12 days Sydney to Cairns East Coast Adventure

Ask our expert Brendan Prendergast about the 12 days Sydney to Cairns East Coast Adventure

Day 1 Thursday. Sydney, Port Macquarie, Welcome Dinner & Drinks.
Your holiday adventure begins in Sydney.  By crossing Sydney Harbour Bridge to the Central Coast, you will reach Port Macquarie. Here you will be able to meet other members of the group and enjoy a Welcome Dinner and Drinks.
 Stay: Rydges Port Macquarie, located just a stone’s throw from the cosmopolitan buzz of the town centre.

Day 2 Fri. Port Macquarie, Byron Bay.
Today you can enjoy a drive to Byron Bay, the coastline that is renowned for its surf beaches that attract wealthy city types as well as bohemian lifestylers. Take in the views from the mainland’s most easterly point at Cape Byron. Watch the spectacle of the surfers and perhaps catch a glimpse of the dolphins that swim off the point. You can also view the Cape Byron Lighthouse.  For a fitting end to the day, watch the sun set as you stroll along the pristine beach located at the doorstep of our hotel.
Stay: Kingscliff, Mantra on Salt Beach.

Day 3 Sat. Gold Coast, Brisbane, Moreton Island.
After a short drive, you arrive in Brisbane, where you can enjoy some time at leisure. 10 Day (TQ10) guests join tour. Later in the day, you can cruise across Moreton Bay to Moreton Island National Park, home to Queensland’s wild dolphins.
Two Night Stay: Moreton Island, Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort.
Day 4 Sun. Moreton Island, Tangalooma, Day at Leisure, Wild Dolphins.
Today is at leisure for you to explore the island. There is so much to do: snorkel around the shipwrecks, try sand tobogganing, quad bike riding or take a 4WD tour of the island (all activities at own expense). The highlight of the day is the opportunity to interact with the dolphins that swim close to shore. Most evenings the dolphins swim up to the beach, where they are fed fresh fish by the staff.

Day 5 Mon. Moreton Island, Australia Zoo, Sunshine Coast, Hervey Bay.
Today you return to the mainland, to visit Australia Zoo, made famous by Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. Continue along the Sunshine Coast, to Hervey Bay, a very popular tourist destination, especially in whale watching season (Aug.-Oct.) when Humpback whales can be regularly seen offshore.
Two Night Stay: Hervey Bay, Mantra Hervey Bay in a One Bedroom Marina View Suite. Situated right on Urangan Harbour.

Day 6 Tue. World Heritage-listed Fraser Island.
Today offers the opportunity to cruise to Fraser Island, a place of exceptional beauty, with uninterrupted white beaches and strikingly coloured sand cliffs. Here you can explore the world’s largest sand island in a 4WD vehicle, discover unspoilt surf beaches, inland lakes and lush rainforest. Recross the Great Sandy Strait to cruise back to Hervey Bay - watch for humpback whales migrating to their breeding grounds (Aug.-Oct.).

Day 7 Wed. Tropic of Capricorn, Rockhampton.
Venture on to Rockhampton, on the Tropic of Capricorn. Take a stroll around the Botanic Gardens, one of the best in regional Australia. Here you will find excellent specimens of palms, cycads and ferns throughout the grounds, and a Japanese garden that gives a sense of peace and tranquillity.
Stay: Rockhampton Plaza Hotel.

Day 8 Thur. Mackay, Airlie Beach, Cruise to Daydream Island.
Mackay, the sugar capital of Australia is the next stop, after which you continue to Airlie Beach and cruise to Daydream Island, which is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. This island is known as “the jewel of the Whitsundays”, lying beside an archipelago of green islands in blue tropical waters. 5 Day (TQ05) guests join tour at Daydream Island.
Two Night Stay: Daydream Island Resort and Spa, a tropical island getaway.

Day 9 Fri. Great Barrier Reef Experience.
You journey to the heart of the Great Barrier Reef aboard a catamaran.  When you arrive at Reefworld, one of the largest reef pontoons in Australia, you can enjoy a reef education presentation.  You can also view the tropical fish from the Underwater Observatory and the semi-submersible. For the adventurous, follow a snorkelling trail and view the coral and sea life up close. Lunch on board is included.

Day 10 Sat. Daydream Island, Whitsundays, Townsville, Cairns.
Today you return to the mainland and head for Townsville, North Queensland’s largest city.  You then continue your journey, travelling between lush mountains with tropical vegetation and pristine sandy beaches to Cairns, a cosmopolitan city with an enviable tropical lifestyle. Cairns is where two of Australia’s World Heritage areas – the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest converge.
Two Night Stay: Cairns, Hotel Cairns, a tropical haven in the heart of Cairns.

Day 11 Sun. Port Douglas, Kuranda, Farewell Dinner.
North of Cairns is Port Douglas, where you can enjoy some free time before heading to Kuranda.  This delightful village in located in the rainforest and here you can wander the local markets and buy some souvenirs. You can travel aboard the Skyrail, Kuranda Scenic Railway (own expense) or return by coach to Cairns. Tonight there is a special Farewell Dinner at Tjapukai by Night. Discover the Dreamtime and be an interactive part of an ancient corroboree, then be led along a flame-lit pathway to  enjoy a banquet of the region’s best food.

Day 12 Mon. Cairns.
After breakfast,you are transferred to Cairns airport for your onward flight.

Combine your Affordable Queensland tour with a visit to the Top End and Red Centre. Enquire about departure dates and prices.

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