Australia: Sydney, Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef

Arrive in Sydney

Sydney Airport to The Rocks, Circular Quay and the Opera House

• Repas du soir
• Hébergement : Rendezvous Hotel Sydney The Rocks ou équivalent
• Environ 30 min de route

Soir

In the early evening your trip leader meets the group for a walk around Circular Quay, where the harbour ferries come and go beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge, opened in 1932. We follow the water to the Sydney Opera House, designed by the Danish architect Jørn Utzon, opened in 1973 and on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2007, and watch its white sails take on the colours of dusk. Then we sit down together for a welcome dinner, where your trip leader runs through the twelve days ahead, from the harbour to the desert and the reef.

Compris

• Pick-up at Sydney Airport (SYD)
• Evening walk around Circular Quay to the Opera House
• Welcome dinner

Sydney's harbour and beaches

The Manly ferry or the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk

• Petit-déjeuner
• Hébergement : Rendezvous Hotel Sydney The Rocks ou équivalent
• En traversier

Matin

This morning you choose your piece of the Sydney coast. One option is the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly, about 30 minutes across the harbour, past the Opera House, the little island fort of Fort Denison and the bush-covered headlands of Sydney Harbour National Park. At Manly, stroll the Corso to the surf beach, or follow the waterside path to Shelly Beach, a calm cove inside a marine reserve. The other option is the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk, about 6 km and easy, on paths and stairs along sandstone cliffs: past the ocean pool at Bondi Icebergs, the small beaches of Tamarama and Bronte, the clifftop Waverley Cemetery and the coves of Clovelly and Gordons Bay, ending with a swim or a coffee at Coogee. From May to November humpback whales migrate along this coast, so keep watching the sea.

Après-midi

The afternoon is free for the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Royal Botanic Garden or a long lunch by the water.

Compris

• Ferry from Circular Quay to Manly, or the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk (about 6 km, easy)

The Blue Mountains

Sydney to Katoomba and Leura, and back

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Hébergement : Rendezvous Hotel Sydney The Rocks ou équivalent
• Environ 3 h de route

Matin

After breakfast we drive west out of Sydney, about an hour and twenty minutes, and climb into the Blue Mountains, part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, listed in 2000 for its eucalypt forests and deep sandstone valleys. The blue haze that gives the range its name comes from fine droplets of oil given off by the eucalyptus trees. At Echo Point in Katoomba you look out over the Jamison Valley to the Three Sisters, three sandstone pillars that hold a place in the stories of the Gundungurra and Darug peoples. At Scenic World your pass covers all four rides: the Railway, billed as the steepest passenger railway in the world, down into the valley; the Walkway, a boardwalk through rainforest under tree ferns; the Cableway back up; and the glass-floored Skyway across the gorge.

Après-midi

Lunch is in Leura, a village of cafes and gardens.

Soir

On the way back at dusk, kangaroos are likely grazing in the open clearings, and dinner together follows in Sydney.

Compris

• Echo Point and the Three Sisters
• Scenic World Unlimited Discovery Pass: Railway, Walkway, Cableway and Skyway
• Lunch in Leura
• Kangaroo spotting at dusk on the way back

Fly to Uluru

Sydney to Ayers Rock by air, the Mala walk and sunset at Uluru

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du soir
• Hébergement : Desert Gardens Hotel, Ayers Rock Resort ou équivalent
• Environ 1.5 h de route

Matin

After breakfast we drive to the airport for the non-stop flight to Ayers Rock (AYQ), about three and a half hours; from the window the green coast gives way to red sand, dunes and dry salt lakes. Set your watch back: Northern Territory time is half an hour behind Sydney in winter and an hour and a half behind once Sydney's daylight saving begins in October. We check in at Ayers Rock Resort in Yulara, your base for three of the next four nights.

Après-midi

In the late afternoon we drive into Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, owned by its Anangu traditional owners and listed by UNESCO for both its nature and its living culture. The Mala walk, about 2 km return on flat ground, follows the base of Uluru past rock art in shallow caves to the quiet of Kantju Gorge. Then we watch the sun set on the rock as its colour deepens from orange to rust and purple.

Soir

After dinner, walk among the more than 50,000 softly glowing lights of the Field of Light under the desert stars.

Compris

• Flight from Sydney (SYD) to Ayers Rock (AYQ), with transfers
• Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park pass (3 days)
• Mala walk at the base of Uluru
• Sunset at Uluru
• Field of Light

Kata Tjuta at sunrise

Sunrise at Kata Tjuta, Walpa Gorge or the Valley of the Winds

• Petit-déjeuner
• Hébergement : Desert Gardens Hotel, Ayers Rock Resort ou équivalent
• Environ 1.5 h de route

Matin

An early start for sunrise at Kata Tjuta, about 50 km west of the resort, so pack a warm layer. From the dune viewing area you watch first light reach its 36 great domes of conglomerate rock, the tallest rising about 200 metres higher than Uluru. Kata Tjuta means many heads in the Pitjantjatjara language. Like Uluru it is a sacred place under Anangu law, and many of its stories are not shared with visitors. Then we walk while the air is still cool. Walpa Gorge, about 2.6 km return, follows a rocky stream bed between two of the highest domes into a sheltered gully of desert plants. The Valley of the Winds walk to Karu Lookout, about 2.2 km return over loose stones, looks into the heart of the domes. On very hot days the walk beyond Karu Lookout closes at 11 am, one reason we come at dawn.

Après-midi

Back at the resort the afternoon is free, by the pool or at one of the free cultural activities in the town square.

Compris

• Sunrise at Kata Tjuta
• Walpa Gorge walk, or the Valley of the Winds walk to Karu Lookout

Activités en option

• Sounds of Silence dinner among the dunes

Across the desert to Kings Canyon

Yulara to Watarrka National Park by the Lasseter Highway and Luritja Road

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Hébergement : Kings Canyon Resort (deluxe room) ou équivalent
• Environ 3.5 h de route

Matin

A slower morning, then we leave Yulara for Watarrka National Park, about 300 km and a little over three hours by road. We follow the Lasseter Highway east past Mount Conner, a flat-topped mesa that many first-time visitors mistake for Uluru, and stop at Curtin Springs, a working cattle station with a roadhouse, before turning north on Luritja Road through red dunes and stands of desert oak.

Après-midi

Lunch is together on the way or on arrival. In the afternoon we take the easy Kings Creek walk, about 2.6 km return along the shaded creek bed, to a viewing platform beneath the canyon walls, which rise more than 100 metres. White-barked ghost gums stand out against the red sandstone, and rock wallabies are sometimes seen on the ledges.

Soir

At sunset we watch the George Gill Range glow from the viewing area near the resort, then share dinner. Tonight is our one night at Kings Canyon Resort, in a deluxe room.

Compris

• Drive through the Red Centre past Mount Conner
• Watarrka National Park pass
• Kings Creek walk
• Sunset over the George Gill Range

The Kings Canyon Rim Walk

The rim at first light, then back to Yulara

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du soir
• Hébergement : Desert Gardens Hotel, Ayers Rock Resort ou équivalent
• Environ 3.5 h de route

Matin

We set out at first light for the Kings Canyon Rim Walk, a 6 km loop of three to four hours and the hardest walk of the trip. It begins with a steep climb up rough rock steps, then levels out across the top of the canyon. The trail winds through the Lost City, a maze of weathered sandstone domes, crosses a footbridge and drops down wooden stairs into the Garden of Eden, a permanent waterhole shaded by ancient cycads, before following the south rim with views straight down the sheer walls. On very hot days the rim walk closes at 9 am, so the dawn start matters. If you would rather not climb, walk Kings Creek again in the soft early light, or simply rest.

Après-midi

After breakfast at the resort we drive back to Yulara, about three hours with a stop, arriving in the afternoon.

Soir

The evening is a quiet one at Ayers Rock Resort, with dinner together.

Compris

• Kings Canyon Rim Walk at first light (6 km loop, 3 to 4 hours)

Fly to the tropics

Ayers Rock to Cairns by air, the coast road to Port Douglas

• Petit-déjeuner
• Hébergement : Mantra PortSea ou équivalent
• Environ 1.5 h de route

Matin

An early breakfast, then a short transfer to the airport for the mid-morning flight to Cairns, about two and a half hours and the only non-stop link between the Red Centre and the tropical north. Clocks go forward half an hour into Queensland time, and the desert gives way to green ranges and the blue of the Coral Sea. From Cairns Airport we drive north on the Captain Cook Highway, about an hour, one of Australia's great coastal roads, squeezed between rainforested hills and the sea, with a stop at Rex Lookout if the light is good. Port Douglas is a small, easygoing town at the end of a sandy peninsula, and your base for four nights.

Soir

Check in, then the evening is free. Walk the length of Four Mile Beach, lined with palms, as the sun drops behind the ranges, then find dinner on Macrossan Street, the main street, where restaurants serve local reef fish and prawns. Swim between the flags when lifeguards are on duty.

Compris

• Flight from Ayers Rock (AYQ) to Cairns (CNS), with transfers
• Drive up the Captain Cook Highway to Port Douglas

The Great Barrier Reef

A full day on the outer reef from Port Douglas

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Hébergement : Mantra PortSea ou équivalent
• En bateau

Après-midi

Lunch is served on board between sites. If you would rather not snorkel, swap at no cost to a larger boat and a reef pontoon with an underwater observatory and a semi-submarine.

Soir

Dinner together tonight.

Compris

• Full-day outer reef snorkel trip with Wavelength, with a marine biologist, snorkel gear and the reef charge

Mossman Gorge, the Daintree and Cape Tribulation

Mossman Gorge, the Daintree River and Cape Tribulation

• Petit-déjeuner
• Hébergement : Mantra PortSea ou équivalent
• Environ 3 h de route

Soir

Lunch is your own on the way, and we are back in Port Douglas by evening.

Compris

• Ngadiku Dreamtime Walk at Mossman Gorge with a Kuku Yalanji guide
• One-hour Daintree River crocodile cruise
• Daintree River ferry
• Cape Tribulation beach

Free morning and Wildlife Habitat

Port Douglas and Wildlife Habitat

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du soir
• Hébergement : Mantra PortSea ou équivalent

Matin

A free morning in Port Douglas. Walk the trail up Flagstaff Hill for the view along Four Mile Beach, hire a bicycle and ride the flat streets, take a stand-up paddleboard out on a calm day, or, if it is a Sunday, browse the market under the shade trees in Rex Smeal Park by the water.

Après-midi

In the afternoon we visit Wildlife Habitat, a few minutes' drive from town, where walk-through enclosures recreate the wetlands, rainforest and grasslands of tropical Queensland. This is where we keep our promise on cassowaries: wild ones are possible in the Daintree but rare, and here you see these tall, helmeted birds up close, along with koalas, wallabies and kangaroos, crocodiles and wetland birds.

Soir

In the evening we gather for a farewell dinner, a chance to look back on twelve days from the Opera House to the outback and the reef, and to swap photos and favourite moments with the group before the trip ends tomorrow.

Compris

• Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas
• Farewell dinner

Depart from Cairns

Port Douglas to Cairns Airport

• Petit-déjeuner
• Environ 1.5 h de route

Matin

A last breakfast in Port Douglas and, depending on your flight, time for one more walk along Four Mile Beach. Mid-morning we drive back down the Captain Cook Highway to Cairns Airport (CNS), about an hour, so please book flights home or onward that leave after noon. Cairns has direct flights to Australia's main cities and to several destinations in Asia and the Pacific, which makes it an easy place to connect. If you would like more time in the tropics, stay on in Cairns or nearby Palm Cove: the Kuranda Scenic Railway, which climbs through rainforest past waterfalls, and the Skyrail cableway, which glides over the canopy, make a beautiful day trip to the mountain village of Kuranda, and we can book them with extra nights for you. Your trip leader sees you off at the terminal, and the trip ends here, in the far north of Queensland, with the reef and the rainforest fresh in your memory.

Compris

• Drop-off at Cairns Airport (CNS)

Activités en option

• Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail, with an extra night in Cairns