Embark on an unforgettable adventure with our 28 day Cairns to Sydney adventure along Australia’s East Coast. Travel with fellow backpackers, stopping in Sydney, Byron Bay, the Gold Coast, Noosa, K’gari (Fraser Island), Airlie Beach, Magnetic Island, and Cairns!
Enjoy activities like surfing, snorkeling, hiking, and more as you explore Australia’s natural beauty. This trip offers a great mix of group experiences whilst also getting your own personal free time. Perfect for solo travelers and social backpackers—pack your sunscreen and get ready for the ultimate adventure!
Days
- 28 days, 27 nights
Start / finish
- Cairns / Sydney
Return
- See itinerary for details
Tour style
- Travel Package: Buses, Beds and Guided Tours
Accommodation
- 27 nights — shared dorms in hostels along the coast, a night at an eco lodge on the Atherton Tablelands, two nights camping on K'gari, two nights in a cabin on the sailing vessel, and two nights on overnight buses.
Transport
- Bus passes between towns, booked for you before you travel, plus the ferry to Magnetic Island and back. The day tours run their own transport — a 4WD on K'gari, and boats in the Whitsundays and on the reef.
Meals
- All meals are included on the 2 day Cape Tribulation tour, the Whitsundays sail and the K'gari safari, plus lunch on the reef day and the Everglades day. Meals in the towns and on free days are at your own cost.
Route
Included experiences
- Cape Tribulation and the Daintree — a 2 day tour where two World Heritage sites meet
- Josephine Falls, Millaa Millaa Falls and Lake Eacham — swims on the Tablelands
- Lake Tinaroo — night canoeing from the eco lodge at Yungaburra
- Granite Gorge Nature Park — close-up Australian wildlife
- Daintree River — a crocodile cruise, rainforest walks and a private swimming hole
- Port Douglas — the afternoon before returning to Cairns
- Great Barrier Reef — a full day snorkelling, lunch and gear included
- Magnetic Island — two nights at a beachfront hostel
- Whitsundays — a 3 day sail with Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet
- Airlie Beach — the lagoon and free days either side of the sail
- Rainbow Beach — the gateway to K'gari
- K'gari (Fraser Island) — a 3 day 4WD safari, Lake McKenzie and the Maheno wreck
- K'gari — Eli Creek, the Champagne Pools and Lake Wabby
- Noosa Everglades — a guided canoe day, one of only two Everglades systems in the world
- Surfers Paradise — two days on the Gold Coast
- Byron Bay — a 3.5-hour dolphin kayak tour around Cape Byron
- Byron Bay — a morning surf lesson on the town beaches
- Sydney — the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and Bondi Beach
- Bus passes — the full route from Cairns to Sydney
Reviews
5.0
Based on 5 reviews
Verified from
Real reviews from travellers who've done this tour, gathered from around the web and paraphrased.
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Where they come from. Our reviews are gathered from independent review sites and from guests who share feedback with us directly after their trip. They come from people who have actually travelled on the tour.
Why some are edited. Many of our guests travel in their second or third language. Where a review is hard to read, we lightly edit spelling, grammar and punctuation, or paraphrase a sentence for clarity. We never change the rating, the meaning or the sentiment, and we never write a review on a guest's behalf.
Reading the originals. Reviews sourced from public review sites appear there in their original form, and can be read in full at their original source at any time.
“Really enjoyed this trip”
it was my first time in australia and I think doing the package was definately the right call. Everything was booked and ready to go so I never had to stress about missing a bus or not getting into a hostel. The greyhound buses are a bit hit and miss depending on who you end up sitting next to but honestly thats half the fun.
Highlights for me were the dolphin kayaking in Byron Bay (did not expect to get that close to them!), the Whitsundays obviously, and the Daintree which was just incredible. Would recomend to anyone doing the east coast for the first time, it just takes all the hard work out of it.
“Will be back :)”
Did the 28 day package and loved it!! fraser island was probaly my fav but honestly everything was great. 5 stars!
“Wonderful”
Ich habe dieses Paket nach langem Überlegen gebucht und es war definitiv die beste Entscheidung meiner Reise. Alles war perfekt organisiert — die Busse, die Hostels, die Touren. Man muss sich um nichts kümmern und kann einfach genießen. Für jemanden der alleine reist ist das ein riesiger Vorteil.
Fraser Island war absolut unglaublich. Der Lake McKenzie hat ein Wasser so klar, dass man kaum glauben kann, dass es echt ist. Und die Whitsundays — ich habe keine Worte dafür. Whitehaven Beach muss man einfach gesehen haben. Ich empfehle dieses Paket jedem der Australien bereisen möchte, ohne sich um die Logistik zu kümmern.
“Do it!”
Stop reading reviews and book it. best month of my life!
“Thanks for an adventure”
The itinerary gives you a good structure but still plenty of freedom within each destination. The free days are important you need them. And the big tours like Fraser Island and the Whitsundays are genuinely extraordinary experiences that I don't think I could have arranged as well or as affordably on my own.
