Eclectic Australia Experience: Shark Diving to Cultural Immersion

What to expect on this itinerary
Magnificent marine encounters and phenomenal landscape scenes abound on this carefully curated 15-day tour of Australia’s astonishing shores. Whether marveling at surreal encounters of Great White Sharks while safely cage diving or admiring the sea creatures of the Great Barrier Reef, every experience of this adventure will showcase the unbridled beauty of Australia's famous locales, from Melbourne and Port Lincoln to Port Douglas and Sydney.
Customizable Itinerary
Melbourne - Sparkling Cultural Blends
Regarded as Australia’s most European destination and boasting a bustling atmosphere, Melbourne will blow you away. Upon your arrival, you will transfer to your boutique hotel in South Yarra. Swanky art-deco mansions will dominate the suburban skyline, and buzzing boulevards will emanate a chic vibe. When you are ready, you can submerge yourself in Melbourne’s cultural blend of trendy bars and art galleries before settling in for dinner at a candlelit restaurant on the harbor.
What's Included:
Melbourne - Culinary and Retail Experiences
Melbourne - The Great Ocean Road
Port Lincoln - Australia’s Heart of Seafood
Port Lincoln - Marine Encounters
Port Lincoln - Port Lincoln National Park
Adelaide - Scenes of Vibrancy
Port Douglas - Witness Unforgettable Scenes
Port Douglas - Marine Discoveries
Port Douglas - In the Mossman Gorge
Sydney - The Sydney Skyline
Sydney - Blue Mountains National Park
Sydney - Peace and Serenity
Sydney - Australia’s Sun-Washed Shores
Sydney - Departure
Trip Highlights
- Discover the distinctive blend of cultural influences that have impacted Australia’s culinary culture and fashion movements in Melbourne
- Swoon over surreal seascapes as you cruise along the Great Ocean Road past Kennett River’s wildlife to Shipwreck Coast
- Submerge in the sea on a shark cave diving experience to spot Australia’s iconic Great White Sharks
- Cruise off the coast of Port Lincoln to spend time among the gentle-natured Sea Lion’s that reside near sandy island coves
- Traverse the forested headlands and pearly shores of Port Lincoln National Park for moments alongside the unspoiled wilderness
- Glide to panoramas of one of the world’s most spectacular stretches of sea on a cruise from Cairns to Port Douglas
- Appreciate the limitless beauty of the Great Barrier Reef as you snorkel its magnificent coral reefs and encounter its colorful marine life
- Cherish moments in the company of Australia’s rarest animals during a tour of the forests of Mossman Gorge
- Capture unparalleled landscape vistas atop the summits of Blue Mountains National Park
- Attune to the lively atmosphere of Sydney as you explore its vibrant skyline and visit its stunning heritage sites
Starting Price
$7,400 per person (excluding international flights)
What's Included
- Accommodations
- In-country transportation
- Some or all activities and tours
- Expert trip planning
- 24x7 support during your trip
Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.
Verified Traveler Reviews
Based on 7 reviews
My 80+-year-old grandparents, mother, brother, and I had a trip of a lifetime this past March when we traveled to Sydney, Port Douglas (Great Barrier Reef), Melbourne, Queenstown, and Wanaka. My grandfather has wanted to visit Australia and New Zealand for the last 20+ years, so we finally decided to take him as mobility concerns were catching up to his and my grandmum's age. My mother, brother, and I also had additional activities we wanted to cover during our first visit Down Under.
I was impressed to find how perfectly the team anticipated and tailored the trip to my grandparents' mobility needs while also ensuring that my mother, brother, and I were not longing to see more. The five of us all had a full and easy experience, and I cannot identify an aspect of the tour where we could've had a better outcome! This alone made the trip a five-star experience.
However, I write this recommendation for the team at the travel agency for their thorough ability in handling the pre-trip items in the months before departure. From managing entry and vaccination requirements for family members all over the world, and more significantly managing two last-minute cancellations for personal emergencies by my uncle and aunt, it is obvious the team pulled out all the stops to ensure the best trip and a full trip could be had. I would recommend to friends and family to consult with this agency for their trips to Australia and New Zealand!
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I'm not sure it matters how much time you spend in Australia, it won't be enough. Certainly our 14 days weren't. We decided to try to 'do it all'. Sydney with the Blue Mountain, Kangaroo Island, Melbourne with the Great Ocean Road and Phillip Island, Ayers Rock (Uluru), Cairns (Port Douglas) with the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. This meant 5 separate flights in-country with 5 travel days in addition to our arrival and departure. After gently warning us that this was a lot, our travel agency did everything they could to make our trip as memorable as they possibly could. This involved multiple email exchanges, discussions of possible tour sites, several changes of itinerary and all done with good humor and efficiency. Their hotel recommendations were uniformly excellent - or as good as the area allowed. The tours they arranged were equally excellent. While not providing dining recommendations they did suggest contacting hotel concierges, well before our departure, which allowed us to make several restaurant reservations at the begining of the trip, making our lives much easier. They arranged transport to and from airports which was uniformly good other than one episode of being forgotten. The taxi cost was subsequently covered. They had a harder time getting the transport company to spell our name correctly. Fortunately they were only one letter off so easily recognizable. We were provided thorough lists of contacts with phone numbers which did occasionally come in handy. Our travel agency made all of our in country flight reservations. We were suprised at our first flight that seats had not been chosen. While we understood the reasoning, some prefer an aisle versus a window it was an unnecessary worry. We were pleased that this was rectified for the remainig flights after we contacted them. Overall, we felt that our agency did an excellent job for us. If we were to return to Australia or New Zealand we would certainly contact this company again.
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As a primer, my wife and I planned this trip to celebrate our 5th year wedding anniversary. This travel agent and his team did an absolutely outstanding job in brainstorming, planning, and executing on delivering our trip! Our trip consisted of Sydney, Queenstown, Bleheim, Kaikoura, Nelson, Rotorua, Auckland, and Cook Islands.
Probably one of the best part of this experience was our travel agent's knowledge in the area and his ability to get to know my wife and me; out of all the other agencies we spoke to, he crafted a unique agenda that matched our likes/dislikes substantially better than any other. We both felt a connection to our travel company because they seemed to get us the most and didn't try to do the 'cookie cutter' Australia/New Zealand approach. As we went on our trip, more and more of his thought process and patience in helping us select the cities, means of travel, hiking, and excursions seemed perfect for us.
Once booked, our travel company was pretty good about getting us information and responding to us. We had a little bit of follow-up we had to do on our end, but ultimately, the agent provided everything they said they would and with high quality.
When we were abroad, everything went fairly smoothly. The only hiccup we had was when we first arrived in Sydney, the driver was not there and we were not sure how/where to find them. We had about a 30 min. wait before they arrived and were unable to get a hold of our Australia contact initially. However, it all worked out; they called to make sure we were OK and the driver was trying to figure out when our delayed flight was actually arriving. At the end of the day, if that's the only item to impact us, I'll take that all day!
We did have an excursion that was canceled in Rotorua, which were bummed about. But there's nothing the agent could really have done for us; and they quickly reimbursed us once we returned.
In closing out the trip, again, this company wanted to make sure we had a great time, were fantastic to work with, and really spend a lot of time getting to know you. They also found a few 'trip enhancers' that helped make it a more unique experience compared to what we could do on our own. The only reason I'm giving this agent a 4 instead of 5 is that two other agents we had previously worked with on special occasions (honeymoon, anniversary, birthday) to other destinations (Africa, Thailand) proactively reached out to lodging that we were at and made us feel 'extra special' for our special occasion with some amenity of sorts. To us, that truly is the extra mile, but this company was not too far off! Highly recommend working with them!!
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This travel agency located in New Zealand with offices in Australia designed the perfect trip and experiences for us. They listened to our interests and provided advice to our vacation which was very beneficial to our decision making. Courtesy, professional and responsive. We had a 'trip of a life time' and enjoyed all of our experiences. Our trip went off like clockwork in terms of transportation and events planned. Highly recommend this travel company.
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