An Australian Odyssey: From the Outback to the Great Barrier Reef

Welcome to Melbourne! Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city, is the capital of Victoria, a state in the south-eastern corner of Australia. During the gold rush era, Melbourne possessed great wealth and many of the city’s fine buildings were built during this period of prosperity. Its magnificent streetscapes and extensive parks and gardens provide an ideal setting for its many elegant buildings. In the past, Melbourne was a larger business centre and city than Sydney, and today the two cities continue a friendly rivalry. Both are cosmopolitan and multicultural, and Melbourne has many strong ethnic communities from three major periods of migration: Chinese and German (after the gold rushes), Italian, Greek, and southern European (post-World War II) and, more recently, Asian. Participants who booked their flights to and from Australia through Road Scholar will be met and transferred to our hotel to join those participants who arrived earlier. From the hotel, we will have a walking orientation to parts of the city before returning to the hotel for lunch. Those participants who have arrived in the city earlier or who are making their own travel arrangements should ensure that they are at our Melbourne hotel by 10:30 a.m.

At hotel.

After lunch we will walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens. We will visit the Shrine of Remembrance, a National War Memorial of great significance to Melburnians. During our field trip, our Site Coordinator will give us an overview, introducing us to Melbourne and the State of Victoria. We transfer to our hotel and check in with some time to freshen up before our Orientation session. Orientation. Our Group Leader and local Site Coordinator will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule and any changes, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer any questions you may have. The Group Leader and local Site Coordinators will provide information and lead field trips at most study sites. Ground travel and transfers will be via private motorcoach unless noted otherwise. The format of meals will vary based on each venue, with some meals being buffets, others plated and served, and some ordered in advance. Beverages typically include coffee, tea and water, with other beverages available for purchase depending on location. Free time is reserved for your personal exploration. Evenings at leisure offer opportunities to make the program more meaningful and memorable through independent exploration, attending performances or other events on your own, or simply relaxing and making new friends among fellow Road Scholars. The Group Leader and local Site Coordinators will always be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local conditions/circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

At the hotel. We will have “Welcome to Australia” wine with dinner tonight.

At leisure. We have an early night tonight to rest up following our long flight.

Hotel buffet.

We will begin today with a lecture on contemporary Australia, touching on areas of interest such as health, education, and the political system. With our local Site Coordinator we will then walk from our hotel through some of Melbourne's famously funky laneways. As we wander through the back streets and laneways, we will gain an understanding of how liveable Melbourne is and how the city interacts with its river. We will conclude our morning exploration at the Melbourne Skydeck, on the 88th floor of the Eureka Tower, where the expansive views will give us an understanding of the city’s layout and allow us to track where we have walked.

This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. There are a multitude of options along the river and throughout the central business district.

We will have some time to explore on our own before returning independently to the hotel. We will then board our motorcoach bound for Phillip Island.

At a small-town bistro in San Remo near Phillip Island, we will have pre-ordered, plated meals with water included; other beverages available for purchase.

We will move on to Phillip Island Nature Park in time for the Penguin Parade. Here we can watch the gorgeous little penguins come ashore at dusk after their day out fishing. After viewing these wonderful creatures, we will board our motorcoach and return to our hotel and bed.

Hotel buffet.

We will board our motorcoach and head into the Yarra Valley. Our first visit will be to the Healesville Sanctuary where we will get to meet some more of the local wildlife. A local expert will introduce us to some of the conservation work the Sanctuary is undertaking. It is also home to the Australian Wildlife Centre that trains wildlife veterinarians and treats more than 2,000 sick and injured native animals every year.

At a local winery in the Yarra Valley, we will have lunch and an expert-led wine tasting, giving us an introduction to Australian wine varieties and wine-making techniques.

We return to Melbourne on our motorcoach. We will have some time to freshen up and relax prior to dinner.

At the hotel.

At leisure.

Hotel buffet.

At the hotel, a local art historian will give us a lecture on Australian art. We will then walk the short distance to the National Gallery of Victoria where our art historian will lead us on an exploration of the Australian art collection.

This meal has been excluded from the program cost so you are on your own to enjoy what you like.

Free Time. Take this opportunity for independent exploration to see and do what interests you most in this cosmopolitan city. Your Group Leader and local Site Coordinator will be happy to offer suggestions.

On your own to enjoy what you like. Your Site Coordinator will be happy to offer suggestions for Melbourne's renowned restaurant scene.

At leisure. Prepare for hotel check out and transfer tomorrow.

Hotel buffet.

We will check out of our hotel and transfer to Melbourne Domestic Airport for our flight to Alice Springs, gateway to the Red Centre. Alice Springs is located almost exactly at the geographic centre of Australia and has been a home for Aboriginal Australians for in excess of 30,000 years. Many of the physical features of the land have great cultural significance. Originally established in 1888 as Stuart, the town developed due to the need for an overland telegraph line to assist Australia with its communications to the world. Today, “The Alice” is a pleasurable, modern town and is a major access point for the many tourist attractions of central Australia. On arrival we are met by our Red Centre Site Coordinator and have an overview of Alice Springs and the Red Centre on the way to our hotel.

At the hotel, we will have lunch before we check in to our rooms.

After check-in, we have an orientation to our Red Centre program. Our local Site Coordinator will follow the orientation with a lecture introducing the culture, art, and heritage of the Indigenous Australian peoples of the Red Centre. After our lecture we have some free time to settle in to our surroundings. Those who wish may choose to take the short walk into the town centre.

At a local restaurant, an Aboriginal caterer and businesswoman will introduce native Aboriginal bush foods, describe their traditional use and explain how they are being incorporated into contemporary cuisine. We will have dinner at the restaurant where our taste buds will discover for themselves just how contemporary Australian cuisine is utilising traditional Aboriginal flavourings.

Weather permitting, a local astronomer will introduce the stars of the southern sky. We can look for the Southern Cross and other southern constellations in the clear air of Australia's Red Centre. We return to the hotel on our motorcoach.

Hotel buffet.

We will visit Alice Springs Desert Park where our local Site Coordinator will help us gain an understanding of the beauty and mystery of the Australian desert and the life that exists there.

At Alice Springs Desert Park, we will have a platter lunch.

Next, we will we travel to Simpson’s Gap in the Western MacDonnell Ranges and view the permanent waterhole in its stunning location under the towering cliffs of the Simpson Range. Returning to Alice Springs, we will learn about the ways in which inhabitants of the Red Centre have addressed the challenges of living spread across vast distances. We visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) and learn how aircraft and technology are used to deliver medical services in the huge distances of central Australia. Founded in 1928, the RFDS is now one of the largest and most comprehensive aeromedical organisations in the world, providing primary health care and 24-hour emergency service to people over an area of nearly 3 million square miles (7.3 million square kilometres). We move on to the Alice Springs School of the Air (ASSOA). In Australia’s vast territories, most people live near the coast. Those in the Outback — remote, rural, sparsely populated interior regions — often suffered from a lack of educational opportunities. The School of the Air was established in 1951 as a radio network for two-way teaching and learning broadcasts. New technology and the internet have since made things much easier. We will visit the School of the Air Visitor Centre to gain an understanding of the techniques employed to provide education across the isolated and remote expanse of the Outback.

At a local café, we will have a BBQ dinner. As we dine, a local musician will entertain us with ballads and yarns of the Australian bush. From the official Australian government website: “The bush has an iconic status in Australian life…especially as expressed in Australian literature, painting, popular music, films and foods. The bush was something that was uniquely Australian and very different to the European landscapes familiar to many new immigrants…revered as a source of national ideals.”

We return to our hotel via motorcoach. Prepare for hotel check out and transfer in the morning.

Hotel buffet.

We will check out of the hotel and board our motorcoach for the journey to Uluru. We will pause for morning tea at a typical Outback roadhouse. Rising from the arid heartland of Australia are the haunting geological marvels of Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). They lie within Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which is owned by the local Aboriginal Australian people. Uluru is a red sandstone monolith, the world’s second largest at 5.5 miles (8.9 kilometres) around, with smooth slopes rising to 1,098 feet (335 metres). For thousands of years this rock has been the focus for religious, cultural, territorial and economic inter-relations among the Aboriginal peoples of the Western Desert. Caves around the base of the rock were used by Aboriginal peoples for shelter and were decorated with their paintings. Kata Tjuta is a collection of smaller, more rounded rocks that are very captivating. The tallest rock, Mt Olga, is nearly 656 feet (200 metres) higher than Uluru.

At Uluru, we have a plated lunch.

We will explore Uluru by motorcoach and on foot. This sacred Aboriginal site is truly awe-inspiring. Our Red Centre Site Coordinator will explain something of the significance of the Rock to the local Aboriginal peoples. We will then transfer to our hotel and check in. In the late afternoon we will take in a sunset viewing of Uluru, watching the amazing colours of the Rock as the sun sets.

In the hotel, we will have pre-ordered, plated meals.

At leisure.

Hotel buffet.

We check out of the hotel and travel out to Kata Tjuta, the spectacular formation of 36 rounded domes. Kata Tjuta means "many heads" in the local Aboriginal language. Here we will walk up Walpa Gorge, affording wonderful views across the Outback.

We will have a packed lunch today.

We transfer to the airport for our flight to Cairns via Melbourne.

At own arrangements at Melbourne airport, although a [very] light snack will be served on board your flight to Melbourne.

Cairns, on the east coast of Australia, is the most northerly city in the state of Queensland. It is always green and lush with abundant tropical plants and flowers. It is also one of Australia’s fastest-growing cities and, in addition to its role as a regional centre for dairy, timber and sugar production, it is an important tourist destination. Cairns is uniquely situated between two UNESCO World Heritage-listed areas: the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest. Upon our arrival, we transfer to our hotel. We check-in and head to bed.

Hotel buffet.

We begin this morning with a lecture introducing us to one of Cairns’ World Heritage-listed features, the Wet Tropical Rainforests of North Queensland. We will gain an understanding of the abundance of life in the tropical rainforest. We board our motorcoach and transfer to the village of Kuranda, a mountain retreat surrounded by rainforest. We will have some time for self-directed exploration around lunch.

At a local restaurant in Kuranda, we will have pre-ordered, plated meals.

We will have a walk with our local expert, exploring the local environment. We then walk to the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway to take the stunning cableway journey sweeping above the canopy of the rainforest. At the Rainforest Interpretive Station, our lecturer will lead a walk on a circular track of boardwalk as we learn more about this special environment. We head to our hotel and check in.

At our hotel.

We are joined by a local marine biologist for a lecture on the Great Barrier Reef. We will gain insights into what we might encounter on our study cruise out to this natural icon.

Hotel buffet.

Sure to be one of the highlights of our program, we will have a full day study cruise on the Great Barrier Reef where we can view the coral reef in the company of our dedicated marine biologist. We will be able to snorkel among the spectacular coral reef and/or view the reef from a semi-submersible vessel. As UNESCO notes, “The Great Barrier Reef is a site of remarkable variety and beauty on the north-east coast of Australia. It contains the world’s largest collection of coral reefs, with 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of mollusc.”

Aboard our cruise vessel, we will have a buffet lunch.

Our study cruise continues. We will return to Cairns in the late afternoon.

On your own to enjoy what you like. The Esplanade's wide range of restaurants is only a block or two from our hotel.

At leisure.

Hotel buffet.

We will begin with a 15-minute walk to Cairns wharf. We board our vessel and cruise across the gentle waters of Trinity Inlet. As we cruise we learn of the cultural landscape and the creation stories of the Yidinji Nations. We cruise along Hills Creek through a regenerated mangrove forest as we keep an eye out for freshwater fish, crocodiles and numerous bird species. We are welcomed ashore with a traditional smoking ceremony conducted by the Mandingalbay Yidinji Rangers. They then introduce us to their Indigenous Protected Area. Here we learn of the conservation programs they have instigated to take care of Country since being recognised as Traditional Owners in 2006. We cruise back across to town and return to our hotel to check out. We transfer to the airport for our lunchtime flight to Sydney.

On your own although a light snack will be served on your flight.

Welcome to Sydney! Sydney’s stunning natural harbour forms the centrepiece of a dynamic city that has grown dramatically since its beginnings as a prison colony. Situated in the temperate area of Australia, Sydney is surrounded by National Parks and has a beautiful range of flora and fauna. It is Australia’s largest city with over 5 million citizens thriving in a multicultural society in a congenial climate. Sydney is dominated by Sydney Harbour, of which Port Jackson is only a small part. The city covers a large area, twice the size of London with half the population, and has large parks and sparkling sandy Pacific Ocean beaches, such as the well-known and very popular Bondi and Manly. Upon our arrival in Sydney, we will be met by our Sydney Site Coordinator and transfer to our hotel for check in. We will have an overview of our program in Sydney on our motorcoach en route to our hotel. We have time to freshen up and relax before dinner.

At the hotel.

At leisure.

Hotel buffet.

We will be joined by a local educator who will present a lecture on Sydney's history. We then join our lecturer for a walk through Sydney's central business district. We visit the Macquarie Street and Hyde Park area, home to many Sydney institutions - the Australian Museum, St Mary's Cathedral, the New South Wales Parliament and the State Library. We will have time to explore the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Hyde Park Barracks. We then board our coach to visit Sydney's sought-after eastern suburbs. Our exploration concludes in the renowned beach-side suburb of Bondi.

At a typical, local Australian RSL (Returned Services League) club in Bondi, we will have pre-ordered, plated meals.

After lunch, we board our motorcoach and transfer to Watsons Bay wharf. Here we board a ferry to take in the splendour of magnificent Sydney Harbour. From the ferry we take in the stunning scenery and gain an understanding as to how Sydneysiders interact with their gorgeous natural highlight. The remainder of the afternoon and evening is at leisure. You might choose to get off at Circular Quay and make your way back to the hotel on foot or via tram or you may change ferries to Darling Harbour and walk to the hotel from there. Your Site Coordinator will be happy to offer suggestions.

At own arrangements.

At leisure.

Hotel buffet.

We will take our motorcoach across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to Taronga Zoo, located on the north shore, with delightful views across the harbour to the city. Here we will begin our study of Australian fauna. As well as meeting kangaroos, koalas and wallabies — and hoping for a glimpse of the rather more elusive wombat, echidna, and platypus — we will have a lecture from one of the keepers introducing some of Australia’s more dangerous inhabitants: spiders and snakes.

At Taronga Park Zoo, we have a packed lunch.

Next, we will take a ferry back across Sydney Harbour to Circular Quay. We will walk around the Quay to the magnificent UNESCO World Heritage-listed Sydney Opera House, where we will have an expert-led exploration of this truly wonderful, iconic building, a masterpiece of late modern architecture. Exactly which areas of the Opera House we see will depend upon what performances and rehearsals are taking place at the time. There are five main performance spaces at the Sydney Opera House — the Concert Hall, the Dame Joan Sutherland Theatre (formerly the Opera Theatre), the Drama Theatre, the Playhouse and the Studio — and the availability of these spaces for public visits changes from day to day. We will then return to our hotel and have some time to freshen up and relax before an early dinner.

We will have an early buffet dinner at our hotel allowing us to get to tonight's performance at the Opera House in plenty of time.

We will attend a performance at the Sydney Opera House. We will return to the hotel via motorcoach.

Hotel buffet.

We join our Site Coordinator for a walk through Darling Harbour to Pyrmont Bay Wharf. From here we take the ferry across the harbour to Milsons Point. From Milsons Point we walk under the roadway and up to the pedestrian walkway along the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We walk back across the bridge taking in the stunning views of Sydney Harbour, the city and the suburbs of the lower north shore. At the bridge's southern end, we visit the Harbour Bridge Pylon Lookout & Museum. We walk down off the bridge and commence a walking exploration of The Rocks area, giving us further insight into Sydney’s colonial past. The Rocks was the area of Sydney first settled by the British, and it has a fascinating history and wonderful sandstone buildings. At the conclusion of our walking exploration, you have the remainder of the afternoon at leisure so you can spend your final afternoon in Sydney as you see fit.

At own arrangements.

Your afternoon is free until we come together for a pre-dinner meeting back at our hotel to review our program. We walk along Darling Harbour to a local restaurant for our farewell dinner.

At a local restaurant, we have pre-ordered, plated meals.

At leisure. Prepare for departure in the morning.

At the hotel.

Our program concludes with breakfast. After breakfast, we check out of our hotel. Those participants who have booked their flights through Road Scholar will be transferred to Sydney Airport. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Please join our Facebook page and share photos of your program. Visit us at www.facebook.com/rsadventures. Best wishes for all your journeys!