11 Days 8 Nights CONTRASTING EGYPT Land of the Pharaohs

PHILLIP ISLAND PENGUIN PARADE

Every evening at dusk the Little Penguins come home from the sea at Phillip Island. Watch from an elevated boardwalk as they waddle cautiously from the beach to their burrows after a long day out at sea.

Phillip Island is a treasure trove of Australian wildlife; seals, koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, bird life and penguins! At Koala Conservation Centre, look for koalas in their natural habitat and before sunset, we head to the Penguin Parade where you can wander through the “Penguin Experience” exhibit to learn more about them. Walk out to Summerland Beach and take your seat for the Penguin Parade.

SOVEREIGN HILL

Sovereign Hill in Ballarat is one of the best outdoor museums you can experience. With a colourful history relating to the discovery of gold in the region back in the 1850’s, you too can capture the excitement!

Travel the stage coach route of the 1850’s along Western Highway to Ballarat, steeped in history with the discovery of gold. Tour through this gracious town with its exquisite gardens, noble statues and magnificent architecture. Pass by the Eureka Stockade, site of the 1854 miner’s rebellion. Spend the rest of your day at Sovereign Hill where Ballarat’s first 10 years after the discovery of gold in 1851 is re-created. Try your luck at gold panning in Red Gully Creek or head underground on the Red Hill mine tour. Don’t forget to visit the Gold Museum too!

GREAT OCEAN ROAD

An amazing coastline to travel and stunningly breathtaking, the Great Ocean Road is a photographer’s delight and it consistently features in the Top 10 of world’s greatest scenic coastal drives. A day tour that will impress!

Get ready for an exciting day of visual wonderment and one of the best coastal drives you will ever experience! Your day tour with Gray Line along iconic Great Ocean Road takes in spectacular coastal views of long sandy beaches, rolling surf, precipitous coastal cliffs and river inlets. Travel through popular resort towns Anglesea, Lorne, Wye River, Apollo Bay and Port Campbell. Our stops include Twelve Apostles boardwalk, Loch Ard Gorge and Island Arch. A refreshment stop is made at Port Campbell before heading inland back to Melbourne.

VICTOR HARBOUR

Victor Harbor is a seaside settlement known for its beaches, whale spotting and wildlife encounters – By Marc Llewellyn

Situated on one of the world’s most startling coastlines, the former whaling town of Victor Harbor is a relaxed waterside retreat with a historic main street and a coastline dominated by a huge rock outcrop called the Bluff. An offshore island, connected to Victor Harbor by a causeway, is strewn with giant granite boulders. Hundreds of whales swim past the area’s rolling hills, quiet beaches and towering cliff faces, before coming close to town to breed and suckle their young.

MORNINGTON PENINSULAR

Mornington Peninsula is a favourite holiday destination for many Melburnians. Join our day tour and discover all the peninsula has to offer from local produce, stunning beaches, upmarket resort towns, cafes and restaurants.

A day tour that will excite your senses! Take the scenic route along Port Phillip Bay to Mornington for a refreshment stop (own expense). Continue along the bay and inland to The Cups Estate for wine tasting. Tour through the small township of Flinders, enjoy a chocolate tasting, bakery cafe lunch, photo stop at the lookout for panoramic views towards Phillip Island and scenic drive through Flinders golf course. Cider and produce tasting awaits at Mock Red Hill and it’s then time to pick your own delicious strawberries at Sunny Ridge!

PUFFING BILLY

A relaxing and pleasant morning tour, visit Dandenong Ranges National Park and feel the serenity of being surrounded by rainforest. Ride through the forest on ‘Puffing Billy’ steam train, an original steam locomotive.

A morning surrounded by rainforest of the Dandenong Ranges National Park. Greenery everywhere and sound of nature with bird calls makes for a scenic and delightful tour. Visit Sherbrooke Forest with its tall eucalypts and at Grants Picnic Ground, enjoy an authentic Australian experience … our Aussie style Bush Billy Tea with lamingtons, Vegemite and crackers. Here you will also get to meet many of the locals … Crimson Rosellas and King Parrots! There is time for a short bushwalk before riding on Australia’s most notable narrow gauge railway on Puffing Billy steam train.

MELBOURNE CITY

Welcome to Melbourne! Known for its gardens, restaurants, cafes, arcades and laneways, the arts and its relaxed elegant charm. It’s also home to the Australian Open Tennis, Aussie Rules football, Melbourne Cup and the MCG!

Our morning Melbourne tour is a great introduction to our beautiful city. Head NE of the city and tour through ‘Little Italy’ with its plethora of restaurants and boutique shops. See the exquisite architecture of Melbourne University and Royal Exhibition Building before spending time at Fitzroy Gardens. A favorite part of the tour? – a guided walk through some of Melbourne’s best arcades and lane ways with the chance to enjoy the atmosphere and have a coffee break.

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

A masterpiece of architecture, the Sydney Opera House is one of the world’s most famous buildings. You can take a photo on the steps of the Opera House, explore it majestic exterior and splendid interior on daily tours, and enjoy performances held under its iconic white sails.

On the edge of Sydney Harbour, one of the world’s great natural harbours, the Sydney Opera House is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was evaluated as “one of the indisputable masterpieces of human creativity, not only in the 20th century but in the history of humankind”.

The Sydney Opera House hosts 1,600 performances every year including ballet, opera, theatre, dance, music and comedy as well as children’s shows and more. You can combine shows with delicious food at the Opera Kitchen and Bennelong Restaurant, or enjoy pre-show drinks at the Opera Bar.

For daily tours, join the Sydney Opera House Tour, the Backstage Tour or the Tour and Tasting Plate, which includes a guided tour and a three-tier gourmet tasting plate at the Opera Kitchen. Foreign language tours are in Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, French, Spanish and German.

The nearest train station is Circular Quay.

BLUE MOUNTAINS

See the Three Sisters rock formation from Echo Point Lookout at Katoomba; it’s also the gateway to many walking trails. Board the world’s steepest passenger railway and descend into an ancient rainforest with Scenic World Blue Mountains. Or get a panoramic view of the mountains from a glass-floored cable car suspended above a steep gorge.

Tours run daily from Sydney and Katoomba to Jenolan Caves. Scientists estimate limestone formations there date back at least 340 million years. Watch traditional dance performances at Waradah Aboriginal Centre in Katoomba. The Aboriginal Blue Mountains Walkabout tour starts at Faulconbridge train station.

BONDI BEACH

Get up early for a stroll along the famous beach or go for an invigorating morning swim before breakfast at one of the cafés on Campbell Parade. You’ll find public showers on the beach to wash off the salt after a swim in the ocean. Enjoy the views along the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk. Play nine holes at Bondi Golf Club.

In October and November, join the crowds at Sculpture by the Sea, an outdoor exhibition of artworks along a 2 km coastal walk. Buy takeaway fish and chips on Campbell Parade and enjoy them at the beach. Sip cocktails at Icebergs as the Sun sets over the ocean.

SAND DUNE ADVENTURES

Ride on quad bikes from the bush to the beach, traversing magnificent sand dunes and learning about Aboriginal culture in the Worimi Conservation Lands, north of Sydney. With Sand Dune Adventures, riding a 400cc bike, you’ll be in awe of the area’s natural beauty.

Expert Aboriginal guides will lead you through the Southern Hemisphere’s largest moving coastal sand dunes, some rising more than 30 metres. You’ll learn about traditional Aboriginal foods, or bush tucker, and how to find fresh water.

Sand Dune Adventures is owned and operated by the Worimi Local Aboriginal Land Council. Novice quad bike riders are welcome. You’ll be given instructions on how to ride a quad bike before touring the Stockton Beach sand dunes on the North Coast of NSW, Australia.

Tours are Monday to Sunday, from 8am to 5pm. From Sydney, the drive Sand Dune Adventures in Williamtown, Port Stephens, is 2 h 30 min. You can travel by train from Sydney to Newcastle, where you can take a bus for Williamtown.

HUNTER VALLEY

Tour the vineyards and sample local wines at cellar doors, including Tyrrell’s, Brokenwood, Briar Ridge, De luliis and McGuigan. Tours depart Sydney or join a tour in the valley. Savour wines and local produce at quality restaurants. Learn more about wine at the Hunter Valley Wine School.

Pamper yourself at a day spa, such as Château Élan. Enjoy a round of golf at a championship-level course, such as the Greg Norman-designed The Vintage, or one of many picturesque local courses. While strolling in the Hunter Valley Gardens, visit the children’s favourite storybook garden.

FEATHERDALE WILDLIFE PARK

Meet koalas and hand-feed kangaroos at Featherdale Wildlife Park, in Sydney’s west, a mid-way stop for day tours on the way to the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains. An easy drive from the city centre, the wildlife park has more than 1,700 native animals.

Visitors can get up close to a koala for free and hand-feed kangaroos and wallabies in Featherdale’s kangaroo walk-through enclosure. You’ll also meet Ngukurr, a saltwater crocodile. This species of crocodile is the world’s largest living reptile.

Open daily from 9am to 5pm, Featherdale has cassowary and quoll breeding precincts that allow visitors to see these endangered and beautiful animals up close. Some of the park’s other animals include wombats, echidnas, bilbies and owls. Guided tours are available.

There’s a souvenir shop and at the Drovers Hut function centre enjoy lunch or morning and afternoon tea. You can also visit the park by public transport. Go by train from Town Hall Station to Blacktown Station and then by bus to the park on Kildare Road, Doonside.

CAVERSHAM WILDLIFE PARK

Showcasing one of the largest collections of native fauna in Western Australia, Caversham Wildlife Park invites you to experience magical close encounters with Australia’s cutest inhabitants. Here’s your chance to hand feed the kangaroos and have your photo taken with the cuddly koalas and wombats. Situated at the heart of Whiteman Park in the Swan Valley, it’s a 30 minute drive north east of Perth to reach the wildlife park. As well as coming face to furry face with many of Western Australia’s curious native creatures, you can also take a peek at the workings of Molly’s Farm. Inside this interactive zone, you’ll enjoy a variety of farmyard fun, from sheep shearing, sheepdog and droving demonstrations, to swinging the billy tea, milking the cow and bottle feeding the lambs. Once you’ve snapped plenty of great family memories, head into the surrounding Whiteman Park for a picnic or barbecue, or make a beeline for the restaurant, just a four minute walk away.

PALACE PENTHOUSE

• Approx 56 – 115.4 sq.m
• Max Occupancy 4
• Deck 13/16
• 1 King-size Bed + 1 Double Sofa Bed/ 1 Queen-size Bed + 2 Double Sofa Beds/ 1 Queen-size Bed + 1 Double Sofa Bed

OCEANVIEW STATEROOM

• From 16 – 35 sq.m
• Max Occupancy 2
• Deck 5/9/10/11/12/13
• 2 Single Beds/ 2 Single Beds + 1 Single Sofa Bed/ 2 Single Beds + 1 Single Bed + 1 Ceiling Pullman Bed

PALACE VILLA

• Approx 224 sq.m
• Max Occupancy 6
• Deck 17
• 1 King-size Bed + 1 Queen-size Bed + 1 Double Sofa Bed

PALACE DELUXE PREMIUM

• From 41 – 61 sq.m
• Max Occupancy 4
• Deck 9/10/11/12/13/15
• 1 King-size Bed + 1 Double Sofa Bed

PALACE DELUXE SUITE

• From 41 sq.m
• Max Occupancy 4
• Deck 15
• 1 Queen-size Bed + 1 Double Sofa Bed

PALACE SUITE

• From 37 sq.m
• Max Occupancy 4
• Deck 13/15/16/17
• 1 Queen-size Bed + 1 Double Sofa Bed

INTERIOR STATEROOM

• From 13 – 14 sq.m
• Max Occupancy 2 – 4
• Deck 5/8/9/10/11/12/13/15
• 2 Single Beds/ 2 Single Beds + 1 Ceiling Pullman Bed/ 1 Single Bed + 1 Pullman Bed + 1 Double Sofa Bed