YOU ABSOLUTE BEAUTY!

Australia’s largest city and an international icon, Sydney is the perfect place to begin your ultimate Australian adventure. It’s home to some of the best urban beaches and parks in the world, and as far as harbours go, they don’t come much better looking than this. Your home for three nights is the Park Hyatt, a luxurious hotel which enjoys an unrivalled location directly beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge – an icon of the city.

Other unmissable attractions include the Sydney Opera House, world-renowned for its looks and the performances it plays host to, and the Art Gallery of NSW, which contains a large collection of Aboriginal art in a building which combines classical Greek and contemporary architecture. Sydney is also a city of great natural beauty, home to Bondi Beach – one of the most iconic stretches of sand in the world – and the beautiful Sydney Harbour National Park.

After 3 nights exploring Sydney, you’ll be taken by helicopter to Wolgan Valley, a beautiful wilderness area in the Blue Mountains. Sitting on the Great Dividing Range between the Wollemi and Gardens of Stone National Parks, you’re surrounded by natural beauty here, with mountains, forests and valleys for thousands of acres around.

You’ll spend three nights at Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley, a luxurious self-contained resort perfect for making the most of your surroundings with a range of outdoor activities. Guided nature walks will see you trying to spot some of the beautiful and rare wildlife which inhabits this region, including the regent honeyeater and the turquoise parrot, as well as the Wollemi Pine, a tree thought to have gone extinct 30 million years ago until it was discovered here in 1994. Horse riding and mountain biking are also great ways to explore the area, and archery and tennis are on offer at the resort.

The next stop on your journey is Kangaroo Island, which you’ll reach via helicopter flight to Sydney and then a flight to Kingscote via Adelaide. Australia’s third-largest island, Kangaroo Island is a sanctuary for wildlife, with one third of its surface national parkland. There are lots of kangaroos, of course, and other iconic Aussie species such as echidnas and wallabies, as well as penguins, sea lions and black swans. Kangaroo Island punches above its weight in terms of gastronomy, with a thriving food scene based on its abundance of seafood and a growing number of acclaimed wine producers.

Your home for three nights is Southern Ocean Lodge, a luxury lodge in an incredible location lining a rugged clifftop overlooking the Southern Ocean.

Departing Kangaroo Island, you’ll return to the mainland with a flight to Adelaide before being transferred to the Flinders Ranges, the largest mountain range in South Australia. An area rich in natural life and diversity, it’s also got a long Aboriginal history, with continuous human habitation here going back thousands of years.

You’ll spend the next three nights at Arkaba Conservancy, a luxurious bush hotel where you can escape from the digital distractions of modern life, savour the acclaimed food and wine of South Australia, and immerse yourself in the environment. Passionate expert guides will lead you on walks and drives where you can spot the likes of galahs, wallabies, and many more. There’s also an incredible Aboriginal rock art gallery at Chambers Gorge.

A transfer back to Adelaide will see you board a flight into the scorched landscapes of Australia’s Red Centre, where the star of the show is the iconic Uluru. Also known as Ayers Rock, this huge mound of red sandstone soars impressively from the flat earth, and it’s not difficult to see why it has held religious significance for the Aboriginal people of this area for thousands of years.

You’ll experience Uluru in ultimate style with two nights at Longitude 131, a luxurious desert camp in an incredible location facing the rock. While the location of your luxury tent means you’ll be able to admire it from your bed, a trip to the base of Uluru is well worth it, to examine its pitted, moon-like surfaces up close - a helicopter flight above it is an unforgettable experience.

With Uluru having whetted your appetite for life in the Australian bush, you’ll head further north – via a flight and bushplane – to the top of the Northern Territory and the Kakadu National Park. This is a wildlife-rich area much more verdant than the Red Centre, with forested valleys and floodplains: your hotel, Bamurru Plains, is situated on one such floodplain to the west of Kakadu National Park. A luxurious lodge and collection of standalone safari bungalows, this hotel is perfect for experiencing the wildlife which is the star of this region.

River cruises on the Sampan Creek will give you the opportunity to see crocodiles and a wide array of birdlife, while on 4WD safaris into the bush you can hope to spot wallabies, wild horses and buffalo, among many others. This is also a great place to fish for the iconic barramundi. Cultural excursions are also on offer to view the Aboriginal rock art galleries of Kakadu and Arnhem Land.

After three nights of culture and wildlife watching in Kakadu, you’ll board a bushplane again to Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory and the Top End’s urban hub. While for many people Darwin serves as little more than a gateway - either to the rural Top End or the islands of Southeast Asia - Darwin has much more to offer besides, and as Australia’s only tropical city, a distinct feel and identity.

The Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory is a fascinating visit, with large collections of Aboriginal art - this state has the highest proportion of indigenous Australians in the country. The Mindil Beach Sunset Market is where Dawin’s tropical nature can really be felt, with delicious international food stalls spanning Thai, Sri Lankan and Malaysian cuisines as well as those from all over the world, with handicrafts and artworks from various cultures on offer - the market’s not just a tourist fabrication, and is hugely popular with locals. You’ll spend one night in Darwin, at the Hilton, a luxurious hotel in the centre of town.

Departing Darwin, you’ll fly to Cairns for a scenic one-hour flight by private plane to the gorgeous Lizard Island - an incredible location to relax, indulge, and explore the Great Barrier Reef. Snorkelling and scuba diving trips can be arranged in the outer reef, and you can go deep-sea fishing. Of course, you may wish to spend blissful days simply relaxing and unwinding in the spa and on the pristine sands, and this is certainly a good place to do that. At the end of your stay, you’ll fly back to Cairns for your onward journey.