Australia adventure holiday
| country: | Australia |
| location: | Queensland, Northern Territory, New South Wales |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | 2009: 22 Nov 2010: 6 Jun, 4 Jul, 10 Oct, 21 Nov 2011: 1 May, 5 Jun, 3 Jul |
| price: | From £3625 - £4330 (30 days) including flights from UK, from £2495 excluding flights |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Cairns & The Whitsundays
We begin in Cairns before heading south along the coast via Curtain Fig Tree and the stunning waterfalls of the Cairns highlands. From here we continue to Airlie Beach. A voyage to the idyllic Whitsundays off the East Coast is next and as we drop anchor in Blue Pearl Bay, we can enjoy some dazzling diving and snorkelling. But for the less active, the option to chill out and relax is hard to resist!
Fraser Island & Sydney
Next we head to Rubyvale and onto Carnarvon National Park to hike in its stunning gorge. After our stay on a working cattle station, we head south and explore the vast sands and forests of Fraser Island, swimming in crystal clear freshwater lakes and exploring by 4-wheel drive. Finally we end in Sydney with the opportunity to climb its famous Harbour Bridge or perhaps hike in the nearby Blue Mountains.
Uluru/Ayers Rock & into the 'Top End'
We fly direct to Yulara and journey through an awesome array of natural wonders: the weathered red domes of Kata Tjuta/the Olgas (the place of many heads), the astonishing sandstone 'amphitheatre' at Kings Canyon plus of course the incomparable Uluru/Ayers Rock itself. Then, venturing north via the Devil's Marbles, we walk in the gorges at Katherine and take a boat trip in Kakadu National Park, famous for its wildlife and aboriginal rock paintings. See green & red route on map.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1-2: | Fly London/Cairns. |
| Day 3: | Arrive Cairns; afternoon free. |
| Day 4: | free. 4 Drive Ingham via waterfall circuit. |
| Day 5: | To Airlie Beach via Billabong Sanctuary; see Koalas & Crocs. |
| Day 6: | Full day sailing trip to Whitsunday Islands. |
| Day 7: | Drive to Rubyvale. |
| Day 8: | Visit sapphire mine; drive to Carnarvon NP. |
| Day 9: | In Carnarvon NP; optional hikes. |
| Day 10: | Drive to working cattle station at Baralaba; optional activities. |
| Day 11: | Drive to Hervey Bay. |
| Day 12: | Morning ferry to Fraser Island, explore by 4WD. |
| Day 13: | Morning on Fraser Island; PM return ferry to Hervey Bay. |
| Day 14: | Drive to Brisbane; fly Sydney. |
| Day 15: | In Sydney; various options including Opera House & Harbour Bridge. |
| Day 16: | In Sydney; optional trip to Blue Mountains. |
| Day 17: | Fly to Uluru/Ayers Rock. |
| Day 18: | At Uluru/Ayers Rock, optional walks, drive and hike at Kata Tjuta/The Olgas. |
| Day 19: | Drive to Kings Canyon. |
| Day 20: | Drive to Alice Springs. |
| Day 21: | In Alice Springs; visit and walk in West MacDonnell Ranges. |
| Day 22: | Drive to Devil's Marble. |
| Day 23: | Continue to Daly Waters. |
| Day 24: | To Katherine Gorge, walks. |
| Day 25-26: | To Kakadu NP; walks, Yellow Water Billabong boat trip, aboriginal art. |
| Day 27: | To Litchfield. |
| Day 28: | To Darwin. |
| Day 29: | Fly London. |
| Day 30: | Arrive London. |
travellers' tales
Swimming in the thermal pool at Maranka, kayaking off Byron bay with the dolphins and whales was most exciting, and these and Fraser Island were the most memorable and watching the sunset at devil's marbles (more)
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC World News.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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From the dense rainforests of the north to the Blue Mountains National Park near Sydney, the East Coast offers endless possibilities for natural exploration. Reefs and islands are visited by sailing boat on this tour, while the Wentworth Falls and Katherine gorges are all enjoyed on foot. Our visits ensure the park authorities are able to continue their vital conservation and education work. Wildlife enthusiasts can also enjoy the opportunity of whale-watching in Hervey Bay. Protected species include the Loggerhead Turtle. Australia’s recycling programme ranks amongst the most sophisticated in the world. By choosing to camp in most places we minimise our environmental impact, in an area where fly/drive tourism unfortunately remains popular. We eat in local restaurants and use local operators to run our optional excursions, thus ensuring that money goes directly to the supplier and the community.
As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |