurants, then grab your dancing shoes and use the coloured chalk to write on the walls of the popular Dingo Bar.

Eco Lodge Breakfast

Experience a slice of paradise on Fraser Island this morning. This UNESCO World Heritage listed site is the largest sand island in the world and is 800,000 years old. Packed with around 40 fresh-water lakes, lush rainforests and diverse wildlife, Fraser Island lives up to its amazing reputation.

There’s a regular shuttle from our accommodation down to the main resort area so you can take off and explore at your own pace.

If you want to get a taste of the island action, there’s also the option of jumping on 4 wheels on a 4WD adventure through the island’s sandunes, rainforests & freshwater lakes. Our Local Guide will show you some of the island’s best spots and hidden treasures – make sure you keep your camera handy - this is one of Australia’s most beautiful regions.

Once we’re back on the mainland, Noosa is up next. It’s a trendy beach resort town. Have a chat to the locals and maybe get to know a surf lifesaver tonight at your included dinner at Noosa Surf Life Saving Club. Later if you want to take it up a level, head out into the town & explore Noosa by night.

Resort Breakfast, Dinner

There’s time to explore Noosa this morning so take a stroll through the shops or sunbathe and swim at the beach before we make our way south. We also stop off in Brisbane today. You’ll get a feel for the capital of Queensland’s laid-back atmosphere when we have a look around town.

Tonight we pull into legendary Surfers Paradise, the Gold Coast’s party hot spot and home to some of the best surfing beaches in the world.

Grab some of your new friends and join the party atmosphere of Surfers tonight. With loads of restaurants and buzzing nightlife, there’s something for everybody. Head to the happening Orchid or Cavill Avenues, where clubs and bars line the street or shoot some pool at the pub.

Resort

With a free day, hang out among the bronzed bodies, bikini babes and surfer dudes on the golden sands. Check out what Surfers is most famous for, the three kilometers of gorgeous natural beaches. Kick back and spot some locals showing off their talents in the waves.

If you want to get amongst the action there’s so much happening in Surfers Paradise you are spoilt for choice. You could head up into the Hinterland Mountains on a 4WD trip, visit South Stradbroke Island on a kayaking safari or spend all day at Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin's Zoo, Australia Zoo.

For adrenaline-junkies, there’s an optional tandem skydive or Tiger Moth biplane flight, where you can get your thrills and an amazing bird’s eye view over the Pacific Ocean and myriad of rivers and estuaries that make up the area.

Our hotel is only a short walk from both the beach and downtown Surfers Paradise so you could also hit the shops – Surfers has some great places to shop and a huge outlet mall for bargains, so get some tips from your Tour Manager on where’s best to head.

Hotel

This morning, we visit the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, where you’ll get up close to Australia’s amazing native animals. Cuddle a koala, feed the kangaroos and see wombats, emus, crocodiles, dingoes, Tasmanian devils and colourful birds. You can feel good about doing this too, as our visits to this not-for-profit organisation go towards the sanctuary’s animal hospital and help over 4000 injured animals every year.

Next up: cross the Queensland/New South Wales state boarder to one of Aussies not-to-be-missed spots - gorgeous Byron Bay. With a laid-back lifestyle, cute little shops, organic food, alternative therapies and around 30km of pretty beaches, it’s a must see. Byron Bay is situation on a marine park also known for its incredible marine life.

Head out to Cape Byron, the mainland Australia’s most easterly point and see the local pod of dolphins and if you’re lucky the seasonal humpback whales. Grab some lunch back in town and maybe take a swim at the beach.

There are loads of other things on offer here too, like a sea kayaking adventure where you catch up with a family of dolphins at Wategos beach, their curiosity often brings them right up next your kayak, and snorkeling at Middle reef home to turtles, rays, corals, eels, starfish and sharks.

Hostel Breakfast

This morning you’ll wake up to more good times in Byron Bay. Maybe head to the beach for a swim or a wander round town before it’s time to leave the chilled out atmosphere behind after lunch.

Later, there’s more beach action. Tonight we’ll stay in Coffs Harbour, home to surf beaches, fishing and banana plantations. This is a chance for a unique experience with our overnight Special Stay experience – we’re staying at a Surf Village!

This afternoon it’s time for an awesome Aussie experience - hit the waves & learn to surf with some professional instructors as you have a go at surfing! Join some of the coolest people on the planet as you get involved with Australia's beach culture. It’s a fun way to learn how to surf as our professional local instructors show you just how it’s done. Our cabins are right on the beach, so soak up the surf vibes, top up your tan and relax by the open fire under the stars tonight.

Surf Village Breakfast, Dinner

This morning, chill out on the coach and chat with your travel buddies as we head south. We pass the iconic Big Banana in Coffs Harbour, before heading to Port Macquarie for lunch. Relax & spend a last few hours with your travel buddies… it’s a chilled out day before reaching Sydney. From the high-energy downtown area to its popular beaches, Sydney has something for everyone. Get familiar with the city on a sightseeing tour with your Tour Manager. First up, we head into the historic Macquarie Street district, before we make a stop at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, a famous sandstone seat carved by convicts where you’ll get an overview of the glistening harbour. You’ll soon understand why this is one the world’s most beautiful harbour cities. See the sails of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Sydney Opera House and the iconic Harbour Bridge. We will pass the iconic ‘Coke Cola Sign’ and cruise along ‘the Strip’ of Kings Cross, and hear stories of the underbelly of Sydney’s Red Light District.

Hostel Breakfast

Say a final farewell to your new friends as your trip ends this morning.