Melbourne, Sydney, Uluru, Kakadu and the Great Barrier Reef in 22 fully-escorted days.
The trip in a nutshell
Three weeks, one country, and every single thing you picture when you think of Australia. This is the itinerary for travellers who want the icons without a two-month commitment — and at £8,049 it is comfortably the most accessible way onto this list.
You'll do Melbourne's laneways and Sydney's harbour, watch Uluru turn red at sunset and pale gold at sunrise, meet the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Alice Springs, eat a bush barbecue under the stars, cruise Yellow Water and Katherine Gorge, and sail out to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns — before a relaxed finish in Brisbane.
Eighteen nights in 4-star hotels, all internal flights, all transfers, and a Travelsphere Holiday Director with you the whole way.
“Everything is arranged. Every flight, every transfer, every hotel, every big-ticket experience. All you have to do is turn up at the airport.”
Live availability on Travelsphere's site · low deposit · ABTA & ATOL protected
The moments you'll remember
Sparkling wine as the rock changes colour, then a return at dawn — plus the domes of Kata Tjuta.
A full day on the reef with snorkelling and glass-bottomed boat viewing included.
The harbour city's icons and Melbourne's laneway culture, with free days in both.
Dinner and stargazing near Alice Springs, after visiting the Flying Doctor base and School of the Air.
Aboriginal painting galleries in Kakadu, layered over tens of thousands of years.
Two of the Top End's finest cruises — birdlife, crocodiles and sheer red sandstone.
Optional trips into the world's oldest rainforest, plus the Kuranda Railway and Skyrail.
South Bank, the Story Bridge and an optional day on North Stradbroke Island.
Every night of this itinerary is spent in a 4-star property — unusual at this price point.
Where you'll go
Every stop below is included — with all internal flights, transfers and ground travel arranged for you.
9 stops, coast to coast — all internal flights and coach travel included.
MelbourneSydneyUluruAlice SpringsDarwinKakaduKatherineCairnsBrisbane
Day by day
Tap any stage to open it. Meals included at each stage are marked in green.
Settle in for the long haul with a good film and a glass of something. You'll cross the world overnight and touch down in Melbourne, where a transfer to your hotel and a welcome drink with your Travelsphere Holiday Director eases you into Australian time.
Australia's culture capital rewards wandering: bluestone laneways strung with street art, hole-in-the-wall espresso bars, the Royal Botanic Gardens and the hallowed turf of the MCG. With free time built in, many guests head for Phillip Island to watch the little penguins waddle ashore at dusk.
2 breakfastsThree nights in the city that needs no introduction. A guided tour takes in Bondi Beach, Hyde Park, Mrs Macquarie's Chair and Darling Harbour, with that first head-on view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge that no photograph ever quite prepares you for. Free days invite an Opera House backstage tour, the BridgeClimb, or a day in the Blue Mountains to see the Three Sisters.
3 breakfastsThe emotional heart of the tour. You'll arrive in the Red Centre in time to watch Uluru at sunset, glass of sparkling wine in hand, as the rock burns through ochre, rust and deep violet. Next morning you return for sunrise — quieter, cooler, and somehow more moving — before exploring the 36 weathered domes of Kata Tjuta.
BreakfastDeep in the Northern Territory you'll visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service base and the School of the Air, which teaches children scattered across an area the size of western Europe. In the evening, an authentic bush barbecue under a sky so thick with stars that the Milky Way casts a shadow.
BreakfastAustralia's most relaxed capital: mango trees, sunset markets at Mindil Beach and a wartime history worth an afternoon. It's the gateway to everything wild in the Top End.
BreakfastA UNESCO World Heritage site twice over, for its landscape and its living culture. You'll stand before Aboriginal rock art at Nourlangie painted and repainted over tens of thousands of years, then cruise the Yellow Water Lagoon at the golden hour among jabiru, sea eagles and very large saltwater crocodiles.
2 breakfastsNitmiluk's thirteen gorges were cut through ancient sandstone by the Katherine River. A cruise through the sheer red walls, with freshwater crocodiles sunning themselves on the ledges, is one of the Territory's quiet masterpieces.
BreakfastAustralia's most relaxed capital: mango trees, sunset markets at Mindil Beach and a wartime history worth an afternoon. It's the gateway to everything wild in the Top End.
BreakfastThe big one. A catamaran cruise out to the Great Barrier Reef gives you time to snorkel over coral gardens, ride a glass-bottomed boat or simply float above the largest living structure on Earth. Free days in Cairns open up the Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail over the canopy, or a crocodile-spotting cruise in the Daintree Rainforest.
4 breakfasts, lunchQueensland's capital wraps around a lazy bend of the Brisbane River: South Bank's man-made beach, the Story Bridge, and subtropical warmth year-round. An optional day on North Stradbroke Island is a lovely last taste of Australian coast.
2 breakfastsTime to head for the airport with a camera roll you'll be working through for months. Your overnight flight returns you to the UK.
Itinerary summarised from the operator's published programme and correct at the time of writing. Order of stages can vary by departure date — confirm the exact schedule for your date on the operator's site.
Photo tour
Photography from Wikimedia Commons contributors under Creative Commons licences — full credits here.
The detail
The most sensible escorted tour we list. Twenty-two days is short enough to take as annual leave, long enough to cover Melbourne, Sydney, Uluru, Kakadu, Katherine, the reef and Brisbane without sprinting — and every night is in a 4-star hotel, which is unusual at this price.
Before you fly
Airport parking, a night at the terminal, lounge access and travel insurance are all cheaper booked early — and on a 22-day trip, the parking alone is a serious line item.
On a four-week trip, airport parking is one of the biggest add-on costs of the whole holiday — and one of the few that gets cheaper the earlier you book.
Long-haul to Australia usually means an early or awkward departure. A night at the terminal beforehand turns a 3am start into a lie-in.
Before a 20-hour flight, three hours of quiet, free food and a proper seat is worth considerably more than it costs.
Non-negotiable on a trip this long and this far away. Check the medical cover limits and that your full trip length and any activities are included.
Skip the roaming charges. An Airalo eSIM gives you data the moment you land, and our referral link takes £2.50 off your first one.
Parking, hotels, lounges and insurance are booked through Holiday Extras; eSIMs through Airalo, using our referral link (you get £2.50 off, we get credit too). Both are commercial links — see our disclosure.
Not sure this is the one?
Here's how this compares with the other escorted tours we rate. See all 20 holidays →
| Tour | Days | Australia | New Zealand | Cook Islands | From (pp) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highlights of Australia You're viewing this | 22 | ✓ | — | — | £8,049 | View |
| Highlights of Australia & New Zealand | 40 | ✓ | ✓ | — | £13,809 | View |
| Wonders of Australia & New Zealand | 48 | ✓ | ✓ | — | £15,559 | View |
| Highlights of Australia, NZ & Cook Islands | 45 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | £15,769 | View |
| Wonders of Australia, NZ & Cook Islands | 53 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | £17,929 | View |
Before you book
Departures run from October 2026 through to September 2028. Long-haul escorted tours of this length sell out early — the best-value departure dates and preferred room types typically go 9–12 months ahead, so it pays to secure your place sooner rather than later.
Return flights are included from your chosen UK airport. Regional departures are available on most dates, sometimes for a small supplement — you'll see the options for your date when you check availability.
Yes — this is a fully escorted small-group tour with a Travelsphere Holiday Director travelling with you throughout. They handle the logistics, the check-ins and the local know-how, so your job is simply to enjoy it. Groups are typically modest in size and overwhelmingly British.
British passport holders need an Australian ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) and an NZeTA for New Zealand where applicable — both are straightforward online applications. Your passport should have at least six months' validity remaining. Always check the latest FCDO and official government guidance before you travel.
A moderate amount. You should be comfortable on your feet for sightseeing, uneven ground at Uluru and Kakadu, and getting on and off coaches and boats. There is plenty of free time built in to rest, and most active elements are optional.
Very. Escorted touring is one of the friendliest ways to travel solo, and single rooms are available on request — check current availability and any supplement when you view the departure dates.
Live availability, departure dates from your local airport and current offers are on the operator's booking page. Deposits are low, the balance isn't due until much later, and every booking is ABTA and ATOL protected.
Check dates & prices for Highlights of Australia →Keep looking
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