12 Day East Coast Islands and Rainforest

Drive north along the NSW coast to start your tour in the beautiful waterside resort of Coffs Harbour. Arrive at a playground paradise with beautiful beaches and lush parkland where attractions, adventures - and dolphins - are waiting. Get your journey going the right way with a post-sunset Welcome Dinner hosted by your Travel Director.

Meals included – Dinner

Enjoy breakfast before continuing north toward the edge of Queensland and the Gold Coast. Pause for a picture at the Cape Byron Lighthouse, Australia’s most easterly point, and grab a lunch of your choice - perhaps Byron Bay fish and chips on the sand? Once you’ve had your fill and licked your fingers, travel on to Surfers Paradise and prepare to relax.

Meals included – Breakfast

Nobody clock-watches in Surfers Paradise and neither will you. Take a day to discover the beaches, graze the cafés, or cruise the canals. Keep things as easy as you like or, if your feet are itchy, head inland to Tamborine Mountain for rainforest activities from horse riding to zip-lining and canopy walks to glow worm caves. When the evening comes, pick your favourite oceanside spot for a leisurely dinner to top off a leisurely day.

Meals included – Breakfast

Leave the Gold Coast behind and set your sights on the world’s largest sand island. Breathe the sea air as you ride the ferry from Hervey Bay to K’gari. If you’re travelling between June and October, keep an eye out for curious visits from calving whales as you make the crossing. Also known as Fraser Island, the World Heritage-listed K’Gari has no roads, just sand, rainforest, and adventure.

Meals included – Breakfast

Choose your own activity on the sands of K’Gari. Ride a 4WD along 75 Mile Beach. Paddle through the waves with dingoes. Swim in the pristine freshwater of Lake McKenzie. Take a selfie by the Maheno Shipwreck. Stroll the rainforest boardwalk at the old logging centre of Central Station. Grab an inflatable and float gently down Eli Creek. Or rise to the sky for a bird's-eye perspective on a short scenic flight.

Meals included – Breakfast, Lunch

Today you’ll travel from desert island to cattle ranch. Return to the mainland where you’ll be driven to the Creed family’s “Old Station” homestead, a working farm for 150 years. Hear the owners’ stories over afternoon tea before continuing to Rockhampton where steak is always on the menu. Choose from a range of recommended restaurants or discover your own and enjoy a leisurely evening feast.

Meals included – Breakfast

Move from Australia’s beef capital to the centre of its sugar industry when you stop at Sarina Sugar Shed on your route to Airlie Beach. Uncover the process of turning sugar cane into sweet treats and try a selection of the produce before completing your journey. Arrive at Airlie beach for a relaxing evening ahead of tomorrow’s Whitsunday adventures.

Meals included – Breakfast, Lunch

Wake on the doorstep of 74 tropical islands and the Great Barrier Reef with just one question to be answered - do you want to explore by sea, or by air? Choose a scenic helicopter flight or board a catamaran from the marina for a full day cruising on the Coral Sea. Visit Whitehaven Beach. Hamilton Island, Daydream Island, and Hook Island, or dive in and snorkel right from the beach.

Meals included – Breakfast

Get back on the road for the long scenic drive to Cairns. Sit and relax as you roll through fields and paddocks with the ocean on your right and the mountains to the left. Enjoy regular breaks for photo and food opportunities and arrive in the city this evening with the driving days of your tour behind you.

Meals included – Breakfast

Awake to the vibrant morning energy of Cairns Esplanade and soak up the atmosphere before heading inland for the day's activities. Climb onto the tropical plateau of the Atherton Tablelands to see Millaa Millaa Falls and the Curtain Tree as you continue to Kuranda. Ride the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway for a panoramic perspective over the Barron Gorge National Park then return to your Cairns home for the night.

Meals included – Breakfast

Finish your tour in spectacular style when you explore the world’s most famous marine landmark. Set sail on a high-speed catamaran until you’re floating above the Great Barrier Reef. View the coral and colourful fish from a glass-bottom boat or underwater observatory, or dive in to snorkel among the sea turtles which call it home. Back on land, enjoy a Farewell Meal and share stories of your east coast adventure with the friends you’ve made along the way.

Meals included – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Say goodbye to tropical Queensland and return to Cairns Airport to begin your journey home or the next chapter of your travels.

Meals included – Breakfast