DETAILED ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrive in Brisbane

Arrive in Brisbane, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

Days 2 & 3: Explore Brisbane

Brisbane (‘Brissie’) is the capital of the sunshine state of Queensland. It is Australia’s third largest city, with a mild subtropical climate. Situated along the winding banks of the Brisbane River, it combines historic buildings with modern elegance and has many lush parklands and gardens.

The Cultural Precinct in South Bank is a wonderful family-friendly destination for a day out, with many excellent museums, galleries and performance venues. You can relax on the lush lawns of the South Bank Parklands along the riverfront, or take a ride on the Wheel of Brisbane. Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) occupies two adjacent but contrasting buildings along this waterfront. 

The Museum of Brisbane is housed in the City Hall, a heritage building situated in Adelaide Street, whilst the Queen Street Mall is an excellent shopping precinct.

A Brisbane River cruise is an excellent way to gain a fresh perspective of the city’s landmarks, including steel Story Bridge (which you can climb up and abseil down) and Kangaroo Point Cliffs. The cruise can also take you to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, where you can cuddle a koala and see other indigenous animals such as kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, dingoes, snakes, crocodiles, Tasmanian devils and platypuses. You can also see bird of prey flight demonstrations and sheep shearing.

The Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens are located 4.5 miles outside the city, at the foot of Brisbane's tallest mountain. The Mount Coot-tha lookout offers a breathtaking panorama over the area.

If you wish to explore outside the city, a wide variety of day tours are on offer ranging from the vast beaches of Surfers Paradise and the Gold Coast in the south, to Noosa Heads and the Sunshine Coast in the north. A 75 minute ferry ride from downtown Brisbane will take you to Moreton Island, with its azure waters and white sandy beaches, or visit North Stradbroke Island where you can swim, hike, view wild kangaroos and koalas and see whales from the beach in season. Alternatively head inland to the lush green mountains of the Springbrook and Tamborine Rainforest, with its natural bridge and glow worm cave.

Day 4: Ferry to Fraser Island

This morning take a shared transfer along the Sunshine Coast and board the ferry to Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world that is home to a diverse array of fauna and flora.

Days 5 & 6: Fraser Island

The next few days are free to explore spectacular Fraser Island, with its unique landscape of sand dunes, pristine beaches, rainforest, rivers and lakes.

Enjoy swimming in some of its freshwater lakes (there are over 1,00 of them) and look out for the island’s iconic wild resident – the dingo. Various optional excursions are available, including 4x4 tours to explore the rainforest.

Note: Swimming off Fraser Island is dangerous, as the riptides are very strong and sharks are routinely seen in the shallow waters.

Day 7: Ferry to Brisbane

Return by ferry to the mainland, and transfer along the coast to Brisbane for an overnight stay.

Day 8: Fly to Whitsunday Islands

This morning transfer to Brisbane airport for your flight to Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

Note: A variety of islands are available, at different prices.

Days 9 & 10: Whitsundays

At leisure to relax in the magical Whitsunday Islands, a sailing paradise surrounded by the Great Barrier Reef.

Consisting of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands, and stretching for over 2,300 km, this is the world's largest coral reef system. Enjoy swimming, snorkelling and diving amongst coral gardens filled with giant clams and colourful marine life.

Day 11: Fly to Cairns

Today leave the Whitsundays and fly to Cairns, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel in this tropical town in far northern Queensland.

Days 12: Cairns

At leisure to explore Cairns independently.

Cairns Esplanade is lined with bars and restaurants and has a swimming lagoon, whilst the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park tells the stories of indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with music and dance.

A variety of optional excursions are available including a day tour to Cape Tribulation and Daintree National Park, one of the oldest and most biodiverse tropical forests in the world. Spanning mountains, gorges and beaches, its towering emerald green tree canopy is home to a huge percentage of Australia’s animal population, including over 30% of all frogs and 65% of all butterflies and bats. There are over 430 different bird species, and over 12,000 insect species. Many of these are found nowhere else on earth, including the Ulysses butterfly, Boyd’s forest dragon (an arboreal lizard) and the southern cassowary (a large flightless bird). The plants are just as interesting, with over 3,000 species existing in the rainforest. If you take a wildlife cruise on the Daintree River, keep your eyes peeled for crocodiles.

Boat rides are also available to the Great Barrier Reef.

Day 13: Fly Home

Transfer to Cairns airport for your flight home.

PRICING

Price is based on two adults sharing en-suite accommodation on a room only basis, including all airport transfers and ferry to Fraser Island. International and domestic flights are not included and will be quoted separately.

We offer a choice of hotels at different prices, so please discuss your requirements with us. All hotels are subject to availability.

It is essential that you have personal holiday insurance. The FCO should also be consulted.