Australia: Sydney, Bondi Beach & Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef




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Itinerary
Australia is the trip we keep putting off because it sounds too far and too long. Eight days are enough for the part everyone pictures. We start in Sydney, walking the harbour from the Royal Botanic Garden to the spot where that photograph of the Opera House is taken, swimming at Bondi between the ocean pools and climbing into the eucalyptus haze of the Blue Mountains to face the Three Sisters.
Then we fly north to Cairns and the trip changes colour. We sail to the Great Barrier Reef on a catamaran and snorkel two outer reef sites with a marine biologist. Next comes the Daintree, the oldest rainforest on the planet, with a river cruise looking for crocodiles, and Cape Tribulation, where reef and rainforest meet. We will be fifteen at most: shall we?

Welcome to Sydney
1 night: 1st night: Sydney
Circular Quay and The Rocks
Roundtrip flights are not included in the package, so you can choose where and when you want to fly from.
We drop the bags and head straight out on foot: the harbour is the quickest introduction to the city.
Around the harbour: ferries, the bridge overhead and the sandstone lanes of The Rocks behind us.
First dinner together: in the evening we sit down together for the first time, and someone will already be saying they want to stay!

Sydney: the harbour, the Opera House and Bondi
1 night: 2nd night: Sydney
The harbour on foot
Our Coordinator walks the group through the Royal Botanic Garden.
The view from Mrs Macquarie's Chair: we reach Mrs Macquarie's Chair, where that photograph of the Opera House and the bridge together is actually taken.
Inside the sails? Whoever wants to go inside can add the guided tour on the spot.
Bondi Beach
In the afternoon we take the bus out to Bondi.
Along the coastal path: we walk to Tamarama and Bronte, past the ocean pools cut into the rock.
Fancy a surf lesson? A group surf lesson is available for anyone who wants one: five people per instructor, boards and wetsuits included. Nobody has to be able to surf, or to swim far.

Blue Mountains: eucalyptus, cliffs and the Three Sisters
1 night: 3rd night: Sydney
Katoomba and Echo Point
We leave the city early and drive into the mountains near Katoomba, which gave off so much eucalyptus oil that the first colonists saw them as blue.
The Three Sisters at Echo Point: at Echo Point the Three Sisters rise out of the valley, and the story the Gundungurra tell about them beats the geology.
A guided walk down into the valley
Then we walk.
Guided rainforest trail: through the rainforest below the escarpment, past waterfalls, at a pace that lets us stop.
Back in Sydney: we are back in time for dinner, with the evening free.

North to the tropics: Cairns
1 night: 4th night: Cairns
Sydney to Cairns
A three hour flight, included in the package, takes us two thousand kilometres north to Cairns and into a different climate.
Landing in the tropics: we land in shorts weather!
The Esplanade
The afternoon is free along The Esplanade.
Lagoon and boardwalk: the lagoon on the waterfront, the boardwalk and the mudflats where the birds work at low tide.
Group dinner: in the evening we eat properly, at a table our Coordinator has booked for the group, because tomorrow starts early.

A full day on the Great Barrier Reef
1 night: 5th night: Cairns
Out to the outer reef under sail
We leave the Reef Fleet Terminal on a sailing catamaran, not a pontoon shuttle.
Two outer reef sites: the whole day is spent on two sites of the outer Great Barrier Reef.
Snorkelling with a marine biologist: a marine biologist comes into the water with us and names what we point at, which is the difference between seeing fish and understanding a reef.
Snorkelling gear, the guided snorkel and lunch on board are included.
Back in the afternoon
We sail back into Cairns late in the afternoon, salt on our skin and unable to talk about anything else.
Want to go under properly? Whoever wants to can add an introductory dive on board.

Daintree and Cape Tribulation: where the reef meets the rainforest
1 night: 6th night: Cairns
The oldest rainforest on Earth
North along the coast road, then into the Daintree. This forest has stood for a hundred and eighty million years, which makes the Amazon look recent.
Cruising the Daintree River: we watch for estuarine crocodiles on the banks.
Into the forest with the guide: the guide points out fan palms and cassowary tracks we would have walked straight past.
Cape Tribulation
Then the beach at Cape Tribulation, the only coastline in the world where two World Heritage sites touch.
On the beach at Cape Tribulation: the rainforest comes down to the sand and the reef starts offshore.
Park fees, the river cruise and a picnic lunch are included.

Back to Sydney, and the harbour by ferry
1 night: 7th night: Sydney
A free morning in Cairns
Time for a last free morning in Cairns:
Market, swim or coffee? The market, a last swim in the lagoon, or that coffee we have been meaning to sit down with. Then the flight south.
Manly, and the last dinner
Back in Sydney we take the Manly ferry, the cheapest good idea in the city!
Across the harbour by ferry: thirty minutes past the Opera House and the bridge, with the skyline turning gold behind us.
Last dinner together: dinner afterwards, and the photos start circulating.

See you on the next one
1 night: Departure day
Departure day
Breakfast, bags, and whatever time the flight leaves us.
Back across the date line: flying east across the date line, most routes home land on the same calendar day they leave, so the trip gives back the day it took on the way out!
End of WeRoad services. N.B. The programme may be subject to changes due to weather, local operating conditions or the availability of the services described.
What's included
7 nights accommodation in twin rooms with private bathroom
Internal flights Sydney to Cairns and Cairns to Sydney
All breakfasts
Full day Great Barrier Reef sailing cruise with guided snorkelling, marine biologist and lunch on board
Full day Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation tour with river cruise, park fees and picnic lunch
Medical and baggage insurance - (coverage limits by destination country/region - €10,000 Italy, €20,000 Europe, €30,000 World, €50,000 USA/Canada)
What's not included
- Airport transfers in Sydney
- Meals and drinks where not indicated
- All the extras you want to buy and be able to fit in your backpack :)
- Anything not mentioned in the "What’s included" section
Optional activities
- Sydney Opera House guided tour - approx. USD 35
- Two hour group surf lesson at Bondi Beach, boards and wetsuits included - approx. USD 68
- Introductory scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef, on the boat on Day 5 - approx. USD 65
- Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and Kuranda Scenic Railway, Cairns - approx. USD 105
- BridgeClimb Sydney, Summit climb over the Harbour Bridge - approx. USD 270
- Underwater camera rental for the reef day - approx. USD 45
- Sydney Harbour sunset cruise - approx. USD 70
Additional info
- Accommodation
Centrally located 3 star hotels, clean rooms with a private bathroom, twin as standard, two travellers per room. In Sydney we stay four nights in the CBD, in Cairns three nights a short walk from the Esplanade and the Reef Fleet Terminal. The Private Room Option is available for this trip.
- Transport
Two internal flights, included. Scheduled coach and minibus for the day trips, with air conditioning. Public transport and ferries in Sydney, with an Opal card included. The reef day is on a licensed sailing catamaran.
- Passport, visa and vaccinations
A passport valid for the whole stay is required. US citizens need an ETA, the Australian electronic travel authority, applied for through the official Australian Government app before departure. No compulsory vaccinations.
- Physical effort
Dynamic. Expect a guided walk of two to three hours in the Blue Mountains, a full day in and out of the water on the reef, and a long day on the road to the Daintree. No technical difficulty and no altitude, but two early starts.
- Meeting and saying goodbye
We meet in Sydney on Day 1, in the afternoon; your Travel Coordinator sends the meeting point a few days before departure. The trip ends in Sydney on Day 8 after breakfast. Airport transfers in Sydney are not included, because flight delays make a group pickup unreliable.
- Season and local conditions
The best window is April to June and October: dry season in the tropical north, mild in Sydney, and the calmest sea on the reef. July and August are the busiest and most expensive weeks on the whole east coast. Marine stinger season runs roughly November to May on the coast, and the outer reef sites we visit are outside the affected zone; stinger suits are provided on board. The Daintree tour does not operate on Saturdays.
- Info on private roomsShow all details
Why WeRoad
Small groups, on average 11 people
Move or change your trip for free up to 31 days before departure
Book with $ 0. Pay the $ 100 deposit only once the trip is confirmed
The Group Leaders
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