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Australia's Reefs, Rainforests & Rivers

Australia's Reefs, Rainforests & Rivers
Three people walking on a path above the Murray River in South Australia at sunset, looking out across the water and forest beyond.
13 NIGHTS FROM:
$6,467
Per person sharing
Scheduled flights quoted separately
7ORD14S
• Wildlife & birding holiday
• Sydney city tour & cruise
•  Southern Highlands wildlife safari, Sydney
• Daintree Rainforest wildlife cruise
•  Atherton Tablelands rainforest wildlife
• Frankland Islands snorkelling
• Great Barrier Reef
• Mareeba Wetlands private birdwatching
•  Murray River Walk
•  Eco-luxe houseboat

From the reefs and rainforests of the tropical north to the outback rivers of the southeast, this epic adventure reveals some of Australia’s most iconic landscapes and the diverse wildlife that lives there. Discover Sydney and the Southern Highlands before flying to Cairns to explore the Daintree and Atherton rainforests and snorkel the vibrant Frankland Islands area of the Great Barrier Reef. Finish with a multi-day walk along the great Murray River in the Riverland, returning each night to a luxury houseboat.

Detailed itinerary ▶
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Day 1
You will be met at Sydney Airport and transferred to your hotel in this famous city that is the capital of New South Wales.
 
Check in to your hotel in this spectacular city, that is the oldest and largest in Australia.
Day 2
Explore Sydney’s highlights on a half-day panoramic tour and harbour cruise. Delve into the city’s convict past in the historic Rocks district, before continuing to the Central Business District, its cultural and commercial heart. Here, grand sandstone buildings like Parliament House, Hyde Park Barracks, and St Mary’s Cathedral contrast with gleaming skyscrapers.  
 
Admire sweeping views of Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge from Mrs Macquaries Point, then follow the coastline through the prestigious Eastern Suburbs, home to some of the city’s most desirable addresses. There’ll be plenty of photo stops, including a classic skyline shot, before stretching your legs at Watsons Bay on an easy coastal path overlooking the South Pacific and the entrance to Sydney Harbour.
 
Enjoy a brief stop at Bondi to wander the promenade, sink your toes in the sand, and watch surfers catch a wave, before returning to Circular Quay. Here, you’ll board a two-hour harbour cruise to admire Sydney from the water while savouring a generous brunch featuring fresh local seafood.
 
The remainder of the day is at leisure.
Day 3
Escape the city for an afternoon and evening immersed in the nature and wildlife of the beautiful Southern Highlands. Travelling through private farmland and pristine bushland with a specialist wildlife guide, you’ll have the chance to observe some of Australia’s iconic species in the wild, including kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, emus, and colourful birds.
 
Along the way, learn about the importance of the Great Western Wildlife Corridor, which helps native mammals move safely between the southern Blue Mountains and Morton National Park. Your tour also supports ongoing conservation, as your guide records sightings on a dedicated wildlife database.
 
As dusk falls, try to spot an elusive platypus on a local river before enjoying a hearty dinner in one of Australia’s oldest inns. Round off this wildlife adventure spotlighting for wombats, possums, tawny frogmouths, and other creatures of the night using special, red-filtered lights that minimise disturbance.
Day 4
Transfer to Sydney Airport for your onward flight.

You will be met at Cairns Airport and transferred to your city centre hotel.
 
Settle into your city centre hotel, then enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure. You may wish to relax by the pool, wander the shady walking trails of Cairns Botanic Gardens, or stroll along the Esplanade, pausing for a refreshing dip in the Lagoon.
Day 5
After a leisurely breakfast and relaxed morning, join a small-group tour north along the scenic Great Barrier Reef Drive to the ancient Daintree Forest. Spanning some 120,000 hectares and more than 180 million years of growth, this World Heritage-listed ecosystem harbours Australia’s greatest diversity of rainforest mammals.
 
Hop on a solar-powered wildlife cruise on the Daintree River, with ample chances to spot the region’s apex predator, the saltwater crocodile. You may also encounter Boyd’s forest dragon, Ulysses butterfly, spectacled flying fox, white-lipped tree frog, and some of the region’s 420 bird species, from vivid kingfishers to Brahminy kites and, with luck, the elusive southern cassowary.
 
Continue to Cape Tribulation, where rainforest-cloaked hills spill onto a narrow ribbon of sand and the clear waters of the Great Barrier Reef. After a dinner of classic Australian cuisine in an atmospheric rainforest restaurant, round off the day with a spotlighting walk in search of crepuscular and nocturnal animals including the Daintree River ringtail possum and the northern long-nosed bandicoot.
 
Note: Departs Wednesdays
Day 6
It’s an early start this morning as you join a small-group tour to the Atherton Tablelands, a lush highland plateau and UNESCO-listed ecosystem comprising wetland, rainforest and savannah. Stop in Danbulla State Forest to admire the magnificent cathedral fig tree, a 500-year-old strangler fig soaring nearly 50 metres high with a trunk circumference of 39 metres.
 
Explore a variety of habitats with an expert naturalist guide, searching for songbirds such as red-backed fairywren, golden bowerbird, blue-faced honeyeater, and Victoria’s riflebird, an Australian bird of paradise. Continue to Lake Barrine, a deep volcanic crater lake surrounded by lush rainforest. Here, a guided walk and hour-long cruise offer rich wildlife-viewing opportunities with the chance to spot red-legged pademelons, musky rat kangaroos, snapping turtles, eastern water dragons, and an array of waterbirds.
 
After a delicious seafood lunch, set off in search of the elusive platypus, one of Australia’s most intriguing mammals. Soak up the view from the Millaa Millaa Lookout before rounding off the day with a dip in Lake Eacham or time spent scanning the treetops for the rare Lumholtz tree-kangaroo.
 
Note: Departs Tuesdays and Thursdays
Day 7
Today, discover another of Australia’s UNESCO-listed natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef. Travel south in an air-conditioned coach through lush rainforest and endless fields of sugar cane, passing Walsh’s Pyramid, a striking freestanding peak with a perfect pyramid profile.
 
At Deeral, board the Turtle Islander for a tranquil 30-minute cruise along the Mulgrave River, where saltwater crocodiles lurk in the shallows and kingfishers, ibis and spoonbills can be seen along its mangrove-lined banks. Cross the traditional sea country of the Mandingalby Yidinji and Gungandji peoples, before reaching Normanby Island, a protected national park just 10 kilometres offshore in the Frankland Islands, within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.  
 
This tropical island idyll has soft sandy beaches, clear turquoise shallows, and vibrant fringing reefs, renowned for superb snorkelling. With guest numbers strictly limited and an expert crew including a marine biologist, you can spend the afternoon exactly as you wish. Snorkel over colourful coral gardens in search of tropical fish and turtles, join a guided walk to learn about reef ecology, or venture out by kayak, paddleboard, or semi-submersible for a different perspective on this remarkable reef environment.
 
Note: Departs daily
Day 8
Head out on a private day tour with an expert bird guide at the 5,000-acre Forever Wild Shared Earth Reserve. This privately managed sanctuary in the Mareeba Wetlands is a mosaic of lagoons, lakes, swamps, billabongs, and old-growth savannah woodland, which supports an outstanding diversity of wildlife and is regarded as a world-class birding hotspot.
 
Here you may encounter magpie geese, black swans, pelicans, black-necked stork (jabiru), brolga, sarus crane, jacanas, and bustards. Both laughing and blue-winged kookaburra are often seen, along with a wealth of smaller species including honeyeaters, bee-eaters, pardalote, robins, thrushes, monarchs, flycatchers, and wagtails.
 
Continue on to Granite Gorge in search of the rare Mareeba rock-wallaby, with further chances to spot red-backed fairywren, squatter and crested pigeon, rainbow bee-eaters, treecreepers, and pardalote. If time permits, the tour can be extended to Mount Lewis and Julatten, where possible highlights include noisy pitta, red-browed finch, graceful honeyeater, spotted catbird, cicadabird, and yellow-breasted boatbill.
 
Note: If you prefer you can return to explore more of the Daintree Rainforest.
Day 9
Transfer to Cairns Airport for your onward flight.

You will be met at Adelaide airport, where private transfer will whisk you to Renmark.
 
Check into your characterful Art Deco hotel set on a sweeping bend of the Murray River, and unwind after your journey.
 
Note: You can collect a hire car in Adelaide and enjoy a leisurely self-drive to Renmark.  
Day 10
After breakfast, meet your guides in the hotel conference room at 8am for a pre-walk briefing, before boarding the pontoon cruiser for a gentle introduction to the Murray River. Glide upstream for around 14 kilometres to the starting point of the walk, watching for pelicans, darters, black swans, yellow-billed spoonbills, blue-winged shovelers, and a colony of wild koalas.
 
Set off on foot, following trails past tranquil lagoons where waterbirds feed in the shallows, and passing the site of a World War II Japanese internment camp as your guides share its story. Cross creeks feeding red gum forests and box woodlands, before climbing a gentle slope to a lookout with panoramic views across the Murray River floodplains and the route you’ll be walking. Possible sightings include wedge-tailed eagle, red-capped robin, Gilbert’s whistler, emus, and mulga, red-rumped, and bluebonnet parrots.
 
A short transfer across the river brings you to your eco-luxe houseboat, High River. Cool tired feet in the river or unwind in the hot tub, before a three-course dinner of South Australian cuisine paired with fine regional wines.
Day 11
Rise before dawn and follow a gentle path to a clifftop lookout over the Murray River, watching the sun rise as the dawn chorus builds around you; honeyeaters along with rufous and Gilbert’s whistlers are particular highlights here.
 
Refuel with a cooked breakfast back at the houseboat before setting out on today’s walk towards the historic Chowilla Station shearing shed. Trace the curve of an ancient river oxbow, passing dense red gum forests and a riverbank lined with Aboriginal canoe trees. Then cross the Amazon Creek, which brings the chance to spot sacred kingfishers, numerous duck species, egrets, herons, and pelicans before meeting the creek cruiser.
 
After a short transfer over the river, step aboard High River once more for a relaxed evening, sharing stories with your fellow walkers as you savour a local tasting plate and dangle your feet in the cool waters of the Murray.
Day 12
After breakfast, your guides deliver an engaging briefing to the Murray-Darling Basin, explaining how its rivers, floodplains, and ephemeral lakes support local communities and the region’s wildlife. A short cruise then takes you to the Chowilla Creek Environmental Regulator to see environmental watering in action and hear how new stewardship practices are helping to restore the river system.
 
Today’s walk follows the line of Chowilla Creek past rejuvenated wetlands and the proposed site of the 1960s Chowilla Dam, now an important conservation area. This is superb birding country with prolific waterbirds and raptors such as wedge-tailed eagles and whistling kites. It’s also a stronghold for vulnerable regent parrots, while red kangaroos grazing the plains and emus along the river edge are regular sightings.
On reaching the Queens Bend Cliffs, pause to soak up sweeping views before hopping on the cruiser once more for the journey to the houseboat and your final night on the river.
Day 13
After breakfast, enjoy an optional two-kilometre stroll along the riverbank before boarding a private pontoon boat for your return journey downstream, passing through Lock 6 on the Murray River before rejoining your houseboat. A tranquil two-hour cruise brings you to the characterful Woolshed Brewery, housed in the historic 100-year-old shearing shed of Wilkadene Station.  
 
Work up a thirst on a behind-the-scenes tour with the head brewer, then toast your river adventure over a relaxed farewell BBQ with your Murray River guides.
 
Afterwards, board a coach back to Renmark where a transfer will be waiting to take you back to Adelaide.
Day 14
Transfer to Adelaide Airport for your flight home.
 
If you’re not quite ready for your Australian wildlife adventure to end, speak to our specialists about adding an extension, such as a birdwatching safari in Kadaku and Litchfield in the Northern Territory or a Cape York birding safari in Queensland.
 
Extension 1: Birdwatching Safari of Kadaku & Litchfield National Parks, Northern Territory
Explore Australia’s Wild Top End on an immersive six-day birding safari. Travelling in a small group with an experienced bird guide, you’ll visit key sites across the Northern Territory, from the tropical wetlands of Kadaku and the sandstone escarpments of Arnhem Land to the monsoon forests of Litchfield and rich wader habitats along Darwin’s coastal foreshore.
Target species include Gouldian finch, chestnut-quilled rock pigeon, red goshawk, chestnut rail, great bowerbird, and oriental honey buzzard, along with a wealth of Top End wildlife such as saltwater crocodiles and wallabies. You’ll also delve into the region’s cultural and geological stories, admiring Aboriginal rock art, joining an Aboriginal-guided boat trip, and staying in comfortable, atmospheric outback lodges. Selected departures operate on limited dates; please ask us for current schedules.
 
Extension 2: Cape York Birdwatching Safari, Queensland
Experience one of Australia’s most biodiverse and rarely visited regions on this immersive seven-day birding expedition through the remote Cape York Peninsula. Travelling in a small group led by an expert bird guide, you’ll journey to the tip of Australia, exploring the tropical woodlands and wetlands of Rinyirru (Lakefield), and the lowland rainforests, gallery forests and Coral Sea beaches of Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range).
The endangered golden-shouldered parrot and white-streaked honeyeater are headline targets, joined by tropical species such as palm cockatoo, eclectus and red-cheeked parrots, yellow-billed kingfisher, and a scattering of exotic birds of paradise. Beyond the birdlife, you may encounter marsupials, reptiles and rich butterfly life, while night-spotting reveals a different cast of nocturnal species. Selected departures operate on limited dates; please ask us for current schedules.