Australia Adventure: Sydney, Port Douglas, Uluru, and Melbourne
Australia
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Feb 24 - Mar 11, 2026
We had a wonderful vacation and all went smoothly. All of the tours and transportation were well planned with no issues.
Day 1 - Arrived in Sydney. Shangri-La Sydney is a wonderful hotel.
Day 2 - Chef Led Hunter Valley Gourmet Food and Wine tour was great. Jimmy owns/operates the tour and prepares food to pair with the wine. Highlight was going to the new Sydney Fish Market where Jimmy picked up fresh fish and oysters for our food later during the wine tour. The wineries and food were great.
Day 3 - Walking tour, Sydney Opera House tour, and Sydney Bridge Climb Summit. Craig led the walking tour and provided a wealth of information on the beginning of Sydney and concentrated on the botanical garden and how Sydney came about and significant events. The Opera house tour was very good and we were able to the wonderful architecture. It was raining during the Sydney Bridge Climb but rain coats were provided. It is not a hard climb and our tour guide, Nico, kept the group motivated for the climb. The guide has a transmitter and we had ear phones to hear him during the hike. We were drenched but enjoyed it.
Day 4 - Blue Mountain tour - It was raining and couldn't see much. Can't do anything about the weather. We did see another couple on our trip that went on the tour and they showed us pictures that looked awesome.
Day 5 - Travel to Cairns/Port Douglas - Ground transportation and flight went great.
Day 6 - ABC Reef Safaris - The snorkeling was wonderful. We spent about 1.5 hours at two different spots and were led in the water by ABC who also have Marine Biologists on the tour. We saw a Manta Ray which is very rare. The food supplied on the boat was great and plentiful.
Day 7 - Daintree Rain Forest and Nocturnal Tour - Another great tour led by our guide Nicki. We went out on a river boat looking for crocodiles and found a few along the shore. We saw a cassowary bird that is only found in Australia. We had dinner in the rain forest and able to try kangaroo. We did a nocturnal walking tour and spotted quite a few different animals/birds/frogs. Nicki was a great guide and loaded with information.
Day 8 - Bump Track Mountain Biking - This was canceled due to so much rain. The guide, Steve, for the bike ride was willing to do a different tour but the road was flooded. Steve was great to deal with and he was trying to give us a memorable tour but had to cancel.
Day 9 - Travel to Uluru/Ayers Rock with 4wd Mount Connor tour - No issue with ground/air transportation. We stayed at Sails in the Desert Resort and it was very nice. Mount Connor tour was very good but the highlight was having dinner with the cattle farm owner, Amy, where she explained the operation of the cattle ranch and growing up on a million acre cattle ranch.
Day 10 - Uluru/Ayers Rock tour - very good tour with history of the area learning the history of the aboriginal people. A net to cover your face is a must with the flies when it is hot out.
Day 11 - Transfer to Melbourne - No issue with ground/air transportation. Had a wonderful dinner at Hopscotch on Riverside Quay.
Day 12 - Yarra Valley Grazing Tour - We got on a bus from Go West Tours and Ashleigh was our guide/driver and was fun and very entertaining. We sampled wine, cheese, gin, and chocolate on the tour. Wonderful day with beautiful scenery.
Day 13 - Laneways of Melbourne - John was our tour guide and did a wonderful job explaining the history of the city and setting up lots and roadways. He was able to show us how the shops moved goods into the warehouses and the wonderful architecture that you would never see if you didn't know where to look for it. The public library was our last stop and a must see.
Day 14 - Great Ocean Road Tour - This was a tour with just the 4 of us in our group. Cory was our guide and did a great job explaining how the GOR was built by WW1 veterans to help them get over shell shock/ptsd. The coast was beautiful and stopped at a the 12 Apostes. (not really 12) We toured a wildlife sanctuary and spotted a couple of Koala Bears in the trees swaying in the breeze.
Day15-16 - travel back to Sydney and home to USA.
Overall, the trip was fantastic. The transportation within Australia was all planned by Vicky and we had no issues. Everything was planned very well and we loved all of the tours. Highly recommend Vicky!
Hotel Reviews
Sails In The Desert was accommodating to our early arrival and offered to hold our bags. They even allowed us to check in early, which was very convenient. Overall, we had a great experience there.
The Hotel Windsor in Melbourne was nice, but the noise from the nearby rooftop bar due to the Formula One racing during our stay was a bit disruptive. Apart from that, there were no issues.
The hotel could use some updating but is in a great location right off the beach. The breakfast was wonderful.
Activity Reviews
The Blue Mountains Deluxe Day Tour was hindered by poor visibility and weather. The guide tried to give us a good experience by stopping at a different waterfall that we could see. Lunch was average, and the restaurant owner was a little rude, which dampened the experience.
The Luxe Bus Great Ocean Road with Wildlife Wonders Tour was spectacular. We had beautiful weather, and the trip was filled with insights into the road's history and its construction. The scenic views were breathtaking and added a lot of value to the tour.
The Mount Conner 4WD Small Group Tour from Ayers Rock was insightful but a bit long. The highlight was the dinner where the ranch owner's daughter shared her experiences about life there. It was enlightening, but the tour around Mount Conner could have been shorter.
ABC Reef Safaris in Port Douglas was an amazing experience. The small group snorkelling was well managed, with guides explaining the marine life in detail. We snorkelled at two different sites, and the guide pointed out fascinating things underwater. Spotting a manta ray was the highlight, and even got footage shared with me!
The Chef-Led Hunter Valley Gourmet Food and Wine Day Tour from Sydney was really good. We stopped at the Sydney fish market, which was new to us, and enjoyed picking out fresh fish. The wine tours were fantastic, and having different foods prepared by the chef along the way made it a very enjoyable trip.
Thank you so much for the fantastic feedback Kevin. I am so glad you all had a great trip
Wishing you many more travel adventures ahead
Thanks
Vicky