Combine the best of Victoria, one of the finest roads in the world and a trip through the very centre of the Australian 'outback', and you have an experience you'll never forget. Celebrate in style by ending the trip in tropical Darwin.
21 day tour
AU$ 4,247 BOOK NOW
Includes: 20 nights accommodation plus:
6 days in local areas - The Grampians National Park, Adelaide, The Flinders Ranges, Uluru (Ayers Rock), Alice Springs and Kakadu National Park
An amazing adventure! You'll cross the continent through the heart of the outback with stunning scenery and a huge range of classic Australian landscapes. You'll see the best there is on the way - the Great Ocean Road, Flinders Ranges, Coober Pedy's opal mines, Uluru (Ayers Rock), Devil's Marbles, Daly Waters famous pub and the World Heritage Kakadu National Park. A trip of a lifetime...
Melbourne – with over 3.5 million people it is Australia's second
largest city and attractively located on the banks of the Yarra
River and the shores of Port Phillip Bay. It’s a cosmopolitan
city with a great quality of life. Explore on the trams, eat at
the riverside restaurants and people watch at the cafes!
The Great Ocean Road - One
of the most scenic coastal drives in the world, words can't describe
the spectacular scenery on this 280km section of road. Every driver should travel this road at least once in their life!
You have the amazing coastal scenery (including the world famous
12 Apostles) on one side with the temperate rainforest of the
Otway Ranges on the other. Dotted along the way are friendly small
towns with great cafes and restaurants that are perfect for a
coffee break and to take in the atmosphere.
Grampians
National Park – this area has steep granite highlands
jam packed with wildlife, superb lookouts and waterfalls. The
roads are great and on a clear day you can see 150 kms
to the coast and the Great Ocean Road. You have a day here to
rest and explore this beautiful area.
Adelaide - the 'City of Churches' has one of the best botanical gardens in the world and don't forget to try a pea floater (an Aussie meat pie ‘floating’ in pea soup)! Adelaide has a small town feel with lovely colonial architecture, a beautiful hills region, great wineries nearby and good beaches and coastline
Clare Valley - one of Australia's premier wine growing regions, the carefully tended gardens, roses and vineyards make this a much nicer route from Adelaide than the main road. Try one of the famous Clare Valley Rieslings with a meal prepared at one of the many local restaurants and wineries.
Flinders Ranges – this is an incredible outback region full of wildlife and aboriginal culture. Huge red gorges contrast with beautiful white gum trees and the peace and solitude make you feel as if you’re on a different planet. This is how many imagine the outback to be and all this can be had within a relatively short distance of the Wilpena Pound Resort with all the modern facilities. If you don't want to take your vehicle on gravel roads the 4WD tours are superb and help to bring the place alive. You have day here to explore and immerse yourself in this ancient land.
Coober Pedy - is an incredibly interesting (but perhaps not pretty) town positioned in the middle of the desert. The temperature can be very high here and 50dC is not uncommon in Summer. Most of the town is underground and many interesting places can only be seen via a guided tour. Try and give yourself half a day there and book a tour. The Greek restaurant in town is good and ask to see the owners latest find! If you're feeling lucky head out of town and try to make your fortune 'fossicking' for opals.
Uluru
(Ayers Rock) - One of the most recognisbale landmarks on
the planet, Uluru doesn't dissapoint. The route north takes you
temptingly close to the monolith and a day spent exploring it's
many hidden delights is a must.
The Olgas - are only 30km from Uluru and are just as impressive. There are two walks that you can take around the Olgas. The 'Valley of the Winds Walk' is an amazing 7km track that circles several of the rock outcrops. If the temperature is due to be 36 degrees or more then this walk is closed from 11am so get there early. There is also a shorter walk (2km) which takes you into one of the many gorges.
Kings Canyon - a spectacular gorge cut into the rock and a ‘must see’ for the trip. The nearby resort has a nice campsite, shop, café and other attractions such as helicopter rides. It’s well set up considering how far away from civilisation it is and you can’t miss it on the left hand side before you reach the canyon itself.
Alice Springs - set amongst the harsh outback, 'the Alice' is a modern oasis in an otherwise inhospitable desert. Ideally situated next to some of Australia's great wonders, it makes an ideal base from where you can explore the surrounds at your leisure.
The Devil's Marbles - a small but spectacular National Park situated north of Alice Springs. The length of time it must have taken for the wind, rain and sand storms to weather the rocks into these spherical and rounded shapes is just incredible.
Tennant Creek - a hot dusty town in the middle of nowhere it has all the shops, bakeries and services you’ll need for a break.
Daly Waters - is less a town,
and more a pub / hotel with a few permanent residents, but it’s
definitely an outback classic. The Daly Waters Hotel is widely
regarded as one of the oldest buildings in the Northern Territory,
and has been in existence from at least 1893.
Matarranka
Hot Springs - an amazing oasis in the middle of the nowhere,
a boardwalk takes you down to pools of warm water perfect for
soaking off the dust from the day's driving. The surrounding palms
are filled with flying fox bats and so be prepared for the smell
- that and the bar at the nearby station all add to the atmosphere!
Katherine - the third largest town in the Northern Territory and famous for Katherine Gorge which is a series of 13 linked gorges along which you can take a boat ride. Located in the Nitmiluk National Park just to the north east of town, Katherine Gorge is the most famous of a series of gorges found inside the park. Edith Falls is a little north but has a great campsite and perfect plunge pool for swimming. After years of people swimming in Katherine Gorge salties have recently been foudn there and so stick to Edtih Falls if you'd like to cool off with a swim!
Litchfield National Park - A smaller brother to nearby Kakadu, Litchfield has fantastic waterfalls, plunge-pools and secluded atmosphere.
Kakadu
National Park - Incredible wildlife with big crocs, stunning
birdlife, water buffalo and an amazing variety of plants and trees
can be found in this wetland paradise. Watching the sunset over
the wetlands at Ubirr is magical and exploring the caves and aborginal
artwork at Nourlangie from 60,000 years ago provides an amazing
insight into the country and the love the aboriginal people have
An early morning boat tour on Yellow Water is a must to see the
amazing variety of animal, bird and plant life in the park. The
Rangers will tell you all about the region and point out things
you would never see if you were on your own.
Darwin - is the capital city of the Northern Territory. A population of 111,300 makes it by far the most populated city in the Northern Territory but the least populated of all Australia's capital cities. Laid back, multicultural, tropical and easy on the eye - all in all, a great place to relax after a fantastic trip.