ITINERARY:

DAY 1: Arrive Melbourne
Arrive Melbourne and transfer to hotel for check in. The remainder of the day is free for you to enjoy exploring on the complimentary Melbourne City Tram.
Overnight in Melbourne. Accommodation for 4 nights in Melbourne. Melbourne is the coastal capital of the southeastern Australian state of Victoria. At the city's centre is the modern Federation Square development, with plazas, bars, and restaurants by the Yarra River. In the Southbank area, the Melbourne Arts Precinct is the site of Arts Centre Melbourne – a performing arts complex – and the National Gallery of Victoria, with Australian and indigenous art.

DAY 2: Melbourne Tour
Morning Half Day Seat in Coach Melbourne City Tour. This tour is packed with city sights and historical landmarks. Highlights include: Sporting Complexes, Parliament House, Queen Victoria Market, Flinders Street Station, Fitzroy Gardens, Captain Cook's Cottage, Shrine of Remembrance and The Royal Botanic Gardens. The evening is free to enjoy at your leisure (or join one of our optional tours). Overnight in Melbourne.

DAY 3: Phillip Islands Penguins
Visit a Wildlife Park then Phillip Island to see spectacular scenery and the famous Penguins make their way to their burrows at sunset after the day at sea! Cuddly koalas, tiny penguins, and kangaroos – this is your chance to meet some of the Southern Hemisphere's most exotic and downright adorable animals. Interact with wallabies and dingoes at an animal park, and then head to the beach for the impossibly cute Penguin Parade on Phillip Island. Coastal cliffs greet you as you cross the bridge onto rugged Phillip Island, home to swooping seabirds and Australia's largest colony of fur seals. Your first stop is at the Maru Koala & Animal Park, where a plethora of native Aussie creatures await. Get up close to long-legged emus, pet a hopping kangaroo, feed a eucalyptus-munching koala, and watch Tasmanian devils scurry through the grass. Leave the koalas behind and ride along the island's southwest coast towards the Phillip Island Nature Park. In the distance, the rocky outcrops of the aptly named Nobbies are visible beyond the headlands. As the sun begins to set, find a spot at Summerland Beach for the grand finale to your time on the island – the Penguin Parade. When the sun sinks down, a mass of tiny little penguins emerge from fishing in the sea to waddle towards the safety of their burrows on the sandy shore. Just 30 centimetres (13 inches) tall, these pocket-sized, blue-plumed birds are the world's smallest penguins, and 70,000 of them call Phillip Island home. Once the penguins are in for the night and the ritual comes to a close, it’s time to return to your Melbourne hotel. Overnight in Melbourne.

DAY 4: See the Great Ocean Road
Miles of rugged beaches, wave-carved rock formations, and dense rainforest await on this full-day adventure along Australia's most famous scenic highway.
Cruise along the Great Ocean Road to see icons like the 12 Apostles, stroll beneath towering trees to spot koalas and lorikeets, and linger over lunch in seaside Apollo Bay. Head out of Melbourne and hit the road – the Great Ocean Road, that is. This 242 km (151-mile) highway winds its way along the southeastern coast of Victoria and is the world's largest war memorial. Your first stop en route is at Surf Beach, where you can enjoy morning tea while watching surfers catch waves before continuing on to Memorial Arch. Venture into the woods to look for koalas perched in the treetops, colourful parrots and lorikeets, and the gum tree-loving kookaburra. In Apollo Bay, relax over lunch as you soak in the atmosphere of this waterfront locale, and then work off your meal with a guided bushwalk through the towering trees that line the Maits Rest board walk in the Otway Ranges, a cool and ancient temperate rainforest. Make your way to the striking 12 Apostles, limestone stacks rising up from the waves, and Loch Ard Gorge, where you can take a walk while listening to the tale of Australia's most notorious shipwreck. Your final stop is at the arch nicknamed London Bridge or the cliffs known as the Gibson Steps, where you can feel the breeze off the sea before heading back to Melbourne.

DAY 5: Melbourne to Sydney by Train
Today, you will be given a packed breakfast by the hotel and transferred to Melbourne Southern Cross Train Station for our train journey between Australia’s two biggest cities, travelling from Melbourne to Sydney. Our journey will take us through towns like Seymour, Benalla, Wangaratta, Albury, Wagga Wagga, Junee, Cootamundra, Yass Junction & Goulburn. This will give you an amazing look at the Australian countryside. (Meals on board can be purchased at own expense.) Your tour guide will supply you with interesting commentary en route on this enjoyable 900 km train ride. We will be met at Sydney train station and transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Sydney

Introduced to service in 1982 the XPT, short for “express passenger train”, has an aerodynamic design and travels between Sydney & Melbourne. The XPT power car features a Paxman VP185 12-cylinder, turbo-charged diesel electric engine boasting 1492 kW or 2000 horsepower. There’s a power car at each end of the train, one pulling and the other pushing.

Accommodation for 3 nights in Sydney. Sydney, capital of New South Wales and one of Australia’s largest cities, is best known for its harbour-front Sydney Opera House, with a distinctive sail-like design. Massive Darling Harbour and the smaller Circular Quay port are hubs of waterside life, with the arched Harbour Bridge and esteemed Royal Botanic Garden nearby. Sydney Tower’s outdoor platform, the Skywalk, offers 360-degree views of the city and suburbs.

DAY 6: Sydney Full Day Tour
Morning Half Day Seat in Coach Manly Sights & Northern Beaches Tour. Highlights of this tour include the Sydney Harbour Bridge (the tallest steel arch bridge in the world), picturesque Milsons Point with fantastic views of the Opera House, Arabanoo Lookout offering views out to North and South Head and over the incredible Pacific Ocean and the famous Manly Beach. The evening is free time to enjoy at your leisure (or join one of our optional tours). Overnight in Sydney.

DAY 7: Visit the Blue Mountains
Join this small-group day tour for an adventure into the heart of the enchanting Blue Mountains. Stroll through Featherdale Wildlife Park, admire breathtaking views over Jamison Valley, and take a stunning river cruise along the Parramatta River.
Start your journey with a hotel pickup and travel to the award-winning Featherdale Wildlife Park. Here, hand feed kangaroos, have your photo taken with a koala, and encounter other native Australian animals. Next head to the UNESCO World-Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park, and see native plants and animals on an easy guided bush-walk to Wentworth Falls. Learn about the aboriginal story of the Three Sisters at the Echo Point lookout and take in the fresh mountain air as you gaze over the magnificent Jamison Valley. Afterwards, ride the steepest railway in the world 415 metres (1,361 feet) down to the valley floor at Scenic World (own expense), and take a stroll through the temperate rainforest. Leave the Blue Mountains behind and return to Sydney on a scenic cruise from Homebush Bay down the Parramatta River and into Sydney Harbour. Take in the unique views as you go under the Sydney Harbour Bridge and see the Sydney Opera House close up before you arrive at your hotel, where your tour finishes. Overnight Sydney.

DAY 8: Depart Sydney.
Your tour concludes upon check out of your hotel in the morning. We hope you had a wonderful time. Tour Concludes – Memories Begin.

Please note: The day by day descriptions published are intended as an indicative guide only. Travel by nature is unpredictable. Weather patterns, road conditions, public holidays, travel restrictions and a multitude of other factors may necessitate itinerary changes that ultimately are for the client’s benefit. It is essential that clients are flexible and open minded in this regard.