Australia and the Indian Pacific

After taking Saga's included UK door-to-door travel service to Heathrow, fly overnight to Perth.

Arrive in Perth and transfer to the locally rated 4-star Rendezvous Central Perth for a two-night stay. Situated in the city’s business district the hotel has a cafe-style restaurant, bar, gym and sauna, and free Wi-Fi. Each of the 103 air-conditioned bedrooms has a television, telephone, tea and coffee-making facilities, safe and hairdryer. Enjoy a welcome drink at the hotel tonight. D

Admire the waterfront scenery of Western Australia's capital on a short Captain Cook cruise along the Swan River to the port town of Fremantle, enjoying a commentary as you go. B

Check out after breakfast and travel to Perth’s Railway Terminal. Here you will board the 4-5-star vintage Indian Pacific train for a memorable all inclusive two-night journey to Adelaide. Settle in to your Gold Cabin. Breakfasts, two-course lunches and three-course dinners, based on seasonal local produce, are served in the elegant Queen Adelaide Restaurant along with complimentary Australian wines, beer, spirits and non-alcoholic drinks. The Outback Explorer lounge has a licensed bar for all inclusive drinks. Enjoy lunch and dinner on board today as you travel across this vast landscape.

This evening enjoy an excursion to the historic 19th-century gold rush town of Kalgoorlie. Visit the Super Pit Lookout, where you’re sure to be awestruck by the sheer scale of this open pit gold mine – Australia’s largest and still in operation all day every day! You’ll visit Hannan’s North Tourist Mine (formerly the Mining Hall of Fame) where you will hear the story of the discovery of gold in the region, with the chance to climb on the enormous mining vehicles or pan for gold. Return to your train afterwards. B, L, D

Today explore the facilities of this famous train, taking in the ever-changing changing and relax over lunch and dinner as your journey continues to Adelaide. B, L, D

Your train journey comes to an end today – although the train itself will continue to Sydney. Enjoy your last breakfast on the train before you disembark for a comprehensive half-day tour of Adelaide, known as ‘the city of churches’. You’ll visit St Peter’s cathedral, the attractive palm-tree lined city square, the Botanic Gardens, Ayers House – home to South Australia’s five-times Premier – and Haigh’s Chocolates where you can sample the goods! You’ll also visit the bustling Central market to sample other local produce and enjoy free time to buy yourself some lunch.

You’ll stay for two nights at the locally rated 4-star Adelaide Majestic Roof Garden Hotel or similar. The hotel has a ground floor restaurant serving South Australian specialities and wines, a bar, coffee shop and a roof garden for private functions. There is also a gym. All 120 air-conditioned rooms have king-size beds, minibar, safe, tea and coffee-making facilities, hairdryer, toiletries and free Wi-Fi. (Please note breakfast this morning will be continental style only). B

Enjoy a day at leisure to explore the city independently. Alternatively, join an optional excursion and explore further afield. B

Depart your hotel after breakfast and board your comfortable air-conditioned coach for the drive to Portland. This journey – of around five hours – takes you along a stretch of the famous Great Ocean Road. Arrive in Portland for an overnight stay at the locally rated 3-star Comfort Inn Richmond Henty, set overlooking Portland Bay and the harbour, a few minutes drive from the Great Ocean Road. There’s a waterfront cafe serving breakfasts and lunch, plus a bar and bistro for dinners, and an outdoor swimming pool. Each of the 45 air-conditioned guest rooms has free Wi-Fi, cable television, iron and ironing board, and tea and coffee-making facilities. B

After breakfast your drive continues along one of the world's greatest coastal drives, the Great Ocean Road, past towering limestone cliffs and sweeping white beaches pounded by the mighty Southern Ocean. Pause at Port Campbell to see the eight remaining limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles (there were only ever nine!) Arrive this afternoon in Melbourne where you will stay for three nights at the high-rise, locally rated 4-star Pan Pacific Hotel overlooking the Yarra River. This stylish modern hotel has a restaurant and lounge/bar with a terrace, and a fitness centre. All 396 air-conditioned rooms have full-length windows offering stunning views, free Wi-Fi, a television with satellite channels, minibar, safe and tea and coffee-making facilities. B

Eastern Melbourne is fringed by the forested hills of the Dandenong Ranges which are a haven for a variety of birds. Look forward to another memorable train journey today. Travel to Yarra Valley and board Australia’s oldest narrow gauge steam train, Puffing Billy, which will chug along the tracks through the Dandenong Ranges from Belgrave to Menzies Creek. Later you’ll visit the impressive Shrine of Remembrance and contrast it with the modest Captain Cook’s cottage which Sir Russell Grimwade had brought brick by brick from Yorkshire in 1934! The family home is now a museum dedicated to the British explorer. B

Today is at leisure. Perhaps explore this lively city independently. Or choose from the available optional excursions. B

Travel to the airport for your 90-minute flight to Sydney. It’s about a 30-minute drive to the locally rated 4-star Vibe Hotel in the central business district, surrounded by the city’s premier attractions, where you’ll stay for three nights. The hotel is right in the middle of some of Sydney’s finest cuisine, with cafés, restaurants and bars all within walking distance. The hotel’s Curve Restaurant also offers tasty all day dining (at your own expense). All 191 air-conditioned rooms have a television, telephone, hairdryer, safe and free Wi-Fi while there is also a rooftop swimming pool, sauna and gym.

Sydney boasts one of the world's most iconic cityscapes which encompasses the famous Opera House and Harbour Bridge. It has an outstanding natural harbour, making it the ideal choice for Britain's earliest settlement which was established when the First Fleet dropped anchor in Botany Bay in 1788. Enjoy an included half-day tour of Sydney, including their own Oxford Street filled with shops, bars and eateries, and the trendy suburb of Paddington, with it’s pretty terraced houses, dating back to the 1830s. You’ll visit the theatre district of King’s Cross, the harbourside shopping and eating opportunities at Double Bay and tour the city centre. Enjoy views of Sydney Harbour, Harbour Bridge and Opera House, Chinatown and Haymarket, the Royal Botanic Garden and Hyde Park. You’ll also visit world-famous Bondi Beach, eight kilometres outside the city. B

Today is at leisure. An optional outing will reveal the immense beauty of the UNESCO-listed Blue Mountains. B

After breakfast, take the approximately two-and-a-half-hour flight to Cairns. Stay three nights at the locally rated 4-star Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort. This stylish 6-storey resort enjoys a central location in Cairns, set in tropical gardens around a large lagoon pool. There is a restaurant, lounge bar and pool bar. The hotel also has tennis courts, a gym and fitness centre. Each of the resort’s 314 air-conditioned rooms features a private terrace or balcony, free Wi-Fi, television, minibar, tea and coffee-making facilities, hairdryer and bathrobes. B

Once a sleepy tropical port that prospered during the 1880 ‘tin rush’, Cairns has been transformed into a cosmopolitan city as the adventure gateway to Australia's wildlife-rich rainforests and the amazing Great Barrier Reef. You’ll have a free day to relax at the hotel, explore Cairns at your leisure, or take an optional excursion to the Great Barrier Reef. B

Take another memorable train journey on an excursion to the village of Kuranda, for the chance to explore Queensland's tropical rainforest. Travel to Freshwater Station and take the Scenic Railway train journey into the Wet Tropics of Queensland, the oldest rain forest in the world, to the picturesque mountain village of Kuranda. You’ll visit Australia’s largest butterfly aviary, set within the tropical rainforest in a recreation of their natural habitat. Your expert guide will point out the many exotic species of butterfly and moth resident here, as you walk through the aviary. B

Travel to the airport for your return overnight flight to the UK via connections in Sydney and Singapore. B

Arrive in the UK for your included UK door-to-door travel service home.