This will be our 5th visit
to the "Land Down Under" and we're doing it right.
Come join us as we explore this wonderful country and take
in the best tours. This is the
Australia trip you've been waiting for - with a fun group
of singles to the 2 most interesting places in the country
without a whole lot of moving around. With this trip
we will be spending 5-nights in Sydney, then 5-nights on
Hamilton Island which is one of the Whitsunday Islands.
SYDNEY
We
start off in Sydney where, over the coarse of 5 days, we'll
have a chance to
visit the top beaches and attractions. You will fall in
love with this cosmopolitan city. Surrounded by water,
beautiful beaches and scenic parks everywhere you turn,
it's beautiful. We'll start off with a nice city tour to
visit the highlights of Sydney - the
Opera House & Harbour Bridge; see the shopping heart
of the city; visit Sydney's trendy district of Oxford Street;
travel through elegant Paddington with its terrace houses
before arriving at the Pacific Ocean to see the superb coast
cliff walk. We'll travel on to famous Bondi Beach, visit
the beachfront promenade, enjoy a coffee or cool drink (at
own cost) and see bronzed Aussie lifesavers & Sydney's
best panoramic view. We'll return to Sydney via Double
Bay, Kings
Cross & city centre.
We'll also organize
an optional tour to
experience the Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb.
You will need to wear suitable rubber soled shoes and be ready
to wear special suits over your existing clothing. You will
climb to the top of the Sydney Harbor
Bridge some 130
meters above sea level.
Another fun way to see Sydney is by bike. We've really
had fun with this one. Check
out my video!
On past trips we also chartered a beautiful sailing yacht
for a Sydney Harbor cruise that was so much fun. We had
some good music going, some wine and the most
spectacular scenery all around us! We'll be doing this again
for sure.
On another optional tour
we'll spend the day heading outside the city to the famous
Blue Mountains. This fantastic Ecotour makes our way to
the Great Dividing Range of Australia. It is here we leave
the ‘average’ Blue Mountains tourist behind & enter
the National Park to unlock a piece of Australia you would
never have known existed. We visit an ancient Aboriginal
site & 
outstanding
lookouts; examine rock formations 
&
the unusual plants & wildlife that abound the area.
From the quaint little village of Leura we skirt around
Cliff Drive to Katoomba
where you will find yourself looking out over the magnificent
Jamieson Valley (Australia’s Grand Canyon) & the Three
Sisters. We enjoy a delicious barbeque lunch including a
selection of fine Australian wines with a cheese platter
under the canopy of the Australian bush. Before returning
to Sydney we drop into a hidden valley where we roam the
area, seeking out the many kangaroos that graze in the wild
(conditions permitting). Reluctantly we leave the National
Park passing through the Olympic 2000 site, arriving at
your hotel around 5.30pm.
You'll have opportunities
to take a seaplane tour, or go out jet-boating or you may
want to take in a show or tour at the famous Opera House.
There is so much to do in Sydney, this is not even scratching
the surface! Plus, if you enjoy nightlife, there's
an abundance in Sydney and we'll be walking distance to
much of it at The Rock's area. This is where it's really
all happening, so that's where we want to be.
CAIRNS
No Australia trip is complete without
spending some time at the gateway to the 
Great
Barrier Reef, which is Cairns. Again, we'll be
staying at the Novotel Oasis, a 4-star hotel right in the
heart of Cairns walking distance to the Esplanade where
all the shops and restaurants are. We'll have snorkel and
scuba trips set up as well as some more adventure tours.
Of course the diving is the best in the world, which I can
vouch for. Unbelievable soft and hard corral and extremely
clear turquoise water. We will typically get quite
a few divers on this trip, and you won't be disappointed.
We'll take our divers
and snorkelers to
the most spectacular sites for the maximum number of hours
on the outer Great Barrier Reef. In one day you will visit
two magnificent sites where you will explore vast coral
gardens, walls drop-offs, caverns and isolated pinnacles
with an array of colorful marine life.
If
you want the ultimate in rafting, you want an unforgettable
day on the Tully River. The Tully is Australia¹s most famous
one-day whitewater rafting experience. It¹s the North¹s
guaranteed tropical white water, white-knuckle adventure.
On our Tully River full day trip, rafters can tackle over
45 extraordinary rapids. The magnificent waterfalls that
cascade down the gorge walls through World Heritage Jurassic
era rainforest provide an unforgettable backdrop.
November is an excellent time to raft, and the rapids are
up to Grade 4. Lots of excitement. A person
looking for a good, exciting time will absolutely love it.
We'll take another optional
tour aboard the luxury
"Ocean Spirit",
a 105-foot
sailing vessel - the largest of her kind in the world.
We'll take a sail/ cruise in the Great Barrier Reef to Michaelmas
Cay, known as the Isle of the Birds, a year-round home to
thousands of sea birds of some 14 different species. It
is a spectacular
coral reef that thrives in the ideal conditions of clear,
shallow, sunlit water, and is home to a variety of marine
life including giant clams and brilliant fish. Because Michaelmas
Cay is a National Park, the fish are so tame you can feed
them from the beach and birds know they are safe to wander
among you with their chicks. Divers will be able
to
put on some tanks and enjoy a very nice dive today as well.
On our last trip, this was one of the most enjoyable days.
Another tour that's set up is
an Aboriginal Culture, Sky Rail and Rainforest tour. This
breathtaking journey, on one of the world's most scenic
train routes, will take us through hand-hewn tunnels and
across bridges with amazing views. Stop at Barron Gorge
to view the Falls
before arriving at beautiful Kuranda Station. We'll have
some time to explore the "Village in the Rainforest".
Explore the markets or visit the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary
and colorful Birdworld. We'll get on the Skyrail and enjoy
the world's most beautiful rainforest experience. Glide
over the Rainforest canopy and take advantage of the two
stops en-route to a walk through the rainforest.
What else? Well,
of course along our journey you will have opportunities
to see plenty of koala bears and kangaroo. 
INCLUDES:
- Domestic
air (international air will be posted soon)
- All
ground transportation
- 10-nights
accommodations (double occ.)
- Daily
Breakfast
- Departure
Tax
DOES
NOT INCLUDE:
- Optional
tours
- International air
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $850 (Will have private room
and bath but will be sharing a living space on Hamilton
Island).
OUR
AIR:
We have secured 40 seats on Qantas Airways at a discounted
group rate ($222.80 less per seat than the current individual
rate). This is the only airline that flys to Hamilton Island
so we don't see any other choice. You are welcome to purchase
your own air but we highly recommend getting on these fllights.
Please let us know by June 10th if you plan to use your
own air. Once these 40 seats are claimed the cost will likely
be significantly higher for air.
Flight:Qantas
Airways 12 Departure: Los Angeles 06SEP/1055P Arrival:Sydney
08SEP/655A
Flight: Qantas Airways 578 Departure:Sydney 13SEP/915A Arrival:Hamilton
Isl 13SEP/1145A **One daily service at the same time**
Flight: Qantas Airways 577 Departure:Hamilton Isl 18SEP/130P
Arrival:Melbourne 18SEP/420P **Shortest connection**
Flight: Qantas Airways 93 Departure:Melbourne 18SEP/925P
Arrival:Los Angeles 18SEP/645P
Base fare $1500 plus taxes $282.57 = $1782.57 (*Total Fare
Estimate per seat with taxes and fees at time of booking*).
Click here to see tentative itinerary with tours and approximate
cost of tours
See photos of our last Australia trip
HOTELS:
Sydney:
Old Sydney Holiday Inn 4-1/2 star hotel right
in The Rocks! Awesome hotel! Check out the
rooftop pool!
Tripadvisor
review
Perfectly located for the best Sydney experience, Holiday
Inn Old Sydney effortlessly combines new and world charm
right in the historic Rocks district. The Rocks is a uniquely
historical Australian quarter, where you can eat in restaurants
located in some the oldest surviving buildings in Sydney.
Set only a street back from Sydney Harbour, Holiday Inn
Old Sydney is just a short stroll from the famous Harbour
Bridge and Opera House, and hence ideally located for an
unforgettable Sydney experience. Circular Quay is only just
a few minutes' walk from the hotel, you can catch a ferry
across Sydney Harbour to view local and exotic wildlife
at Taronga Zoo or over to Manly beach. Native plants are
on show at the 30-hectare Royal Botanic Gardens, located
300 metres away and stylish boutiques in the surrounding
cosmopolitan Rocks precinct. Climb the outer arch of Sydney
Harbour Bridge, metres away, for stunning views across Sydney.
Arrive at Holiday Inn Old Sydney from Sydney Airport, only
15km away, and take a short 10 minute stroll to the city’s
central business district, or the Sydney Convention and
Exhibition Centre, just 20 minutes away. Wireless Internet
is available from your guest room, our Lobby Lounge Bar
and the rooftop terrace. They say a picture paints a thousand
words and, by day or night, there a magnificent views of
the world’s most stunning harbor from the attractive rooftop
pool and spa.
Hamilton
Island: Oasis
- Shorelines
- Panorama
- Blue
Water - Tripadvisor
review
We
have secured 2- bedroom, fully equiped ocean view condos
on Hamilton Island. You willl be sharing the living space
but both bedrooms have their own bathrooms. These are the
best selection of luxury serviced apartments and holiday
homes on Hamilton Island, with options that cater for various
group sizes. We have condos in 4 different complexes which
are all nearby each other and even come with a 4-passenger
"buggy" which is like an electric golf cart to
go around the island with. The roommates will want to coordinate
with each other on the tours and meals.
Breakfast is not included on this part of our trip as these
are condos, not a hotel. You will want to either go to the
harbor for breakfast or stock up at the market to eat breakfast
at the condo.
