‘Australia’s the size of Europe yet has a population of 25 million, so what better place to hit the road and enjoy the wide-open spaces?’
Here is our unmissable guide to some of the best packages (with flights and hotels included). All holidays are for dates after September.
WHERE TO GO IN OZ . . . ROCK AND REEF
TAKE a hair-raising walk along the top of Sydney Harbour Bridge (nicknamed The Coathanger) and enjoy the waves at Bondi and Shelly beaches before heading inland to see kangaroos aplenty plus Uluru, the iconic sandstone monolith rock, on a fortnightlong tour. A Great Barrier Reef trip is included. HOW TO DO IT: 14 days from £2,749 pp with flights and hotels (trailfinders.com).
WONDERFUL WHITSUNDAYS
SNORKELLING on the Great Barrier Reef from the Whitsunday Islands in Queensland is the highlight of a 12-day trip beginning with a visit to Melbourne, Victoria, where you can visit top-class vineyards. Don’t miss out on Whitsundays Ngaro Indigenous Cultural Tour to see ancient rock paintings. HOW TO DO IT: 12 days from £2,395 pp with flights and accommodation (dialaflight.com).
WINE IN THE WEST
ENJOY the sweeping empty coastlines, ancient forests, beaches and vineyards of Western Australia on a fortnight-long fly-drive. This road trip comes with accommodation. Stop off at the Margaret River wineries, Rottnest Island (home to adorable quokkas, a wallaby) and rugged Cape Le Grand National Park. HOW TO DO IT: 14 days from £3,590 pp including flights, car hire and hotels (audleytravel.com).
HEAD DOWN SOUTH
VISIT the vineyards of Barossa Valley (renowned for its shiraz) on an 11-day Tastes of Southern Australia guided foodie coach tour that begins in Sydney and goes to Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide. A visit to Kangaroo Island (packed with the creatures) is included as is the chance to see Gold Creek Station, a sheep farm where a barbecue is organised. HOW TO DO IT: 11 days from £4,383 pp with flights, hotels and 19 meals included (trafalgar.com).
SURF’S UP
HIT the waves on a trip to Brisbane and Surfers Paradise resort. You stay in a selfcatering apartment at Surf Parade Resort, which comes with a heated pool, hot tub and sauna. Enjoy the rides at the theme parks, visit the street markets and take long walks along the golden shore. HOW TO DO IT: 11 nights from £1,157pp with flights (mercuryholidays.co.uk).
MOTORHOME ADVENTURE
HIRE a motorhome and head north from Perth, Western Australia’s capital, moving along the remote, rugged coastline towards Shark Bay — staying in your own hotel on wheels. A wildlife trip by kayak is arranged and interesting ancient Aboriginal sites are close by. A night is booked at a hotel in Perth at each end of the trip. HOW TO DO IT: 12 nights from £2,049pp with hotels, motorhome hire and flights (trailfinders.com).
EAST COAST CALLING
EXPLORE Australia’s dramatic east coast starting in Sydney in New South Wales and travelling by coach via Byron Bay, home to some of the best beaches, Queensland. There are stop-offs at Fraser Island, ancient rainforests and a working cattle station. A catamaran cruise of the Whitsunday Islands is a highlight. HOW TO DO IT: 12-night guided tours with flights, B&B hotels, excursions, three lunches and two dinners from £4,389pp (australiansky.co.uk).
NATURAL HARMONY
HIT the road on an 11-day self-drive along Australia’s Nature Coast Drive, which takes you through Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and Fraser Coast. Start your adventure in Brisbane, head to the Sunshine Coast for beaches and a chance to hike the Glass House Mountains or visit the Noosa Everglades. Humpback whales can be spotted from the shore and you can snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef. HOW TO DO IT: 11 days from £2,065 pp with flights, accommodation and car hire (flightcentre.co.uk).
ALL ABOARD
TAKE a rail journey winding between mountains, through valleys and across the plains of southern Australia on a fortnight-long getaway aboard the plush Great Southern trains. The ride begins amid the wineries of Barossa Valley before moving into the Grampian Mountains and ending at Coffs Harbour. HOW TO DO IT: 14-day trip with hotels, train berths (with all meals on board), car hire and flights from £3,430 pp (wexas.com).
PACIFIC OCEAN DREAM
EXPLORE the winding Great Ocean Road in Victoria on a campervan adventure, stopping off to see the Twelve Apostles sea-stacks. Visit Melbourne and Sydney (where three nights are spent at a hotel close to the Sydney Opera House) before finishing your trip by the white sand beaches of Hamilton Island. HOW TO DO IT: 15 nights from £2,379pp with flights, accommodation and campervan (travelbag.co.uk).
. . . AND IN NEW ZEALAND ON THE ROAD
SEE both the North and South Islands from the road on a 19-night trip with car hire included, as well as the ferry crossing over the Cook Strait. Join a whalewatching cruise and a spectacular journey on the TranzAlpine train. HOW TO DO IT: 19 nights from £3,299pp with flights, hotels and car hire (trailfinders.com).
SOUTH TO NORTH
START this luxury guided coach tour in Christchurch and head north to Auckland, stopping at the Bay of Islands, the volcanic
peaks of Rotorua, and Franz Josef Glacier. HOW TO DO IT: 16 nights from £5,099 pp B&B with hotels, coach travel, guides, excursions and flights (newzealandsky.co.uk).
HOBBITS AND HERITAGE
VISIT the film locations that depicted Middle-earth in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, as well as important Maori cultural sites on a 19-day self-drive. There’s also a chance to spot whales in Kaikoura, spend time enjoying the pretty coastline of the Bay of Islands and to explore the cities of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. HOW TO DO IT: 19-day Cultural Highlights trips from £3,365pp B&B with flights, car hire and boutique hotels (wexas.com).
GLORIOUS GARDENS
VISIT some of the finest gardens in New Zealand with a superb 20-day guided trip for the horticulturally minded. A stop-over in Singapore to visit the Singapore Botanic Gardens is included, as are wine tours and a sailing across the Cook Strait. HOW TO DO IT: 20 days from £6,995pp with hotels, some meals and flights (brightwater holidays.com).
CAMPERVAN CRAZY
BOOK a Britz Venturer two-berth campervan and take to the highways of New Zealand for a 19-day adventure across the North and South Islands. This is one of the best-value ways of seeing the country with all the sights lying ahead — just look at the map and choose where you want to go each day. HOW TO DO IT: 20 nights from £2,379 pp with hotels at each end, campervan hire and flights included (travelbag.co.uk).
BEFORE booking any trip, make sure the tour operator is offering a flexible package that can be delayed to a later date — or a full refund — should Covid restrictions prevent you from going.