Day 1
Welcome to Australia! Arriving in Melbourne in the early morning, you’ll pick up your automatic rental car and travel downtown to your comfortable, chic hotel for the evening. The day is at leisure to explore Melbourne’s café-filled laneways and shopping arcades, or just to relax from jet lag. Get a good night’s sleep, because tomorrow you’ll get an eyeful of the scenery in the hinterlands!
Crown Promenade Melbourne
Day 2
Today, you begin your real adventure. Drive several hours along the famed Great Ocean Road, one of our favorite places to capture stunning photos. It’s filled with wind-swept and wave-ravished beaches, stunning seaside cliffs, opportunities to spot kangaroos in the wild, and the remote, historic Cape Otway Lightstation. You can even take a helicopter ride over the beautiful Twelve Apostles! At the end of the day, you’ll relax at Port Fairy, a charming seaside town where your bed & breakfast awaits right on the riverfront.
3.5-star bed & breakfast in Port Fairy
Day 3
Continue driving along the coast toward Adelaide, past national parks and forest preserves, and make your way to Robe, a beachside town with charming cafés and comfortable bed & breakfast accommodations. Along the way, stop on the beach and look out for whales in Warrnambool!
Ann’s Place Robe
Day 4
Today, drive from Robe to Adelaide to end your journey on the Great Ocean Road. Along the way, you can stop in national parks, learn about Aboriginal culture, see local wildlife, and visit the wine region of Langhorne Creek. Once in Adelaide, there’s plenty of vibrant culture, food, and nightlife to explore in South Australia’s capital city. Nestle into your deluxe hotel for the evening, one of the best Adelaide has to offer.
4-star hotel in downtown Adelaide
Day 5
After breakfast, drive from Adelaide to your next adventure, the 4-day/3-night Arkaba Walk. Here you’ll have the opportunity to immerse yourself in 600 million years of geological history as you traverse the ancient Flinders Ranges in the outback of South Australia. Set off on foot through the basin of Wilpena Pound before making the descent into the private wildlife conservancy of Arkaba Station, then on to Black Gaps Camp.
“Wild Bush Luxury” touches (hot showers, a cold drink, canapés, comfy swags and hot water bottles) appear on arrival in camp in late afternoon. Evenings are spent around the campfire, indulging in a 3-course camp dinner with a selection of fine South Australian wines, before retiring to your deluxe star bed for a well-earned rest, world-class stargazing, and the sounds of the bush all around you.
5-star camping in the Flinders Ranges
Days 6
Today, your walk continues with a challenging hike through creeks and broken country, approaching the foothills of the Elder Range to Elder Camp. Make sure to soak up the incredible topography with spectacular panoramas of Elder Range, particularly in the evening as the ranges glow with the rich red light of the sunset.
5-star camping in the Flinders Ranges
Day 7
Today, you’ll be walking across varying terrain through Mallee and cypress pine forests before ascending the beautiful Red Range for views across the neighboring ranges. From here, cross Arkaba Creek and arrive at the Arkaba Homestead.
Tonight will be spent in the comfort of the homestead. Dating back to 1851, this beautifully restored homestead is a classic Flinders building with thick stone walls, deep shady verandahs, and corrugated roofing. To top it all off, you have the gorgeous backdrop of the rugged Elder Range. Relax in a deep leather armchair near a stone fireplace and enjoy dinner on the terrace. Before dinner, you may also select a fabulous wine from the cellar.
Arkaba Homestead
Day 8
This morning, you’ll have some time to relax in the library with a book, take an optional scenic flight over Wilpena Pound, or walk along the creek to the historic Arkaba Woolshed. Then drive back to Adelaide, drop off your rental car, and catch a flight to Perth, Australia’s westernmost city. Perth has great weather and fabulous beaches, with more hours of sunshine than any other Australian capital city. Full of museums, parks, and shopping arcades, Perth is great for off-the-beaten-track urban touring and for getting into the countryside for fine wines, eco-tours, and river cruising.
Crown Promenade Perth
Day 9
Today is at your leisure to enjoy whatever it is that excites you most about Perth. Try a day tour to Rottnest Island (home of unique flora and fauna and good snorkeling and diving), visit pristine beaches near the city, or perhaps indulge in a food and wine tour of this fertile region. Whatever it is you’d like to do, we’ll arrange it seamlessly for you.
Crown Promenade Perth
Day 10
A flight to Exmouth today brings you to one of the most remote luxury lodges of Australia: Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef. Sal Salis is the ultimate luxury camping experience, with 5-star tented accommodations in an exclusive location; guided snorkel trips, kayaking excursions, gorge walks, and more; and all meals and beverages included in the room rate.
April through October is the best time to go, when the whale sharks are out in the waters and you can go swimming with these gentle giants. Snorkeling, swimming, and diving are available right off the beach, one of the great benefits of heading to Ningaloo rather than the Great Barrier Reef.
Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef
Days 11 – 12
The next 2 days are at complete leisure to enjoy Sal Salis, with whale shark swimming included from April to October. In addition to the coral reef, the coastal dunes and gorges in the Cape Range National Park provide an amazing wildlife experience, with red kangaroo, dingoes, echidnas, emus, and more seen in and around the camp. Safari guides are available to provide a truly immersive wilderness experience. Back at camp, you’ll enjoy delectable cuisine and a selection of fine Western Australian wines in a stunningly beautiful setting.
Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef
Day 13
Today is a flight northeast to Broome, where you’ll pick up a rental car and drive to the famous Cable Beach. With 2 nights to spend here, you’ll have plenty of time to see why Cable Beach is known for its sweeping, sandy landscape and small-town Western Australia charm.
Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa
Day 14
Daytime is at leisure to enjoy Cable Beach and Broome today, but this evening will be something extraordinary. You’ll ride camels on Cable Beach, waves lapping at your camel’s feet as you watch the incredible sunset over the ocean. A gentle rock back and forth makes for a comfortable ride on the back of one of the world’s most fascinating creatures.
Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa
Day 15
Today, you’re off on an outback adventure! Fly to Darwin, the capital city of Australia’s Top End. Pick up your rental car and drive a couple of hours to your final remote stop, Wildman Wilderness Lodge at Kakadu National Park’s Mary River Wetlands. Specializing in “wetlands safari,” Wildman is set in breathtaking scenery with access to one of the most fascinating and remote national parks in the nation, filled with unique Australian wildlife. Your home for the next 3 nights is one of the standalone cottages, or “habitats,” which offer premium accommodations in this remote and wild setting.
Wildman Wilderness Lodge
Day 16
Today, enjoy a full-day wildlife and wilderness tour of Kakadu National Park. In this remote, unspoiled landscape (which you may recognize from Crocodile Dundee), you’ll find rugged escarpments, lush rainforest, and Aboriginal rock art galleries up to 20,000 years old.
Stop by the South Alligator River before continuing past lush floodplains and billabongs to reach Ubirr Rock, where you’ll see famous rock art sites, as well as panoramic views of the surrounding floodplains and escarpments. Enjoy a tasty picnic lunch near the East Alligator River, then take a short walk to Cahills crossing to spot one of the many local crocodiles that inhabit this area. The last stop in the park is at the Mamukala observation platform for stunning views over the wetlands and an incredible variety of birdlife.
Wildman Wilderness Lodge
Day 17
This morning, enjoy a one-hour cruise on Home Billabong as the sun warms up and nature comes to life. This billabong is an ever-changing, living ecosystem which is both beautiful and fascinating. Every cruise is different and offers a unique experience, but you are likely to glide past prehistoric-looking crocodiles, an amazing array of birdlife, and an abundance of wildflowers.
After your cruise, you’ll have plenty of time to relax at the lodge. Enjoy the comfort of your air-conditioned habitat, take a refreshing dip in the pool, indulge in fantastic food and wine, and soak up magnificent views of the surrounding landscape.
Wildman Wilderness Lodge
Day 18
Drive back to Darwin today for an evening enjoying the city’s eclectic mix of Asian, European, and Aboriginal cultural heritage. A short flight from Indonesia, Darwin is a melting pot of Australian and foreign cultures, and a great landing spot after trips to Kakadu National Park. This evening, mix with the locals at the Mindil Beach Sunset markets or the unique seaside eateries of Stokes Hill Wharf.
Adina Apartment Hotel Darwin Waterfront
Day 19
An early morning flight south and then a long-haul flight to North America takes you out of the wilderness and back home. With some off-the-beaten-track adventures that most tourists to Australia don’t get to experience, your vacation will produce fantastic stories that your friends will be hard-pressed to beat!
