Ultimate Australia (2012)

Melbourne • Adelaide • Alice Springs • Uluru • Great Barrier Reef • Cape Tribulation • Sydney
  • 17 days
  • from only:
  • $5795
  • $341 per dayIncludes international airfare and government taxes
IN THIS SECTION:
Detailed Itinerary
NEW-Private Departures
Is this Adventure Right for You?
It's Included
Unique Accommodations
Extend Your Adventure
Tasmania: Australia's Natural Heritage
New Zealand
Optional Tours
Trip Leaders
Your Travel Handbook
Air information
LearnMore
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Customize your trip

Learn how to customize your adventure, or view standard air routing and travel times. The choice is yours with our True Choice program.

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Customize your trip

With our True Choice Program, you can choose to stay longer before or after your trip on your own, or combine two adventures to maximize your value. Here are more ways to create the OAT adventure that’s right for you:

  • Choose our standard air routing, or work with us to select the airline and routing you prefer
  • Make your own international flight arrangements directly with the airline, applying frequent flyer miles if available
  • Stay overnight in a connecting city before or after your trip
  • Request to arrive a few days early to get a fresh start on your adventure
  • Choose to “break away” before or after your trip, spending additional days or weeks on your own
  • Extend your adventure with our optional pre- and post-trip extensions
  • Combine your choice of OAT adventures to maximize your value
  • Upgrade to business or premium economy class

The air options listed above will involve an additional fee of $100 per person for confirmed requests (as well as incremental airfare costs based on your specific choice). This service fee will be waived for Inner Circle/Sir Edmund Hillary Club members.

Or, when you make your reservation, you can choose our standard air routing, for which approximate travel times are shown below.

GATEWAY

TRAVEL TIME*

Atlanta, Houston, Tampa

24hrs

Boston, Dallas, Detroit

26hrs

Denver, Newark, New York (JFK)

27hrs

Miami, Philadelphia, Washington, DC (Dulles)

25hrs

Los Angeles

16hrs

Chicago, Minneapolis

23hrs

San Diego

20hrs

San Francisco

22hrs

* Estimated total time, including connection and layover. Actual travel time may vary.

The information above reflects approximate flight times from the gateway cities listed to Melbourne, Australia. Routing is based on availability and subject to change. You will receive your final air itinerary approximately 14 days prior to departure.

REFER and EARN

Earn increasing rewards as a Vacation Ambassador

REFER and EARN as a Vacation Ambassador with
the BEST referral program in the industry

Inspiring new travelers to join the OAT family is a rewarding experience—both for you and your new travelers.

Share your love of travel with others and, for each referral who embarks on an OAT trip, you will earn $100 in CASH or credit. With your 4th referral departing on a 2012 departure, your reward increases to $200 in CASH or credit per person. And once you refer 8 travelers departing in either 2012 or 2013, you'll earn a FREE trip valued up to $4,500 per household—which will bring the total value of your earned rewards up to $5,600.

And you are also passing along savings to your new traveler: We'll instantly deduct $100 off the cost of their reservation when they mention your name and Customer Number while reserving.

To learn more about the benefits of our Vacation Ambassador Referral Program, please call us toll-free at 1-800-955-1925 or click here.

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Post-Trip: New Zealand

6 nights from only $1995
G16755

Join us on this showcase of New Zealand’s stunning South Island—a wonderland of alpine peaks, verdant farms, Victorian garden towns, ancient Maori culture, and good-natured Kiwi hospitality. It would be a shame to come all the way "down under" and miss Australia’s beautiful neighbor, New Zealand.

Single Supplement: FREE.

Please note: Availability and price may vary by departure date. Please call for details.

It's Included

  • International airfare from Sydney to Auckland
  • Accommodations for 2 nights in Auckland, 1 night homestay in Mount Cook region, and 3 nights in Queenstown
  • 11 meals—6 breakfasts, 4 lunches, and 1 Home-Hosted Dinner
  • 5 small group activities
  • Continued services of an expert OAT Trip Leader
  • All transfers

Optional Tour

Jet-boat Ride on Shotover River ($85 per person)

Day 1
Fly from Sydney to Auckland, New Zealand

After a light breakfast, we fly to Auckland, New Zealand. Your Trip Leader who has been with you throughout your trip in Australia will travel with you to continue with you on this trip extension. Auckland is New Zealand’s largest and most culturally diverse city, and is a melting pot of European, South Pacific, Asian, and indigenous Maori cultures.

The balance of the afternoon and evening is at leisure for independent exploration. Your Trip Leader can provide suggestions for dinner on your own this evening.
Day 2
Explore Auckland

This morning, we’ll embark on a tour of Auckland that includes visits to the Viaduct Harbour and Harbour Bridge, Newmarket, the Mission Bay beachfront neighborhood, and the dramatic summit of Mount Eden. The Polynesian diversity is reflected in the unique cultural, culinary, and shopping experiences that we’ll find here. Known as the “City of Sails” for its coastal locale and the America’s Cup Village situated here, Auckland is noted for its breathtaking scenery, love of rugby, and excellent food and wine.

After an included lunch, we’ll enjoy an afternoon at leisure. Perhaps you’ll take a stroll on Auckland’s magnificent beaches, visit the War Memorial museum, or go sailing on Auckland harbor.

Day 3
Auckland to Christchurch/Overland to Fairlie/Sheepdog Demonstration/Overnight Homestay

This morning after breakfast, we’ll transfer to the Auckland airport for a flight to Christchurch. From here, we’ll travel overland to Fairlie, a thriving farming town. We’ll have the opportunity to visit a local farm, where we’ll see the shearing shed and watch the farm’s sheepdogs work with the sheep.

Later this evening, we’ll enjoy an overnight stay and dinner with a local Kiwi family on their farm. This is a chance for you to meet people who call this area home, learn about their daily lives on the farm, and share a little of yourself. Please note: This overnight stay is held at a local farm with a shared bathroom.
Day 4
Fairlie to Queenstown/View Mount Cook

Today we will travel alongside the Southern Alps to take in views (weather permitting) of New Zealand's highest peak, 12,346-foot Mount Cook. Called Aoraki by the Maori, this world-renowned mountain wears a permanent mantle of snow and ice. It towers above turquoise glacier-fed lakes and grassy foothills where snow gentians and the white buttercups called Mount Cook Lilies bloom.

Continuing south, we arrive at a local wine center for an included lunch and interactive wine-tasting experience.

You take dinner on your own this evening, with plenty of choices among the city's numerous restaurants.
Day 5
Queenstown/Fiordland National Park/Cruise Milford Sound

We rise early this morning for a full day of adventure. After breakfast, we travel to Milford Sound—dubbed the “Eighth Wonder of the World” by Rudyard Kipling—situated in the heart of Fiordland National Park. Dense forests, shimmering Lake Te Anau, and a pass known as “The Avenue of Disappearing Mountains” mark our route. Upon boarding our cruise boat, we’ll marvel at towering cliffs and stunning peaks, see thundering waterfalls, impressive beech forests, and unique flora and fauna as we cruise along magnificent fjords. A picnic lunch is included on board our cruise.

We return to Queenstown in the evening and you take dinner on your own.
Day 6
Queenstown/Optional Jet-boat Ride on Shotover River

Today is at leisure. Queenstown is one of the world’s great centers for outdoor recreation, offering many exciting activities including bungee jumping, white-water rafting, river surfing, and parasailing. Perhaps you could visit the Kiwi Birdlife Park, which is a must-see if you are a birder.

You may wish to join take optional excursion in a jet-boat on the Shotover River. The jet-boat, which takes in water and ejects it from the stern under great pressure to create the propulsion, was invented in New Zealand. It’s designed to run in water that is only inches deep, and the boat needs very little room to maneuver, making it capable of handling the twisting channels between rocky outcrops with ease.

You have the rest of your evening at leisure to explore the charms of Queenstown.
Day 7
Return Flight to U.S. via Auckland

After breakfast, fly from Queenstown to Auckland, where you'll board your flight back to the U.S. later in the evening. You cross the International Date Line, regaining a day before you arrive back in the U.S.