Grand Tour of Australia Including The Ghan

One of Australia's most recognizable cities welcomes you as you arrive in Sydney and are transferred to your preferred hotel, choosing from our four-star and five-star hotels on a B&B basis. This city of surf and culture holds gems like the Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach, impressive Aboriginal and Asian art, and a diverse food scene. Sydney is cosmopolitan and sophisticated while also being a haven for anyone who wants to chill out on the beach or try riding the waves - the perfect combination for meaningful explorations.

Enjoy two full days in Sydney to get to know its many offerings. Perhaps take a walk around the city and see the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The best way to experience the bridge is to walk across it, enjoying a different perspective on the city skyline as you stroll. You could also shop along the many busy shopping streets or find a café to relax in with a coffee while the bustling city moves around you. Surrounded by water, Sydney is the ideal place to watch the surfers catching the waves, or you can take a surfing lesson (payable locally). Of course, you could choose from one of our optional excursions, available at a supplement, to get to know Sydney better. 

Your time here also includes an afternoon small-group panoramic Sydney city tour, which takes an intimate group of travelers on a tour of the city. Enjoy a look at the historic Rocks area, the Central Business District and Macquarie Street, and Mrs. Macquarie's Point, where you'll enjoy views of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. The tour then continues to Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, home to the rich and famous, before passing through the Kings Cross, Double Bay, Rose Bay and Watsons Bay areas. Before the tour concludes, you will see famous Bondi Beach and Tamarama and Bronte beaches.

Leaving your hotel this morning, you'll be transferred to Sydney Central Station for your first train journey of the trip. This trip follows a 600-mile route on a long-distance rail journey from Sydney to the city of Melbourne. Sit back and relax in your seat as you pass farmsteads, woods and open plains while venturing across Eastern Australia. On arrival in Melbourne this evening, an included transfer takes you to your hotel for the night. Choose from our four-star and five-star hotels on a B&B basis.

Today is a highlight of any trip to Australia as you travel along the world-famous Great Ocean Road on a full-day small group tour. Alongside an intimate group of fellow travelers, lookout for whales, dolphins, echidnas and bandicoots as you travel this scenic byway - and have your camera ready. Your first stop will be at Apollo Bay, a quiet seaside town set among beautiful rolling hills, where the journey pauses for lunch. You then walk in the forest in the Otway Ranges and visit the ancient rock formations of the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge.

Returning to Melbourne this evening, you are free to try the local fare at one of the city's incredible restaurants.

This morning, you'll be transferred from your hotel to Southern Cross Station to board the Overland train for Adelaide. Once onboard the Overland, settle into your seat and get comfortable for the all-day journey. Standard Red Service travel gives you all the romance of a rail journey through Australia with stunning and diverse landscapes rolling by your window. Visit the licensed Café 828 car to grab a bite to eat or a drink to enhance your journey. Alternatively, you can upgrade to Red Premium for more legroom and a delicious breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea served at your seat.

On arrival in Adelaide, you'll be transferred to your hotel for the night. Choose from our four-star and five-star hotels on a B&B basis.

On your first full day in Adelaide, enjoy an included full-day excursion into the Barossa Valley wine region, allowing you to taste your way through the area. A Small Batch Wine Tours vehicle will pick you up from your hotel, and then, the shared group wine tour heads into the lush Barossa Valley. See the beautiful vineyards during the drive, and then delve into the incredible wines of this region. Your tour includes tastings at four boutique wineries and a restaurant lunch, which will be a chef's choice shared menu with beer or wine included.

Returning to Adelaide, you can get to know the city better this evening, perhaps visiting some of the city's fine restaurants and hip bars. 

Today, you'll embark on a highlight of your tour: boarding The Ghan train from Adelaide to Alice Springs. Simple and elegant in design, The Ghan gives you a sense of the golden age of travel as soon as you step aboard. Get to know your fellow travelers over a drink in the Outback Explorer Lounge, and enjoy a two-course lunch and three-course dinner, accompanied by regional fine wines, in the dining car.

Choose from a Gold Twin cabin, which provides a quiet oasis for two guests, or a Gold Single, ideal for solo relaxation. Upgrading to Gold Premium gives you access to the Gold Premium Lounge and Gold Premium Dining Carriage, while the Platinum accommodations offer an additional touch of luxury in plush and sophisticated cabins. Whatever option you select for this once-in-a-lifetime journey, settle in as the train begins its trip into the "Red Centre" to Alice Springs.

Early this morning, the train makes a special short stop in the outback town of Marla. You'll arrive when it is still dark, but the sun soon rises, bringing an incredible spectacle to this remote area. You can hop off the train at this point and have a walkabout to enjoy the atmosphere as the sun comes up.

Brunch is served on the train as you cross the state border and into the Northern Territory. Marvel as the train glides through the MacDonnell Ranges and relax onboard before arriving in Alice Springs in the afternoon. Here, you'll make your own way to your hotel for the night and enjoy a free evening to get your bearings in this new location.

Following breakfast in your hotel this morning, a transfer takes you from Alice Springs to Ayers Rock. This incredible sandstone monolith, also known as Uluru, makes the landscape of Australia's "Red Centre" even more spectacular. As you make your way to the town of Yulara, you can witness the spectacular colors and views of this remote and beautiful area.

When you arrive, you'll experience the many moods of Uluru at sunset with an uninterrupted view on a sunset Uluru tour. Marvel at the immensity of Uluru as you immerse yourself in the environmental changes of this famous icon, and then relax with a glass of sparkling wine and light refreshments as the sun sets in the west. Afterward, a transfer takes you to your hotel for the next two nights. Choose from our handpicked four-star and five-star hotels on a B&B basis.

Enjoy a free day in Yulara today to walk around Ayers Rock at your own pace. Plaques give you information on the cultural significance of various caves and rocks. Or, for something different, head into town to the art gallery, where the works of local artists are displayed. You could also take a digeridoo workshop or a bush food experience (payable locally) or simply relax at your resort hotel by the pool.

As evening falls, take a tour from the Australian Tourism Hall of Fame featuring the Sounds of Silence Dinner. Your experience begins with canapes and chilled sparkling wine on a dune overlooking the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. With the backdrop of a stunning sunset, your table is serenaded by the sound of a didgeridoo. Enjoy a selection of Australian wine and beer while the first course is served. Then, as the stars emerge in the night sky, you are invited to an interactive chef's station to choose from a freshly prepared, bush tucker-inspired menu using native bush ingredients. Relax as your resident star speaker talks you through the southern night sky.  

Having seen some of Australia's most impressive cities and experienced its natural wonders along the Great Ocean Road and in the "Red Centre," your adventure of a lifetime comes to its end today. An included transfer takes you from your hotel in Yulara to Ayers Rock Airport for your overnight flight back home.