Reef, red centre, rainforest and wild islands in one long trip, planned around the seasons of a continent.
Australia is as wide as Europe, so the art of a good trip is choosing well and flying between regions rather than driving them. A classic first visit combines Sydney, the outback at Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef with the Daintree rainforest, and a wildlife island in the south.
The seasons shape everything. The tropical north has a wet season from November to April and a dry season from May to October, while the south is better in the warmer months. We sequence the route so each region is visited at a good time of year.
The honest caveat is distance. You need at least two weeks, ideally three, and there are no shortcuts on the flight from London. A stopover in Singapore or Perth on the way out makes the arrival far kinder.
The experiences we plan most often, with the months they are at their best.
From Port Douglas, small boats reach the outer reef in about an hour and a half, where the water clears and the coral is healthiest. For more time on it, stay on Lizard Island in the far north, with reef right off its beaches. In the warmer months, stinger suits are worn in the water. Go in the dry season for calmer seas.
Uluru rises from the red desert of the Northern Territory, sacred to the Anangu people who jointly manage the national park. Walk the base with an Anangu or ranger guide, watch the rock change colour at sunrise and sunset, and hike the Valley of the Winds at Kata Tjuta. Two or three nights is right. Summer days are extremely hot, so we prefer April to October.
North of Port Douglas, the Daintree is ancient tropical rainforest running down to the sea at Cape Tribulation. Take an early river cruise to look for crocodiles and kingfishers, walk the boardwalks at Mossman Gorge with an Indigenous guide, and swim in clear creeks. It pairs naturally with the reef.
Sydney makes most sense from its harbour. Take the ferry to Manly, a private boat around the coves for lunch, and walk the clifftop path from Bondi to Coogee. Add a performance at the Opera House and dinner with a view of the bridge. Three nights is a good start or finish to a longer trip.
Kangaroo Island, off the coast of South Australia, is Australia's wildlife in a compact space: sea lions on the beach at Seal Bay, kangaroos and wallabies at dusk, koalas in the gums and the granite boulders of Remarkable Rocks. Stay two or three nights and explore with a local naturalist guide.
Tasmania is cool, green and uncrowded. On the east coast, the Freycinet Peninsula has pink granite peaks and the white curve of Wineglass Bay, seen at its fullest from the lookout walk. Add oysters and cool-climate wine, and fly on to Cradle Mountain or the harbourside galleries of Hobart.
We plan Australia as a handful of lodges linked by short flights, and choose each for its setting. We use Longitude 131° at Uluru, Lizard Island or Silky Oaks Lodge in the tropical north, Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island and Saffire Freycinet in Tasmania, with a harbour-view hotel in Sydney to start or finish.
We match each trip in Australia to hotels, lodges and villas chosen for the way you travel. Tell us what matters and a specialist will suggest two or three that fit.
Ask for hotel suggestionsSample routes to start from. Every one can be changed.
The big Australia trip for families: Sydney harbour, two nights in the red centre at Uluru, four on the Queensland coast for the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree, then five on a small island in Fiji to rest before the flight home.
Australia's seasons are the reverse of ours: summer from December to February, winter from June to August. The tropical north, including Cairns, the Daintree and the Kimberley, has a wet season from November to April and a dry season from May to October, which is when we visit.
The outback is best from April to October, when days are warm rather than fierce. The south, including Tasmania and Kangaroo Island, is best from October to April. The FCDO notes a higher bushfire risk from October to February. That is why September, October, March and April are such good months to see several regions in one trip.
Harbour, desert, rainforest, reef and a southern wildlife island, linked by domestic flights and paced for a first visit in spring or autumn. 13 nights.
Arrive via Singapore and recover with harbour ferries, the Bondi to Coogee walk and a night at the Opera House.
Fly to Ayers Rock. Sunrise at Uluru, a guided base walk and the Valley of the Winds at Kata Tjuta.
Fly to Cairns and drive north. Mossman Gorge with an Indigenous guide and a dawn river cruise.
A small-boat day to the outer Great Barrier Reef from Port Douglas, then a free day by the pool.
Fly to Adelaide and on to the island for sea lions at Seal Bay, Remarkable Rocks and wildlife at dusk.
Fly to Adelaide to connect with your flight home via Asia or the Middle East.
Practical notes checked against their sources. For entry and safety, the FCDO advice for Australia (opens in a new tab) is always the authority.
Qantas flies direct from Heathrow to Perth in about 17 hours. For Sydney, allow about 22 hours with one stop, for example in Singapore. Breaking the journey with a night or two in Asia helps with jet lag.
UK passport holders must have a visa before travel; most visitors use the eVisitor or the ETA. Read the FCDO entry requirements (opens in a new tab) and apply well ahead.
Read the FCDO entry requirements for Australia (opens in a new tab)
The sun is extremely strong: use SPF 50+ sunscreen, a hat and long sleeves. Wear stinger suits in tropical waters in season. Check TravelHealthPro (opens in a new tab) and the FCDO health page.
The currency is the Australian dollar. Cards are widely accepted and ATMs are common, though fewer in remote towns and the outback. A 10% GST applies to goods and services.
Mobile coverage is good in cities and towns but limited in the outback and remote areas. An eSIM or local SIM is usually cheaper than roaming.
Hotels and restaurants do not add service charges, and tipping is your choice. In upmarket restaurants, 10% for good service is common.
Two weeks is the minimum for a first trip covering three or four regions, and three weeks is better. The flight takes a full day and jet lag is significant, so adding a stopover in Singapore or elsewhere in Asia on the way out makes the start of the trip much easier.
It depends on where you go. The tropical north and the outback are best from May to October; the south and Tasmania from October to April. September, October, March and April work well for a route that covers both, which is why we suggest them most often.
Yes, but in the warmer months it is stinger season on the reef, and snorkellers and divers wear full-body stinger suits, which operators provide. The dry season, from May to October, also brings calmer seas and clearer water.
Very. The wildlife, reef and beaches appeal to all ages, and English is spoken everywhere. Keep internal flights to a minimum and choose three or four bases. School summer holidays line up with the Australian winter, a good time for the north.
Tell us a little and a specialist will reply with ideas, dates that work and a price. Best months: March to May and August to October.
Fiords, volcanoes, vineyards and fine lodges within a few hours of each other, at the far end of the world.
Island resorts on clear lagoons, soft coral reefs and a warm village welcome, an easy add-on to Australia or New Zealand.
An easy first stop in Asia: hawker food, garden architecture and four cultures on one small, very green island.
