Vacations By Rail
Ultimate Australia
19 daysfrom $8,799
Vacations By Rail · Escorted tour
Ultimate Australia at Christmas & New Year
Discover Australia's highlights over the festive season, traveling from Cairns and Uluru to Adelaide and Melbourne, and celebrating New Year's Eve overlooking Sydney's spectacular harbor.
Day by day
- Day 1overnight: Cairns
Welcome to tropical Cairns
Make your own way to the hotel overlooking Trinity Wharf. Free time to explore the Cairns Esplanade.
- Day 2overnight: Cairns
A free day in Cairns
Free day at leisure: the lagoon, waterfront promenade, Flecker Botanic Gardens or Cairns Aquarium. Welcome dinner at a waterfront restaurant.
- Day 3railovernight: Cairns
Kuranda and its Scenic Railway
Rainforestation Nature Park: an 'Army Duck' amphibious ride and a guided Dreamtime Walk with Pamagirri guides. Kuranda village craft market, then the 125-year-old Kuranda Scenic Railway through Barron River Gorge.
- Day 4overnight: Cairns
Green Island & the Great Barrier Reef
Catamaran cruise to Green Island (two hours at leisure), then a platform moored on the Outer Great Barrier Reef with buffet lunch, underwater observatory viewing and a glass-bottom boat tour.
- Day 5overnight: Ayers Rock (Uluru)
To the desert and sunset in Uluru
Flight to Uluru; guided sightseeing around the base of the rock including Mutitjulu Waterhole, and a visit to the Uluru Cultural Centre. Evening sunset viewing over Uluru with a glass of wine.
- Day 6overnight: Ayers Rock (Uluru)
Witnessing an Uluru sunrise & Kata Tjuta
Sunrise viewing at Uluru, then a guided tour of Kata Tjuta (the Olgas). Evening gourmet barbecue dinner in Kata Tjuta National Park with stargazing.
- Day 7overnight: Alice Springs
To Alice Springs, the heart of Australia's Red Centre
Coach through the outback to Alice Springs, stopping for lunch and a visit to James Range Camels. Check in for two nights.
- Day 8overnight: Alice Springs
Touring the Alice area
Visit the Old Telegraph Station, the School of the Air, and the Royal Flying Doctor Base.
- Day 9overnight: Adelaide
Alice Springs to laid-back Adelaide
Direct flight to Adelaide with a city sightseeing and orientation tour en route. Check in for three nights.
- Day 10overnight: Adelaide
Christmas Eve in the Barossa Valley
Tour and tasting at Seppeltsfield Winery, lunch with wine at Lambert Wines, then a stop in the historic German settlement of Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills.
- Day 11overnight: Adelaide
Christmas Day in Adelaide
Free morning, then a Christmas buffet lunch at a beachside hotel in Glenelg. Light dinner together in the evening.
- Day 12railovernight: Melbourne
The Overland train to Melbourne
The Overland train east to Melbourne, with breakfast and lunch served on board. Check in to the central hotel for three nights.
- Day 13overnight: Melbourne
Culture and sport in Melbourne
Sightseeing tour past the Old Treasury Building, Parliament House, the MCG and the Melbourne Tennis Centre; a Yarra River sightseeing cruise and the Melbourne Skydeck.
- Day 14overnight: Melbourne
A day trip along the Great Ocean Road
Coach along the Great Ocean Road via Geelong, Anglesey and Lorne, lunch in Apollo Bay, through Great Otway National Park to the Shipwreck Coast and the Twelve Apostles.
- Day 15railovernight: Sydney
To Sydney by rail
Full-day XPT Rail journey in First Class from Melbourne to Sydney, passing Wagga Wagga. Transfer to the Darling Harbour hotel.
- Day 16overnight: Sydney
Getting to know Sydney
Sightseeing tour: The Rocks, Mrs. Macquarie's Chair, Bondi Beach, and a Sydney sightseeing cruise.
- Day 17overnight: Sydney
New Year's Eve with views of Sydney's fireworks
Free day, then a New Year's Eve buffet dinner (55+ dishes, unlimited wine/beer/soft drinks) at a revolving restaurant in the Sydney Eye Tower with fireworks views.
- Day 18overnight: Sydney
New Year's Day at leisure in Sydney
Free day: Sydney Harbour, the Royal Botanic Gardens, a ferry to Manly, or Watson's Bay.
- Day 19
Traveling home
Check out of the hotel and make your own way to Sydney's international airport for the journey home.
Included
- Expertise of a Tour Manager from start to finish
- 18 nights' 4-Star hotel accommodation
- 1st & Standard Class rail travel on local rail networks
- All rail, cruise, ferry and coach travel throughout your tour
- All internal flights
- 16 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 4 dinners
- Tips
- All guided tours and excursions
Not included
- Cancellation & Travel Insurance is not included in the price of the tour but can be arranged
- Flights and Airport transfers not included
