1
Arrival Day Melbourne and Welcome Meeting
Arrive early in Australia’s cultural capital to explore art-filled laneways, galleries and boutiques at your own pace. Melbourne is also Australia’s food capital – we have something special planned for your Welcome Dinner.
Meals included: Dinner with wine
Accommodation: Intercontinental Hotel Melbourne - 3 Nights (or similar)
2
Melbourne
Australia’s Aboriginal culture spans oceans, rivers, rainforest, outback and cities, as you’ll discover with Koorie Heritage Trust. From the organisation’s base at Federation Square, explore Melbourne with a First Nation's guide along the banks of the Yarra River, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. It's only a few steps to Big Esso by Mabu Mabu, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, celebrating contemporary Torres Strait Islander culture through cuisine. The menu is an explosion of native Australian bush flavours, from finger lime to quandong, with a drinks list that heroes Indigenous-owned businesses – their art also decorates the walls. More awaits at the Ian Potter Centre (NGV) in Federation Square, which hosts one of Australia's most significant collections of art from First Nations Creatives.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
3
Melbourne At Your Leisure
Take the pulse of Melbourne in your own time. Need touring suggestions? Your Travel Director can assist. You might choose to stay in the heart of the city exploring the Royal Botanic Gardens with an Aboriginal guide. Or for a bird’s-eye view, zip to the Melbourne Eureka Skydeck – it’s the highest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. While it’s tempting to linger, a bevy of attractions await on the outskirts of the city, including the Great Ocean Road. Spending a day driving this World Heritage-listed route is a rite of passage, uniting surf, seaside towns and wilderness walks. You might choose to head to the other side of the bay – Phillip Island is a mecca for wildlife, including penguins that waddle from the ocean to their sandy burrows every evening.
Meals included: Breakfast
5
Uluru At Your Leisure
The outback inspires creativity, as you’ll discover meeting Aboriginal artists and sculptors at Maruku Arts, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Their works capture the drama of Australia, and they’ll show you how to do the same during an art class. Spend the afternoon visiting the Gallery of Central Australia (GOCA), spotlighting ethically sourced Aboriginal art. Or, take to the sky on an optional scenic flight. Back at ground level, wander into Walpa Gorge, then say cheers to another Kata Tjuta sunset with a glass of bubbles.
Meals included: Breakfast
6
Uluru to Sydney
50,000 – that’s the number of lights that artist Bruce Munro used to create his alfresco artwork, Field of Light. This blanket of bulbs casts a surreal glow over the Uluru countryside, and is particularly beguiling on a sunrise visit. Tonight, is yours to explore Sydney. We have a little black book of hot restaurants to try if you need tips.
Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodations: Sofitel Wentworth Hotel Sydney - 4 nights (or Similar)
7
Sydney
Bring your stamina for an action-packed day exploring the Harbour City, including a behind-the-scenes tour of the Opera House. It sits on land belonging to the Eora Nation, as you’ll discover when you meet Aunty Margret of Dreamtime Southern X on a walking tour around the Rocks district. Swap the shore for the water on an expedition to harbour islands with Tribal Warrior Cruises and Tours, showing how Sydney’s Aboriginal culture and colonial history unite.
Meals included: Breakfast | Dinner
8
Sydney Free Time
Enjoy a day at leisure to explore the best of Sydney. Walk the Rocks and stop or ask your Travel Director to assist booking tours like the Burrawa Indigenous Climb, which sees you scale the Sydney Harbour Bridge accompanied by an Aboriginal guide.Take the ferry to Manly Beach or walk the Bondi Coastal walk and snap some photos. Or, spend a full day exploring the Blue Mountains on an optional excursion.
Meals included: Breakfast
9
Sydney Free Time
If you’re looking to continue your First Nations immersion, your Travel Director can organise optional tours including a bush-tucker experience in the Royal Botanic Garden, or an Aboriginal Cultural Tour at Barangaroo. A First Nations guide will also lead you around the Australian Museum’s two Aboriginal exhibitions on a Waranara Tour.
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner With Wine
10
Sydney To Cairns
After your morning flight from Sydney, spend your free afternoon soaking up the steamy climes of Cairns. Explore the vibrant esplanade or opt for an Indigenous-owned cruise by Mandingalbay Tours.
Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Flynn, A Crystalbrook Collection Resort - 3 Nights (or similar)
11
Great Barrier Reef
Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel’s catamaran tours tell the story of the Great Barrier Reef through First Nations' eyes. The company’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sea rangers regale you with 65,000-year-old Dreamtime creation stories, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, while you cruise to Moore Reef; here, slip into warm water to flipper among some of the 1,500 species of fish.
Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch
12
Cairns Free Time
Spend your free day soaking up the sights of Tropical North Queensland, perhaps joining a tour to catch the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and Kuranda Scenic Railway deep into the rainforest. Or maybe on an Outback Tasting Adventure, uniting distillers, brewers, cheesemongers and farmers. You may opt to discover native bush tucker on a Cape Tribulation, Mossman & Daintree tour, taking you through one of the world’s oldest rainforests. End your wild adventure with a Farewell Dinner at Ochre Restaurant on the Cairns waterfront.
Meals included: Breakfast
Notes
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Exclusive Sunrise Field of Light art installation experience at Uluru
3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park, Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Opera House
Centrally located premium hotels
HIGHLIGHTS
Local Connection
Aunty Margret is a Sydney legend, pioneering Indigenous tourism around the city. Discover Aboriginal sites and stories on one of her Dreamtime Southern X tours.
Cultural Immersion
Whether at sunrise or sunset, the beauty of Uluru is mesmerising. Aboriginal creatives at Maruku Arts capture it in their paintings and will show you how to do the same.
Sustainable Footprints
Big Esso not only crafts menus using sustainably grown native produce, but also supports Aboriginal growers, makers, bakers and brewers.
Wildlife & Nature
Take a deep dive (literally) into the Aboriginal stories behind the creation of the Great Barrier Reef with Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel from Cairns.
GROUP SIZE NOTES
Max 48
MEALS INCLUDED
- 3 Dinners with Wine
- 12 Full Breakfasts
- 2 Lunches
- 1 Farewell Dinner
TRANSPORT
48 Seater Coach
LOCAL FLIGHTS
- Arrival and departure flight requirements.
Arrival and Departure flights are not included in trip price
Day 1 – flights to arrive prior to 1.00pm into Melbourne Airport
Day 13 – flights to depart anytime from Cairns Airport
Internal flights included in the trip price.
Day 4 - Melbourne to Ayers Rock
Day 6 - Ayers Rock to Sydney
Day 10 - Sydney to Cairns
Return airport to hotel transfers are included in the trip price
ACCOMMODATION
Hotels (12 nts).
What to Bring
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat
- Water bottle
- Warm layers in cooler months
- Camera
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