Days 1 & 2 – Depart from Home (Overnight Flight)
Today board your overnight flight to the land down under! Sit back and relax, you are embarking on a trip of a lifetime! We’ll give up a calendar day as we cross the International Date Line during our flight. Your R&J Tour Director is there to assist you throughout your flight.
Day 3 – Sydney
This morning, we arrive in Sydney where we will be welcomed by that great Australian hospitality! Soak up Sydney’s gorgeous harbor and great natural beauty. Sydney is the first stop on many Australian itineraries, and for good reason. It’s an inviting blend of exhilarating and easygoing. You can find excitement in the city, but drive just a few kilometers and you’ll hit the golden sand of famous beaches like Bondi and Manly. Plus, with endless nature at its doorstep, Sydney is the starting point for day trips serving up the fresh air, unique flavors, and locals who know a thing or two about living life to the fullest. We will be given a short orientation tour of the city before we proceed to a local restaurant for lunch. Then we will get settled into our hotel for the next three nights which is perfectly situated overlooking the gorgeous Sydney Harbour and Sydney Opera House! Tonight, we dine together for a fabulous welcome dinner with a chance to finally get introduced to our fellow travelers.
Included Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay (3 Nights)
Day 4 – Sydney Sightseeing & Opera House
Today we’ll receive a thorough introduction to Sydney and its neighbors as we tour downtown Sydney with our local guide. This tour takes us through the historic Rocks area and offers views of Hyde Park, St Mary’s Cathedral, Parliament House, and the Art Gallery. Then we are treated to a guided tour of the famous Opera House to see inside the world’s most recognizable sails! We will run our hands over the world-famous shell tiles, take a seat in the elegant custom-made white birch timber chairs, and marvel at the vaulted ceilings of one of the largest pillar-free chambers in the world. Once we’ve visited areas off-limits to the general public and captured photographs from rare vantage points inside this majestic Opera House, we’ll realize that from the outside one is only getting half the story! We’ll learn what inspired Danish architect Jorn Utzon to base his revolutionary design on ships’ sails. How did he solve an engineering challenge considered one of the most difficult attempted anywhere in the world? Enjoy every aspect of the building’s 14-year creation and 58-year history. Afterwards, we’ll stop at Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair, a sandstone rock cut into the shape of a bench in 1810, for magnificent views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. We’ll also visit The Gap and enjoy stunning views before we proceed to the world-famous Bondi Beach and enjoy the spectacular scenery. Enjoy lunch on your own at one of the many restaurants that dot this famous beach. Dinner and the evening are free to explore on your own.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Day 5 – Syndey & Featherdale Wildlife Park
The morning will be a trip to Featherdale Wildlife Park, which has evolved from a poultry farm into one of the best privately owned wildlife parks in Australia. We’ll enjoy learning about the animals and getting to know the inhabitants of the park, which include birds, mammals, reptiles and marsupials. We are also invited to enjoy a one-on-one personal experience with some of the animals. The afternoon is open to rest or explore on your own because we’ll want to be well rested for our all-inclusive Journey Beyond Dinner Cruise. We will be cruising around the beautiful Sydney Harbour on the exclusive 78ft luxury cruiser, Spirit of Migloo. This vessel is spacious and stunningly beautiful and will give us amazing and uninterrupted 360-degree views of one of the world’s most famous harbors! We’ll experience the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, and Luna Park as well as picturesque sunsets and the breathtaking spectacle of Sydney’s iconic attractions lit up at night. The chefs have created a menu highlighting the multicultural influences that make Sydney cuisine unique.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6 – Yulara
Today we fly to Ayers Rock where we will be staying at the luxurious Voyages Sails in the Desert Hotel, located in the heart of Australia’s Red Centre. This area beautifully contrasts Uluru’s raw natural beauty with a decidedly premium outback experience. This destination is where one of the world’s oldest cultures still thrives. There will be time on your own to explore this area, perhaps you’ll wish to enjoy our hotel’s expansive gumtree-lined, heated swimming pool. Find a local restaurant for lunch or head to one of the hotel’s three restaurants. This evening, we set out for an unforgettable experience, the Uluru Sunset Viewing Platform. This is the place to take the quintessential Uluru photo. As the sun sinks behind us, the rock transforms from pinkish hues to a fluorescent orange and deep shades of red! The sky also displays a varied palette of colors, with the rock surrounded by delicate baby blues and bright pinks.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: Voyages Sails in the Desert Hotel (2 Nights)
Day 7 – Yulara
Awake early this morning and travel the short distance to the Uluru sunrise viewing platform. You have not experienced a sunrise like this before! As the slow rising sun marks the day, a stunning piece of artwork, created by three local Anangu women, comes to life through laser projection, music, and the natural environment of the desert floor. The iconic Ulura is our backdrop. Sunrise Journey is an intimate and sensory travel experience designed to last well beyond your stay. While being amazed by the incredible sights and sounds, we will enjoy the nourishing breakfast with native-inspired flavors and Australian chai-tea. Back to our hotel to freshen up before we continue touring with a base tour at Uluru, aka Ayers Rock. We’ll take in views at the Mutitjulu Waterhole and learn about the ancient indigenous culture of the area. We’ll engage in an artistic Dot Painting Workshop. We will have the opportunity to learn this ancient Anangu traditional art under the direction of a native Anangu artist. You’ll have some free time in the area later this afternoon as well as dinner on your own. This evening, we set out for another unforgettable experience. As darkness falls and Uluru is thrown into a silhouette, the Field of Lights illuminates. As far as the eye can see gentle rhythms of color light up the desert with 50,000 spindles of light, the stems breathing and swaying through a sympathetic desert spectrum of ochre, deep violet, blue and a gentle white.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8 – Yulara to Cairns
Today we will fly to Cairns. We will briefly visit St. Monica’s Cathedral, with its beautiful Peace Windows, which celebrate fifty years of peace in the Pacific region since the end of WWII. The Cathedral was built as a war memorial commemorating the decisive Battle of the Coral Sea, fought east of Cairns between May 4th and 8th, 1942. Then we’ll settle into our waterfront retreat, the Hilton Cairns, set amid lush tropical surroundings on the Chinaman Creek. Dinner is served at a local restaurant tonight.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Hilton Cairns (3 Nights)
Day 9 – Cairns area
Enjoy breakfast at our hotel before we walk to the marina Reef Terminal for a spectacular full day with Great Barrier Reef Cruise on the Ocean Spirit. This is a day you will never forget! Set sail upon a 32-meter catamaran to experience Michaelmas Cay’s unique reef environment – pristine sand surrounded by fringing reef and a protected sanctuary for migratory seabirds. You can be as active as you care to be today. Snorkel in the cay’s protected shallow waters, cruise in the semi-sub for a diver’s view of the reef, watch a fish feeding presentation and observe the island birdlife. If you prefer a more leisurely day, the ‘beach buggy shuttle’ provides transportation to and from the beach. While a wonderful buffet lunch is provided today, you’ll be on your own for dinner and the evening once we return to our hotel so you can enjoy Cairns and the Night Market in the area.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 10 – Cairns area
Another exciting day awaits us today! We’ll explore the rainforest via Skyrail, an amphibious WWII Army duck boat, and a scenic train. We’ll be mesmerized by a Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience. What a fantastic way to see and learn about all that makes the rainforest the special attraction it is! As our day winds down, we’ll take one last look at the rainforest we’ve enjoyed before heading back to our hotel for some free time to explore the area and enjoy some dinner. Perhaps our resort’s lagoon-style pool is calling your name!
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 11 – Cairns to Melbourne
Following our last breakfast in Cairns, we’ll fly to Melbourne to continue our tour.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: Sofitel Melbourne on Collins (3 Nights)
Day 12 – Melbourne
This morning after a good night’s rest and breakfast, we’ll experience an interesting Aboriginal talk. With one of our experienced Koorie guides, we will learn how the land on which Melbourne is located has changed over time and about the significance of the Birrarung Wilam to the local Kulin people. We will gain a deeper and meaningful understanding of this incredible location, an important gathering place for the Kulin Nation, and one of Melbourne’s most popular meeting hubs. After some free time to explore and lunch on your own, we’ll depart Melbourne for the rest of the day to Phillip Island. Phillip Island Nature Park is a natural home for koalas, seals, shearwaters and the Little Penquins. We’ll visit the Koala Conservatory which offers fantastic koala viewing in their natural habitat. Two elevated boardwalks bring us closer to the koalas as they go about their daily business of sleeping, eating, and sleeping some more. We’ll visit the Nobbies, (an important site for Australia’s largest colony of fur seals.) The Nobbies Centre sits atop a cliff on the very Western tip of Phillip Island overlooking the wild waters of the Bass Strait. The state-of-art centre boasts the latest technology in eco-tourism and wildlife displays. A further highlight of a visit to the Nobbies Centre is the boardwalk that winds its way around the cliff face, giving us spectacular views of the rugged coastline and the famous Blowhole. We’ll enjoy a wonderful dinner together and then the grand entrance at Summerland Beach at dusk for the Penguin Parade. Take a waddle on the wild side and see the world-famous parade. What a way to end our day! Then back to our hotel for a much-earned rest.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 13 – Melbourne Area
Today our guide takes us through the Yarra Valley, the lush region surrounding Victoria, Australia. Outside of Melbourne, the Yarra Valley represented a very significant segment in both the history and economic development of the State of Victoria. The Yarra Valley’s mix of fine food, excellent wines, and pristine nature is intoxicating. The region is considered one of Australia’s premium wine-producing areas, and arguably its top-rated visitor activity. Fruit orchards grow in abundance here. We’ll have an opportunity to visit both a fruit orchard and a vineyard today before dining together for a farewell to Australia dinner.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 14 – Melbourne to Home
Today we fly home with incredible memories from our journey through “The Land Down Under!”
Included Meals: Breakfast
Flyaway Per Person Pricing Information
Flyaway Travel Protection Per Person
Travel Bucks
Deposit Due
Passport Needed
Tour Pace
Price Includes
Roundtrip airfare from MSP including all taxes & surcharges and all internal flights, driver/step-on guide tips, 21 Meals plus Inflight, all activities as stated in brochure, Expert Local Guides, Hotels, Fully escorted by R&J from MSP, GRATUITIES
to Local Guides Included.
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- SYDNEY CITY harbour bridge
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- Balgownie Estate
03/21/2026 04/03/2026
Tour Map
Tour Highlights
* 3 Nights in Sydney, including a Guided Tour of the Sydney Opera House and a wonderful Dinner Cruise against the Spectacular Backdrop of Sydney’s Skyline by Night
* 2 Nights in Yulara at The Desert Hotel in the Heart of Australia’s Red Centre, Uluru Sunset Viewing Platform
and Sunrise Journeys, Field of Lights Dinner and Walkatjara Dot Painting Workshop
* 3 Nights in Cairns, the Famous “Village in the Rainforest,” including a Full Day Cruise through the Great Barrier Reef
* Kuranda Scenic Railway into Rainforestation with a Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience as well as an Army Duck Boat Rainforest Tour
* 3 Nights in Melbourne, seeing Penguin Parade at Phillip Island National Park and the Koala Conservation Center, the Nobbies and Yarra Valley
