The Very Best of Australia

AN EXCLUSIVE 22 DAY FULLY ESCORTED TOUR - PRICES START FROM £3,775

Sydney and Melbourne’s glamour and glitter ... surf crashing on sweeping beaches ... the outback’s haunting splendour: on this tour you experience all the diverse wonders of this unique continent. Your adventure begins in beautiful Perth by the great Swan River before you fly to the very centre of the outback to see Uluru (Ayers Rock), a mighty dark red island mountain that looms suddenly out of the desert.

You visit the famous town of ‘Alice’, Melbourne and tropical Cairns. From there you explore the coral wonders of the Great Barrier Reef, before your memorable finale in one of the world’s most spectacular cities, Sydney.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

• Sightseeing tours in Singapore, Perth, Alice Springs, Melbourne and Sydney

• Visit the Olgas

• Sunrise at Uluru (Ayers Rock)

• Sounds of Silence sunset dinner

• Dinner onboard the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant

• Private guided walking tour of Cairns Botanic Gardens

• Day trip to the Great Barrier Reef

• Guided tour of Sydney Opera House

• Sydney Harbour lunch cruise

PRE-BOOKABLE HOLIDAY EXCURSIONS FROM £115 PER PERSON

Sydney Opera House Experience

Which would you prefer? Dinner at one of Sydney’s finest restaurants, or a sunset cruise on the harbour? That’s all you have to decide to create an evening that will live in your memory. It starts with a tour of the Opera House and ends with the performance of your choice, where you’re greeted on arrival and enjoy one of the best available seats in the House.

Prices from £172 per person

Uluru Helicopter Flight

Named by the Aboriginal Pitjantjatjara people, Uluru (Ayers Rock) is a listed World Heritage Site and a true spectacle to behold. So make the most of your visit to Australia and take a bird’s eye view of the magnificent red desert and its crowning glory.

Prices from £115 per person

Cairns Hot Air Ballooning

There’s nothing quite like the peace and tranquillity of viewing the picturesque landscape of the Tablelands at sunrise. Breathe in the wide open spaces before returning to earth, and the serenity of the Australian bush, and tuck into a well earned Champagne breakfast of eggs and bacon.

Prices from £115 per person

EXTEND YOUR HOLIDAY 3 NIGHTS FROM £485 PER PERSON

Great Barrier Reef

4 nights - Hayman Island

1 night - Four Seasons Sydney

• Return scheduled flights to Hamilton Island

• Return launch to Hayman Island

• Retreat Wing accommodation with daily breakfast, Hayman Island

• 1 night Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney

The Hayman experience is like no other. Australia’s most awarded fivestar resort takes guests into an exclusive realm of luxury, relaxation, indulgent dining, leisurely activity, reef adventure and breathtaking scenery. The Hayman experience begins before you arrive and will linger long after you leave.

Prices from £955 per person

Blue Mountains Escape

3 nights - Lilianfels, Blue Mountains

• Return transfers from Sydney

• Deluxe room accommodation with daily breakfast

Nestled on the edge of the magnificent Jamison Valley, overlooking the World Heritage Listed Blue Mountains National Park, Lilianfels is a breathtaking escape just a 90 minute drive from Sydney. It’s the perfect relaxing finish to your holiday in Australia.

Prices from £485 per person

Day 1 Departure from London Heathrow

This adventure starts at Heathrow where you meet your companions and Tour Manager, who is with you from start to finish of your tour, for complimentary drinks and snacks in the Executive Lounge – a service only offered by Journeys of Distinction. Then comes your non-stop Qantas scheduled flight to Singapore.

Meals: Inflight

Day 2 Arrival into Singapore

After a day at leisure you have welcome drinks and the chance to get to know your fellow travellers.

Meals: Inflight

Hotel: Meritus Mandarin

Day 3 Singapore

Today you tour Singapore, the crossroads of Asia. Spectacular modern buildings contrast with traditional sights like Thian Hock Keng Temple, Little India and Geylang Serai, the Malay area. You see the Orchid Gardens then return to the hotel to relax.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Meritus Mandarin

Day 4 Singapore to Perth

Qantas fly you to Perth where you’re hotel is just a stroll away from Perth's sparkling Swan River. Good restaurants are also a walk away. Enjoy your day.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Parmelia Hilton

Day 5 Perth

Quite small and friendly, Perth is the world's most isolated city. Your morning tour explores its beauty – Kings Park overlooking the city is glorious. Your afternoon and evening are at leisure to spend as you please.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Parmelia Hilton

Day 6 Perth

Why not take the ferry to Rottnest Island – wonderful beaches and “quokkas” – squirrel-sized marsupials only seen on small islands round here.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Parmelia Hilton

Day 7 Perth to Ayers Rock

Today you fly to Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Australia's Red Centre. Then it’s off to the nearby Olgas – dramatic red domes sculpted by the elements. Later, watch the extraordinary changing colours of Ayers Rock as the sun sets.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Sails in the Desert

Day 8 Ayers Rock

This morning you take the Rock base tour where your guide tells the legend of Uluru. In the afternoon, you’re free to relax by the pool. This evening enjoy a sunset experience at the Sounds of Silence dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Sails in the Desert

Day 9 Ayers Rock to Alice Springs

This morning we take Desert Oak Drive to Alice Springs. Visit the Royal Flying Doctor Base and the Old Telegraph Station, a museum on the site of the springs Alice is named after.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Crowne Plaza

Day 10 Alice Springs to Melbourne

Today you fly to Melbourne. Why not take a trip to the seaside port of St Kilda – the cake shops are amazing!

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Sofitel

Day 11 Melbourne

This morning you tour Melbourne, seeing Captain Cook's Cottage in the magnificent 150 year old Fitzroy Gardens and Westgate Bridge (twice as long as Sydney Harbour Bridge). This evening it’s dinner aboard the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Sofitel

Day 12 Melbourne

Spend today looking round Melbourne – which has astonishingly good restaurants and excellent shops. Or why not visit Phillip Island, where the world's largest colony of Fairy Penguins lives? Each evening they emerge from the sea and waddle up to their burrows in the sand dunes.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Sofitel

Day 13 Melbourne to Cairns

After breakfast we leave for Cairns. After you arrive, enjoy a walking tour of Cairns Botanical Gardens.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Shangri-La Cairns

Day 14 Cairns

Relax by the pool, or explore Cairns – The Pier and Esplanade have lots of artworks, souvenirs and good food.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Shangri-La Cairns

Day 15 Great Barrier Reef

Today, one of the highlights of The Best of Australia – the Great Barrier Reef. You travel by catamaran to the Reef. At Agincourt Reef our catamaran anchors next to a floating pontoon where you can see the exquisitely colourful marine life via a glass windowed underwater walkway. Snorkelling equipment is provided so you can get even closer.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Hotel: Shangri-La Cairns

Day 16 Cairns

A day at leisure – you could go crocspotting, hot air ballooning, find a quiet beach – or just have a great meal out.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Shangri-La Cairns

Day 17 Cairns to Sydney

Today we fly to Sydney. The famous Opera House, the harbour, the historic Rocks – and fine restaurants and shops are all nearby.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Four Seasons

Day 18 Sydney

A full day tour of Sydney's greatest sights, including the Opera House, Bondi beach and a luncheon cruise around that glorious harbour.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Hotel: Four Seasons

Day 19 Sydney

Your day is free. Maybe visit the Blue Mountains or walk round the Rocks, where convicts built the first Sydney. Great souvenir shops, pubs and restaurants.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Hotel: Four Seasons

Day 20 Sydney

Make the most of your last day! With so much choice it shouldn’t be hard. This evening our Farwell Meal is down at the historic Rocks.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Four Seasons

Day 21 Sydney

A day at leisure until we fly with Qantas to London Heathrow.

Meals: Breakfast, Inflight

Day 22 Arrival into London Heathrow

Time to part with your travelling companions and end your Australian adventure.

Meals: Inflight

Destination introduction

Australia gives you everything you imagine – and a lot more. Yes, there’s the sun, the beaches, the Great Barrier Reef, the outback, the koalas and kangaroos. But there are also glittering, cosmopolitan cities – and restaurants where you expect the fine wines, but not some of the world’s finest cuisine.

Did you know? The Australian Alps, or Snowy Mountains, receive more snow than Switzerland.