"Reef, Red Centre and Harbour Cities"
Overview
Australia is a country you fly across rather than drive: Sydney to Perth is about five hours in the air, Sydney to Cairns roughly three. Most first trips stay on the eastern seaboard, where Sydney's harbour, Melbourne's laneways and the surf strip of the Gold Coast sit within short domestic hops of one another, and the Blue Mountains and Great Ocean Road are day trips from the two big cities. Two detours change the shape of a holiday - north to Cairns for the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree, and inland to Uluru, where the nearest town of any size is Alice Springs, some 450 km away. Seasons run opposite to the northern hemisphere, so December is high summer and July is winter, while the tropical north keeps its own wet and dry seasons instead.
Ready to go packages
Where to go
Sydney
The arrival point for most itineraries. The Opera House, Harbour Bridge and the historic Rocks precinct sit within walking distance of Circular Quay, and Bondi Beach and the Blue Mountains are both day trips from the centre.
Melbourne
Australia's coffee, street-art and sport capital. The laneways, Federation Square and Queen Victoria Market all sit inside the CBD grid, and the Great Ocean Road begins a couple of hours to the west.
Brisbane
Queensland's river city, with South Bank Parklands on one bank of the Brisbane River and the CBD on the other. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is a short drive upstream.
Gold Coast
A high-rise beach strip an hour south of Brisbane. Surfers Paradise sits at the centre of it, the major theme parks are inland to the north, and the Tamborine Mountain hinterland is a short drive west.
Cairns
The gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree. Reef boats leave from the marina, the Esplanade Lagoon fronts the waterfront, and Kuranda sits above the city by scenic railway and cableway.
Uluru (Ayers Rock Resort)
The Red Centre. Accommodation is clustered at Ayers Rock Resort in Yulara, a short drive from Uluru itself and from the rock domes of Kata Tjuta.
Blue Mountains
A sandstone plateau about two hours west of Sydney and usually visited as a day trip. Echo Point looks across the Jamison Valley to the Three Sisters, and Scenic World runs a cableway and a very steep railway down into the valley.
Great Ocean Road
A coastal drive south-west of Melbourne, normally done as one long day trip. It passes surf beaches and the Otway rainforest on the way to the limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge.
Must-see experiences
Bondi Beach
Sydney's best-known surf beach, about eight kilometres east of the city centre.
Brisbane City Tour
A guided tour of central Brisbane taking in the CBD, riverside precincts and city lookouts.
Cairns Esplanade
The Cairns waterfront strip, with a free public saltwater swimming lagoon, boardwalk and mudflat birdlife.
Cape Tribulation
The headland north of the Daintree River where World Heritage rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef coast.
Circular Quay
The harbourfront transport hub between the Opera House and The Rocks, and the departure point for Sydney's ferries.
Daintree Rainforest
Lowland tropical rainforest north of Cairns, part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.
Federation Square
Melbourne's central civic square, opposite Flinders Street Station, with galleries and event space.
Gallery Walk, Tamborine Mountain
The main shopping and gallery strip on Tamborine Mountain, lined with craft studios, cafes and produce shops.
Great Barrier Reef Cruise
A full-day boat trip from Cairns to the outer Great Barrier Reef, with snorkelling at pontoon or reef sites.
Great Ocean Road
The coastal touring route south-west of Melbourne, running past surf beaches, rainforest and limestone cliffs.
Jamison Valley Rainforest Walk
The forested valley below the Katoomba escarpment, with boardwalk and bush tracks through temperate rainforest.
Kata Tjuta
A group of large domed rock formations about 50 kilometres west of Uluru, also known as the Olgas.
Kuranda Scenic Railway
Heritage railway climbing from Cairns to Kuranda through Barron Gorge, past waterfalls and hand-cut tunnels.
Kuranda Village
A rainforest village above Cairns, reached by scenic railway or cableway, known for its markets and wildlife parks.
Loch Ard Gorge
A narrow limestone gorge and beach a few minutes west of the Twelve Apostles, named after an 1878 shipwreck.
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
Wildlife sanctuary on the Brisbane River at Fig Tree Pocket, opened in 1927 and specialising in koalas.
Melbourne Guided Food Walk
A guided walking tour of Melbourne's laneway cafes, arcades and produce halls with tastings along the way.
Melbourne Laneways and Street Art
The network of narrow lanes and arcades through the Melbourne CBD, known for street art, bars and small cafes.
Otway Ranges Rainforest
Cool-temperate rainforest in the hills behind the Great Ocean Road, with tree-fern gullies and waterfalls.
Queen Victoria Market
Melbourne's large open-air produce and general market at the northern edge of the CBD.
Scenic World Blue Mountains
Katoomba attraction combining a cableway, a skyway and a very steep incline railway into the Jamison Valley.
Sea World Gold Coast
Marine park and rides on The Spit at Main Beach, combining animal presentations with amusement attractions.
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
A gondola cableway running above the rainforest canopy between Smithfield and Kuranda, with two forest stations.
South Bank Parklands
Riverside parkland opposite the Brisbane CBD, with a man-made swimming lagoon and the Wheel of Brisbane.
Surfers Paradise
The Gold Coast's central beach precinct, a patrolled surf beach backed by a high-rise strip and esplanade.
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The steel arch bridge across Sydney Harbour, opened in 1932, with a free pedestrian walkway.
Sydney Harbour Dinner Cruise
An evening cruise on Sydney Harbour with dinner served on board, passing the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
Sydney Harbour Yacht Cruise
A private chartered yacht or launch on Sydney Harbour, sailing the inner harbour and eastern bays.
Sydney Opera House
The sail-roofed performing arts centre on Bennelong Point, and Australia's most recognisable building.
Tamborine Mountain
A plateau in the Gold Coast hinterland with rainforest walks, waterfalls and hinterland lookouts.
Taronga Zoo Sydney
Harbourside zoo at Mosman, reached by ferry from Circular Quay, with Australian and international species.
The Rocks
The colonial-era quarter beside Circular Quay, with sandstone lanes, pubs and weekend markets.
Three Sisters at Echo Point
The three sandstone pinnacles above the Jamison Valley, seen from the Echo Point lookout at Katoomba.
Twelve Apostles
The limestone sea stacks standing off the cliffs in Port Campbell National Park, the Great Ocean Road's best-known stop.
Uluru
The sandstone inselberg in the Northern Territory's Red Centre, sacred to the Anangu traditional owners.
Uluru Indigenous Cultural Experience
Guided Anangu-led activities around Uluru covering bush foods, tool making, dot painting and country.
Valley of the Winds Walk
A walking track between the domes of Kata Tjuta, with lookouts over the surrounding desert.
Warner Bros. Movie World
Film-themed amusement park on the Gold Coast, with roller coasters, stunt shows and character meet-and-greets.
Yarra River Promenade
The riverside walkway through central Melbourne, linking Federation Square, Southbank and the Arts Precinct.
Weather & best time to visit
Seasons at a glance
Summer
December – February
Hot and often humid down the east coast; Sydney averages a 26°C daily maximum in January. It is peak domestic holiday season, so coastal New South Wales and the Gold Coast are at their busiest and most expensive. In the tropical north it is the wet season, when Cairns sees monsoon rain, marine stinger nets go up on the beaches and reef visibility can drop.
Autumn
March – May
Warm days, cooler nights and thinning crowds in the south. Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road are at their most comfortable, and the tropical wet eases from around April, which makes late autumn a strong window for pairing the reef with the southern cities.
Winter
June – August
Sydney's coolest month is July, averaging a 16.4°C daily maximum, and the coast rarely sees frost. This is the dry season in Queensland and the Northern Territory — the most reliable window for the Great Barrier Reef and for Uluru, where days are mild but desert nights fall close to freezing.
Spring
September – November
Mild and settled in the south, with humpback whales migrating along the east coast and comfortable walking weather at Uluru before the summer heat arrives. Reef conditions in the north are still good and school-holiday crowds have not yet peaked.
Festivals & events
Fireworks staged over Sydney Harbour with the Harbour Bridge as the centrepiece, preceded by an earlier family display in the evening.
A festival of light, music and ideas that projects large-scale installations onto the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and buildings around Circular Quay after dark.
The year's first tennis grand slam, played at Melbourne Park over a fortnight.
A 3,200-metre handicap horse race run at Flemington on the first Tuesday of November; it is a public holiday across metropolitan Melbourne.
A round of the Formula 1 world championship held on the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne.
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