Aboriginal Culture & Australian Highlights

Melbourne extends a friendly welcome and you’re staying in the heart of the action from your hotel close to the city’s Yarra River. Meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers and start your tour with a Welcome Reception with Australian flavours, washed down with your choice of local wines or beers. It’s a delicious introduction to Melbourne’s cosmopolitan vibe to kick off your Australian tour.

Unlock the sights of the city with Koorie Heritage Trust on a walking tour along the Yarra River led by an Indigenous guide. Learn how Aboriginal people in the state of Victoria once practiced their culture and how they continue to keep it alive today visiting art installations and hearing the Aboriginal history and stories of Melbourne. You’ve surely worked up an appetite, and lunch at Big Esso by Mabu Mabu, an Indigenous owned restaurant of renowned chef Nornie Bero, is just the place to enjoy local, seasonal cuisine while soaking in the space housing art by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. Your day of art and culture continues at The Ian Potter Centre; National Gallery of Victoria Federation Square, home of Australian art, presenting Indigenous and non-Indigenous art from historical to present day.

Have one-of-a-kind encounters with your choice of Optional Experiences. Join a Great Ocean Road & Twelve Apostles Day Tour along Australia’s most spectacular coastline. Stop in the seaside towns of Lorne and Apollo Bay before viewing the Twelve Apostles series of limestone stacks rising dramatically from the Southern Ocean. Or, “ooh” and “aah” the incredible Little Penguins on Phillip Island where you’ll watch the tiny, adorable penguins make their daily trek from the sea to burrows on the beach. In the city, head to the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria for an Aboriginal Heritage Walk into the ancestral lands of the local Kulin Nation with an Aboriginal guide. You can also see the city sights from Melbourne Skydeck, Eureka Tower, the highest viewing platform in the Southern Hemisphere.

Fly to Australia's cultural heart, Uluru, and venture into its iconic National Park. At the base of Uluru, learn about the park on a guided walk with your Travel Director to Mutitjulu Waterhole. You’ll love your guide's passion for the area and understanding on the ancient rock art rich with history and lifetimes of stories that have been preserved for hundreds of years. Tonight, over a sundowner of appetizers and sparkling wine, sit back as the surrounding grasses blow and the sky lights up in red and orange illuminating Uluru rising 348 metres high. It’s the best way to experience its true beauty and connect to the land. When Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park closes to other visitors, sip wine or beer with a classic barbecue of beef steak, lamb sausages and skewered chicken matched with native Australian flavors with Uluru as your backdrop. There’s even time for stargazing.

Join a Local Specialist for a fun introduction to Western Desert Art at Maruku Arts Dot Art Experiences. Learn the meaning of dot art from Indigenous artists before crafting your story, painting your own piece of art as a memento. Learning from the artists and creating personalized art is a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience that will leave you enriched. Your visit also directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 10 and 11: Reduced Inequalities and Sustainable Cities and Communities, by supporting local Indigenous communities and culture. You then have time for a selection of Optional Experiences including a scenic helicopter or plane flight, or a visit to the Gallery of Central Australia showcasing emerging artists and the stories and culture of the Indigenous community. Head back into the National Park this afternoon to explore the domes of Kata Tjuta. A walk into Walpa Gorge puts you in the perfect spot to watch the sun set while enjoying sparkling wine and nibbles.

Rise early to see the stars shining over the Field of Light art installation by internationally renowned artist Bruce Munro. Arriving in darkness, you’ll watch 50,000 spheres of blue, purple, and white light up the desert before making your way up the hill to the sunrise viewing area. Return to your hotel for breakfast before flying to Sydney for the next leg of your Australian highlights journey. Once you’ve settled into your hotel, you have a free evening to explore the Harbour City.

Kick off your day with a behind-the-scenes tour of the Sydney Opera House. Step inside the sails and behind the curtain to learn all about what it takes to put on the incredible performances at this iconic venue. Further your cultural discoveries on an Aboriginal Dreaming Tour around the Rocks. Unlock the authentic history of Aboriginal people’s heritage in Sydney Harbour, their land and water use and their spiritual connection to the area as your guide shares how this ancient wisdom continues to reveal itself within the English settlement of The Rocks. This afternoon, enjoy a backdrop of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House on an Sydney Harbour cruise.

Explore even more of Sydney with today’s tempting Optional Experiences. Take a trip to the World Heritage-Listed Blue Mountains viewing the famous Three Sisters rock formation up close. Or, stay in the city and scale to the summit of the Sydney Harbour Bridge guided by a First Nations Storyteller. Delve into history on The Rocks Pub Walk treading in the footsteps of the convicts and locals of the past and stop for a drink in four of Sydney's oldest pubs. Get a bird’s eye view of the must-sees of the city on a helicopter flight. Or, take a guided tour of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

With another free day in Sydney, explore the world-famous beaches of Bondi, Manly or choose another Optional Experience. On a Sydney HeliTour you will fly over magnificent Sydney Harbour giving you an unforgettable view of icons such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, Taronga Zoo, Watsons Bay, Rose Bay, and Manly Cove. Or stay down to earth on the Rocks Pub Tour. Share a drink in 4 of Sydney’s oldest pubs and tread in the footsteps of the convicts, larrikin gangs, & locals of the past.

This morning, jet off to Cairns where more incredible nature and culture await. You have the opportunity to join an Optional Mandingalbay Ancient Indigenous Cultural Cruise and tour. Set off from Cairns Harbour before visiting a working Indigenous Ranger base where the Mayi Bugan Rainforest Trail begins, and passionate guides enlighten you with explanations of the native foods and bush medicine, ancient Aboriginal traditions, customs, and artifacts of the Mandingalbay Yidinji People.

Cairns is the perfect jumping off point for a bucket list exploration of the world’s largest coral reef system in the Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Exploring with Dreamtime Dive, delve into this underwater wonderland, gain a deeper cultural understanding of this diverse ecosystem and its Aboriginal heritage. You’ll even hear the Great Barrier Reef creation story, interact with original clap sticks, and fire poles and watch live demonstrations of traditional dances and the enchanting didgeridoo. Accompanied by morning tea and lunch, you’ll love this enriched way to enjoy this iconic Australian sight.

On last day in Cairns check out more of the city or venture out of town. You could opt to take the Kuranda Scenic Railway through a lush forests, gorges, ravines, and waterfalls to Kuranda’s 'village in the rainforest.' After an epic train ride, explore this village’s trails, wildlife sanctuaries, shops and markets before soaring above the canopy on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. Or, lean into your artistic side visiting Janbal Gallery for a painting class with Aboriginal artist Brian ‘Binna’ Swindley. You’ll be treated to a traditional smoking ceremony and a stroll into Daintree Rainforest National Park with an Aboriginal guide. Or, join a trip to Mossman Gorge to learn the secrets of one of the world’s oldest rainforests and cruise the Daintree River. Foodies will be tempted by a boutique food and wine tour tasting the best of the Atherton Tablelands, from avocados and mangoes to macadamia nuts and citrus. Meet up with the group for a dinner at Ochre Restaurant with views of the inlet and mountains as you enjoy Australian cuisine featuring the best local produce.

It’s been a glorious trip of Australian highlights, but all good things must come to an end. Fill up on breakfast before your airport transfer.