Tropical Beaches & Reefs
9 Days Starting in Cairns and ending in Gold Coast
Visiting: Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Wet Tropics of Queensland, Barron Gorge National Park, Kuranda, Atherton Tablelands, Millaa Millaa, Airlie Beach, Heart Reef, Whitehaven Beach, Sarina, Rockhampton, Langmorn Station, K’gari (Fraser Island), 75 Mile Beach, Pinnacles, Eli Creek, Maheno shipwreck, Lake McKenzie, Central Station, Wanggoolba Creek, Hervey Bay, Gold Coast
Tour operator:
Tour code:
QCG24
Age range:
16-
Trip Styles:
Interests:
Activities:
From:
$4160
$3774 (USD)
Operator discount: -$208
Exclusive Tourhub Members Discount: -$178
NB: Prices correct on 16-May-2024 but subject to change.
Tour Overview
On this East Coast Australia tour, prepare yourself for record-breaking attractions: the Great Barrier Reef (the largest of its kind), the Wet Tropics of Queensland (some of the oldest rainforest on the planet), and K’gari (Fraser Island), the largest sand island in the world. All rightly have World Heritage status, and are on your itinerary.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 : Welcome To Cairns
Location: Cairns
Accommodation Name: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cairns
Cairns, the gateway to two World Heritage Sites: the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics of Queensland. And you’re about to see both. Take it easy today, because the next few are going to be jam-packed with adventures. Join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a Welcome Dinner this evening.
Day 2 : Great Barrier Reef
Location: Great Barrier Reef
Accommodation Name: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cairns
It’s not quite James Bond, but your high-speed catamaran over the Great Barrier Reef is certainly thrilling. Pause to snorkel over immense fans of coral, a verdant habitat for six of the world’s sea turtles as well as so many fish you won’t know where to look. If you prefer to keep your head above water, the marine world can also be glimpsed from an underwater observatory and glass-bottom boat.
Day 3 : Cairns
Location: Cairns, Wet Tropics of Queensland, Barron Gorge National Park, Kuranda, Atherton Tablelands, Millaa Millaa
Accommodation Name: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cairns
And now for that second World Heritage Site. Enjoy perspective of the Wet Tropics on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, lifting you above and through the canopy of the Barron Gorge National Park to Kuranda. The Atherton Tablelands awaits, this high tropical plateau a tangle of dense forest – look out for the heritage listed Curtain Fig Tree. And waterfalls, like Millaa Millaa, where enormous iridescent Ulysses butterflies like to dance.
Day 4 : Cairns - Airlie Beach
Location: Airlie Beach
Accommodation Name: Mantra Club Croc
Some days, the journey matters just as much as the destination. Sit back and enjoy the scenery as you travel south through sugar cane fields and rolling green paddocks, all framed by the ocean and rainforest-clad mountains. Stretch your legs en route to Airlie Beach and soak up this steamy part of the state.
Day 5 : Whitsunday Islands Free Time
Location: Whitsunday Islands, Heart Reef, Whitehaven Beach
Accommodation Name: Mantra Club Croc
Sand, sun and seriously dreamy vistas are your outlook exploring the Whitsundays, 74 tropical drops of land all ringed by the Coral Sea. There are endless ways to take in this part of the Great Barrier Reef – today, we’re letting you choose. Perhaps rise early for an optional helicopter ride over Heart Reef. Or catch a catamaran to Whitehaven Beach, with sand so high in silica it squeaks underfoot.
Day 6 : Airlie Beach - Rockhampton
Location: Sarina, Rockhampton
Accommodation Name: Quality Hotel Regent, Rockhampton
Your day starts on a natural high as you venture into Sarina, Australia’s sugar capital. Your guided tour takes you behind the scenes of processing and distilling sugar cane at the Sarina Sugar Shed. And yes, you get to sample the wares. You’ll be bouncing off your seat all the way to Rockhampton, another town with a big title: this is the country’s beef capital. See if it deserves its accolade at any of the restaurants that line the streets. Ask us for dining tips.
Day 7 : Rockhampton - K'gari (Fraser Island)
Location: Langmorn Station, K’gari (Fraser Island)
Accommodation Name: Kingfisher Bay Resort
More beef awaits after you cross the Tropic of Capricorn to the Creed family’s Langmorn Station. If you’ve ever wanted to learn about life on the land, this is your chance – the Creeds have endless anecdotes to share over afternoon tea and a tour. Your next destination involves water. Lots of it. The ferry ride to World Heritage listed K’gari (Fraser Island) is a highlight, particularly during whale migration when these gentle giants come to the calm, protected waters to calve. Alight on the world’s largest sand island, and the only place in the world where rainforest grows from the sand.
Day 8 : K'gari (Fraser Island)
Location: 75 Mile Beach, Pinnacles, Eli Creek, Maheno shipwreck, Lake McKenzie, Central Station, Wanggoolba Creek
Accommodation Name: Kingfisher Bay Resort
The island also has a really long sand highway. Jump in a 4WD and zip along 75 Mile Beach, all the way up the east coast to the Pinnacles Coloured Sands, calm Eli Creek and the Maheno shipwreck, which offers quite the photo opportunity. Just when you thought the island couldn’t get any prettier, Lake McKenzie appears on the horizon, this dazzling patch of blue formed only with rainwater. It’s a hard act to follow, but the ancient rainforest at Central Station and Wanggoolba Creek lives up to the challenge with its huge satiny, scribbly gum and kauri trees.
Day 9 : K'gari (Fraser Island) - Farewell From Gold Coast
Location: Hervey Bay, Gold Coast
Back on the mainland, follow the waves of Hervey Bay south to the Gold Coast, where you can be surfing one minute and surrounded by rainforest the next. This is where we say goodbye, but you don’t have to – this sparkling Queensland city has 70 kilometres of coastline to explore.
What's Included
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Travel Director and Driver
Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver
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UNESCO World Heritage Sites
3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – K’gari (Fraser Island), Great Barrier Reef & Wet Tropics of Queensland (Barron Gorge National Park, Skyrail)
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National Park Fees
Crater Lake National Park entrance fees (Millaa Millaa Falls)
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Accommodation
Centrally located premium hotels
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Dining
1 Dinner with Wine, 8 Full Breakfasts, 3 Lunches
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Flight Information
Day 1 – flights to arrive prior to 2.00pm into Cairns Airport, Day 9 – flights to depart after 8.30pm from Gold Coast Airport, Flights are not included in the vacation price, Return airport to hotel transfers are not included in the vacation price
What's Not Included
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Flights
Flights are not included in the vacation price
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Airport Transfers
Return airport to hotel transfers are not included in the vacation price
Accommodation
Your Guided Holiday includes a range of quality accommodation for your comfort. The accommodation you will enjoy on this tour includes: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cairns, Mantra Club Croc, Quality Hotel Regent, Rockhampton, Kingfisher Bay Resort.
Check out our Q&As
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Who will be my travelling companions on the tour?
The beauty of taking a holiday with us is you’ll have the opportunity to meet and travel with people from all over the globe.
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Can I join the tour once it has departed?
It is important to adhere to departure times while on tour for the comfort of everyone on-board, and to make sure no one misses out on the planned experiences. The coach will not be able to wait for you, and in some instances, if you miss a departure time you will need to make your own way to the next destination to re-join the tour.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
AAT Kings operated Guided Holidays have competitive single supplement rates available if you prefer to confirm your own room. Or we can match you to share with a guest of the same gender at no extra cost. If we fail to match you, we will accommodate you in a single room at no extra cost.
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Over 100 years
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What documents will I receive before I travel?
We will email your documents to you approximately four weeks before your departure date provided you have completed your pre trip registration using the My Travel Portal. If you’ve booked through a travel agent, your documents will be emailed directly to your agent.
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Dates & Availability
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Book with Confidence
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Low Deposit
AAT Kings requires a minimum deposit of 100 GBP per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 60 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of aat kings charges.
Up to 60 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 59 days before tour starts: Forfeit 30% of booking price.
At 15 days before tour starts: Forfeit 50% of booking price.
At 7 days before tour starts: Forfeit 90% of booking price.
At 1 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.
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