AAT Kings - East Coast Islands & Rainforest Itinerary

 
1

Sydney – Coffs Harbour

Start discovering the landscapes of Australia’s east coast as you travel northward to the coastal town of Coffs Harbour. From your accommodation nestled amongst sprawling tropical gardens, you’ll have the opportunity to wander down to Little Diggers Beach and Diggers Head. Enjoy the early evening sea breeze just like the locals do. Tonight enjoy a Welcome Reception and dinner with your Travel Director.

Included Meals: Dinner

Accommodation: Coffs Harbour - 1 Night

Port Macquarie
Situated on the beachfront with magnificent ocean views, BreakFree Aanuka Beach Resort offers a day spa, swimming pool, restaurant, and bar. Free on-site and on-street parking are available for guests. All accommodation at BreakFree Aanuka features air conditioning, cable TV, DVD player and tea/coffee making facilities.
BreakFree Aanuka Beach

2

Coffs Harbour – Gold Coast

Experience superb views over the Pacific Ocean this morning from Cape Byron, the easternmost point in Australia. Spend time soaking up the bohemian vibe of Byron Bay, you may spot migrating whales breaching not far off the coast. A scenic coastal drive this afternoon takes you to the legendary holiday destination of the Gold Coast, where you’ll settle in for your two-night stay.

Accommodation: Novotel Surfers Paradise - 2 nights

Included Meals: Breakfast

Gold Coast
Nestled amidst the beautiful beaches and thriving shopping, dining and nightlife of Australia’s Gold Coast, Novotel Surfers Paradise is ideally situated, just minutes from the surf.
Novotel Surfers Paradise

3

Gold Coast Free Day

Today you have the freedom to enjoy the Gold Coast in your own style. Nature lovers may head to Mt. Tamborine, foodies explore the growing culinary culture or those needing relaxation just stroll down to the sand and salt of Surfers Paradise Beach.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Gold Coast Hinterland

4

Gold Coast – K'gari Fraser Island

This morning visit Australia Zoo made famous by the Crocodile Hunter, the late Steve Irwin and his family. Enjoy a sneak peek into the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital and see how AAT Kings works with the Wildlife Warriors to support the koala rehabilitation project at the hospital, the country’s largest and busiest wildlife facility. This afternoon the ferry will take you across to the World Heritage listed K’gari, also known as Fraser Island.

Accommodation: Fraser Island - 2 nights

Included Meals: Breakfast 

Fraser Island
Accommodation:
Kingfisher Bay Resort offers modern accommodations, varied delicacies in its 3 restaurants and many bush walking tracks. It is located on the World Heritage listed Fraser Island, near Great Sandy Strait.The eco-friendly resort offers spacious self-contained villas and air-conditioned hotel rooms. Accommodations feature a balcony, offering fantastic views of the natural surroundings. Kingfisher Bay Resort features 4 swimming pools, each fitted with sun loungers. Guests can also take advantage of the eco-tours provided by Kingfisher's knowledgeable staff.
Kingfisher Lodge

5

Fraser Island

A day of discovery lies ahead as your 4WD tour takes you for a ride around the island’s must-see sites. Visit Lake McKenzie, ringed with magnificent white sandy beaches. Walk through the ancient rainforest at Central Station and Wanggoolba Creek with its huge satiny, scribbly gum and kauri trees. Across the island to 75 Mile Beach, the sand highway will take you up the eastern coast to the Pinnacles Coloured Sands; cooling, calm waters of Eli Creek and the famous sinking Maheno Shipwreck.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Noosa River

6

Fraser Island – Rockhampton

Visit Langmorn Station, a fully operational family run cattle station. Meet the Creed family and take a guided tour of the property including the original family homestead, built in 1873. Enjoy afternoon tea in the garden in the company of the pet kangaroo! Cross the Tropic of Capricorn as you arrive in Rockhampton, the beef capital of Australia. Your night is free so why not try some local beef at one of the town's steakhouses.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Rockhampton - 1 Night

Langmorn Station
The 1914 Historical Heritage Listed TAFE College has been converted into a 4 1/2 Star 49 room hotel with conference and licensed restaurant facilities. The Quality Regent Hotel Rockhampton is part of the Choice group of quality hotels and offers superior accommodation and professional functions facilities in a premier position in the CBD. It is situated within walking distance to shops, businesses, restaurants and waterfront. Airport and Rail - only minutes drive away. We will cater to our guests every need to ensure their stay is most enjoyable.
Quality Hotel Regent - Rockhampton

7

Rockhampton - Airlie Beach

Travel north to Sarina, Australia’s sugar capital, to the Sarina Sugar Shed,
a miniature working sugar mill. On your tour you’ll get a peek into the sugar cane industry and witness sugar processing and distilling. You can taste test some of the products made on site before sitting down to a light lunch. Continue to Airlie Beach, the gateway to the Whitsundays. Spend the next two nights in this vibrant coastal town where you will have free time to explore at your own pace.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Airlie Beach - 2 Nights

Hamilton Island
Ideally located on Shute Harbour Road, Club Croc Hotel Airlie Beach is just a short walk from Whitsunday Shopping Centre. Most rooms offer views over the garden, pool or coastline. Drenched in tropical ambiance, the hotel features limited free WiFi per 24 hours (additional access is available for an extra charge), a 24-hour reception, complimentary car parking, a sparkling lagoon pool and spa, nearby BBQ facilities and a fitness centre.
Club Croc Hotel Airlie Beach

8

Airlie Beach Free Time

Today is yours to indulge in your own pleasures – consider some optional experiences. Perhaps cruise to famous Whitehaven Beach or a scenic flight over the iconic Heart Reef. You could visit the island’s wildlife park, home to many species of Australian animals or sit back with a good book by one of the resort’s stunning pools.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Whitehaven Beach Hamilton Island

9

Airlie Beach to Cairns

Today you’ll head to Cairns along the Bruce Highway. Relax and take in the

scenery as you travel through sugar cane fields and extensive farming land, nestled between the Coral Sea on one side and World Heritage rainforest on the other.

Included Meals: Breakfast - Dinner 

Accommodation: Cairns - 3 Night

Mission Beach
Our oceanfront hotel in Cairns is surrounded by landscaped, tropical gardens with views of the Coral Sea. We're a short walk from Cairns Aquarium, Cairns Art Gallery, the Esplanade Lagoon, and city center.
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cairns

10

Cairns

Today’s journey takes you to the Atherton Tablelands, with its lush rainforests, spectacular waterfalls and peaceful lakes. Visit Millaa Millaa Falls and the heritage listed 500-year-old Curtain Fig Tree, and keep an eye out for the magnificent Ulysses butterfly. Spend some free time in Kuranda, the ‘village in the rainforest’, before travelling on via the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. Your six-person gondola will provide spectacular views of the rainforest and the Coral Sea.

Accommodation: Hilton Hotel Cairns - 2 nights

Included Meals: Breakfast

Cairns
Accommodation:

The Pacific Hotel Cairns boasts a magnificent location, personalised service and award winning hospitality.  The hotel is ideally situated on the picturesque Esplanade overlooking Trinity Harbour and the Reef Fleet Terminal and just a short walk to the night markets, convention centre and the Esplanade Lagoon.


11

Great Barrier Reef

Board a high-speed catamaran today and cruise out to the iconic Great Barrier Reef, the only living organism that can be seen from the moon. You’ll have the opportunity to go snorkelling (equipment provided) or view the spectacular coral and tropical fish from the underwater observatory and semi-submersible craft. Enjoy a tropical buffet lunch on board, before you return in the late afternoon, for a Farewell Dinner with your Travel Director and newfound friends.

Included Meals: Breakfast - Lunch, Farewell Dinner

 

Great Barrier Reef

12

Farewell from Cairns

Say farewell to your fellow travellers when your holiday comes to an end this morning after breakfast

Included Meals: Breakfast

 

Cairns

East Coast Islands & Rainforest Mapping

Tour inclusions

Itinerary Variations – the provider strives to improve trip itineraries. If improvements can be made, or if circumstances beyond their control make changes necessary, the provider reserves the right to vary itineraries and to make substitutions. 

Highlights

  • Flexible Holidays

Choose your own adventure on the Gold Coast and in the Whitsundays, where surf and sand meet rainforest hinterland. Hike, swim, snorkel, cruise, repeat. 

  • Iconic Sites

How many people get to say they visited three World Heritage Sites on a single holiday? You can: K’gari (Fraser Island), the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics of Queensland. 

  • Sustainable Travel

Our Take 3 for the Sea program helps conserve our oceans through small collective efforts of rubbish collection. 

  • Natural Wonders

Some of the world’s oldest tropical rainforest envelops Cairns, this verdant tangle of ferns and palms a natural magnet for native wildlife.

What's included

  • Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver
  • 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – K’gari (Fraser Island), Great Barrier Reef & Wet Tropics of Queensland (Barron Gorge National Park, Skyrail)
  • Centrally located premium hotels
  • Cape Byron Lighthouse Permit & Crater Lake National Park entrance fees (Millaa Millaa Falls)

Dining

  • 1 Dinner
  • 11 Full Breakfasts
  • 3 Lunches
  • 1 Farewell Dinner

Flight Information

  • Day 1: Flights to arrive day prior into Sydney Airport
  • Day 12: Flights to depart any time from Cairns Airport
  • Flights are not included in the holiday price
  • Return airport to hotel transfers are not included in the holiday price

Fitness Requirements

  • Low level of fitness required

 


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Profile picture for user Bernadette
What Bernadette says about this tour: A rewarding trip from Sydney to Cairns along the Eastern seaboard of Australia. With many bespoke locations such as Byron Bay, Fraser Island 3 nights to end your trip in Cairns capital of Northern Queensland - this is for lovers of beaches and unspoilt locations.
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Pricing terms

The price is based on current exchange rates but is only an approximation. Please contact us for a final price