Map
DAY 1: WELCOME TO SYDNEY
Land in Sydney, check in to your hostel in Surry Hills and meet the group you'll be travelling with, along with your group leader. Surry Hills is the inner-city neighbourhood just south of the centre, with rows of Victorian terrace houses that now hold cafés, small bars and some of the city's best cheap eats. There's nothing to rush for on the first afternoon. Shake off the flight, learn a few names and get ready for ten days of beaches, surf and nights out up the coast.
Overnight: Sydney (hostel in Surry Hills)
DAY 2: CITY ORIENTATION
Your group leader takes you round the city for a first look at its history and culture, and at how to get about once the trip is over. Sydney Harbour is the heart of it: a drowned river valley with more than 240 km of shoreline, crossed since 1932 by the steel arch of the Harbour Bridge, with the sails of the Opera House, World Heritage-listed since 2007, on the point opposite. In the evening the group heads out together for dinner, drinks and a first taste of Sydney's nightlife.
Overnight: Sydney (hostel in Surry Hills)
DAY 3: BONDI BEACH, THE COASTAL WALK AND THE OVERNIGHT BUS
A morning at Bondi Beach, the kilometre-long curve of sand where Australia's first surf lifesaving club was formed in 1907. Swim between the flags or just watch the surfers. Then it's the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk, about 6 km along the sandstone cliffs, past rock pools, Tamarama and Bronte beaches and the clifftop Waverley Cemetery, with an Aussie barbecue by the beach along the way. That night you board the overnight bus north to Byron Bay, a ride of about 750 km, so bring a pillow and sleep through New South Wales.
Overnight: On the overnight bus to Byron Bay
DAYS 4 TO 6: BYRON BAY
Wake up in Byron Bay, three nights in a hostel across the road from the beach. The first day is yours to settle in, hit the sand and see the town, with a group night out in the evening. On day five a yoga class loosens you up before a surf lesson with local instructors, and you can keep riding waves after it with the included board hire. Day six starts in the dark with a walk up to Cape Byron Lighthouse, built in 1901 on the most easterly point of the Australian mainland, to watch one of the first sunrises in the country. Humpback whales pass close to the cape between June and November.
Overnight: Byron Bay (hostel across from the beach), 3 nights
DAYS 7 AND 8: SURFERS PARADISE
Cross into Queensland and the high-rise skyline of Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, where the 322 metre Q1 tower was the tallest residential building in the world when it opened in 2005. The first day is for finding your feet and then the clubs, which is what Surfers is known for. The next day you're out on the water on a jet boat ride along the coastline, all high-speed spins and spray. The rest of the day is free: lie on the beach or, for an extra cost, spend it at one of the Gold Coast's theme parks before another night out.
Overnight: Surfers Paradise, 2 nights
DAYS 9 AND 10: BRISBANE
A short run north brings you to Brisbane, Queensland's capital, for a city orientation tour with your group leader and a swim at The Lagoon at South Bank, Streets Beach, a man-made city beach with real sand on the bank of the Brisbane River. South Bank Parklands was built on the site of World Expo 88. Day ten is free. For an extra cost you can head up to Australia Zoo at Beerwah, the zoo Steve Irwin's family made famous, and in the evening the group goes out in Fortitude Valley, the city's nightlife district.
Overnight: Brisbane, 2 nights
DAY 11: RAINBOW BEACH
North to Rainbow Beach, the small surf town at the gateway to K'gari, named for the cliffs of coloured sand behind the beach, stained red, orange and yellow by minerals in the sand. It's a slow afternoon on the sand or a wander through town, and your leader helps you plan your onward travel. Before the island there's a safety briefing, where anyone who wants to drive the 4WDs shows their licence.
DAYS 12 TO 14: K'GARI 4WD TAG-ALONG
Three days on K'gari (Fraser Island) in a convoy of 4WDs, with the beaches and sand dunes as your roads and a lead vehicle out front. At 123 km long it is the largest sand island on earth, World Heritage-listed since 1992. On day 13 you swim in Lake McKenzie, a perched lake of pure rainwater over white silica sand, and float down Eli Creek, which pours up to 80 million litres of fresh water a day across the beach. On day 14 you see the rusting hull of the Maheno, a cyclone drove ashore in 1935, and the Champagne Pools, hear about the Butchulla people and their island, and keep an eye out for wild dingoes. Nights are spent camping under the stars at a purpose-built campsite.
Overnight: K'gari (camping at a purpose-built campsite), 2 nights
DAY 15: RAINBOW BEACH AND THE BUS NORTH
Back on the mainland, there's time to walk out to the coloured sand dunes around Rainbow Beach for a last look at the bands of sand that give the town its name. In the evening you board the overnight bus to Airlie Beach, more than 800 km up the Bruce Highway, and wake in the tropics.
Overnight: On the overnight bus to Airlie Beach
DAYS 16 TO 18: SAILING THE WHITSUNDAYS
Board your sailing boat at Airlie Beach for two days and two nights among the Whitsunday Islands, 74 of them, most protected as national park. The first day is for the deck, the sun and the islands sliding past. On the second you snorkel among the coral and reef fish, then land on Whitehaven Beach, about 7 km of silica sand so fine and white it squeaks underfoot and stays cool on a hot day. The third day sails back to the mainland, with more islands and beaches on the way, and free time in Airlie Beach when you step ashore.
Overnight: On board, 2 nights, then Airlie Beach, 2 nights
DAY 19: AIRLIE BEACH
A free day in Airlie Beach, the backpacker town that is the jumping-off point for the Whitsundays. The free swimming lagoon on the foreshore is where most people end up, since the sea here has stingers in the warmer months. Optional activities are at your own cost, or take a lazy day and a night out on the main street.
Overnight: Airlie Beach
DAYS 20 AND 21: MAGNETIC ISLAND
A ferry from Townsville takes you across to Magnetic Island, named by James Cook in 1770 because he believed it upset his ship's compass. More than half the island is national park, and its hidden bays are yours to find on the first day. On the second you hike the Forts Walk, up to the gun emplacements and command post built during the Second World War to guard Townsville and its harbour. It is one of the best places in Australia to see koalas in the wild, so look up into the gum trees, and watch the rocks for rock wallabies.
Overnight: Magnetic Island, 2 nights
DAYS 22 AND 23: MISSION BEACH
Mission Beach is a 14 km strip of sand where the World Heritage-listed Wet Tropics rainforest runs down to the sea opposite Dunk Island. It's also cassowary country, so watch for these tall, blue-necked birds crossing the road. This is the trip's heart-pumping stop: for an extra cost you can skydive from 15,000 feet over the reef and rainforest, or raft the white water of the Tully River, which drains one of the wettest corners of Australia. The second day is free for the beach or another adventure, and the group gets together for a barbecue in the evening. On the Work version, this is also when you sign up for the Oz Jobs Program and sort out what you need to live and work here.
Overnight: Mission Beach, 2 nights
DAYS 24 TO 27: CAIRNS, THE TABLELANDS AND THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
Four nights in Cairns, the backpacker capital of the north, with its swimming lagoon on the Esplanade. One day goes to the Atherton Tablelands, the high, cool plateau behind the city, where you swim under waterfalls and in crater lakes left by old volcanoes and slide down natural rock slides with your guide, then head out for a night in town. Another day is free, and for an extra cost you can bungee jump or go rafting. The big day is a full day sailing to the Great Barrier Reef, about 2,300 km long and World Heritage-listed since 1981, snorkelling at two outer reef sites. The trip's farewell dinner follows that evening.
Overnight: Cairns, 4 nights
DAY 28: CHECK OUT AND ONWARD TRAVEL
The trip ends with check-out in Cairns. Your group leader helps you plan what comes next, whether that's more travel around Australia or somewhere further afield, and most groups leave with a few travel partners for the next stretch. Because you're on the Work version, the help doesn't stop here: the Oz Jobs team keeps working with you on finding a job and getting set up.
Map
Pictures / Videos
Reviews