Australia 11 Day Swimming & Diving Tour

During our flight we cross the International Date Line and arrive on the morning of Day 3. Upon our arrival we are welcomed by our Australian tour guide and enjoy a half-day tour exploring Melbourne, a city known for its European feel. Listen as our guide brings the city’s rich history to life and we view the amazing architectural diversity of Melbourne. Next we visit the Cultural Centre, the Arts Precinct, the luxurious Old Treasury building, the State Library, the Town Hall, and the Windsor Hotel. We experience the ‘Paris End” with its exclusive boutiques before learning about Melbourne’s old arcades and visiting the Italian suburb of Carlton. We conclude our day visiting a local pool for swimming and diving training on our own before transferring to our hotel for a welcome dinner and our overnight lodging.

Located south of Melbourne lay Phillip Island, an amazing island filled with panoramic views and nature experiences. Following lunch we travel to Phillip Island to take in the wildlife of koalas and wallabies in their natural habitat. We visit the Churchill Island and “The Nobbies,” a rock formation populated with seagulls and fur seals along the Great Southern Ocean. After our delicious dinner, the highlight of the evening will begin – the famous penguin parade. This parade begins every evening at dusk as penguins return to their homes after fishing all day in the ocean. We finish our day returning to our hotel.

Following breakfast we transfer to the pool for our competitive morning meet against a local Australian swim team. After our meet we will enjoy a post-meet party with time to interact and become better friends with the team we just competed against. Next we transfer to the Melbourne airport for our afternoon flight to Cairns. Upon our arrival to Cairns, we transfer to our hotel for dinner and lodging.

Meet One vs TBD

Today we have the option to experience a once in a life-time opportunity – access to the stunning coral and diverse marine life along the Great Barrier Reef. After breakfast we board a catamaran and travel to the Great Barrier Reef. Arriving at the Marine World Outer Reef Pontoon, we enjoy a day filled with leisure and available activities on this all-weather platform. Snorkel along the sheltered coral lagoon, take a scuba diving lesson, or join a local Marine Biologist on a guided snorkel safari. You can stay dry by viewing the reef from the underwater observatory, relaxing on the spacious sundeck or taking a scenic helicopter flight. Enjoy the food and amenities on the platform before boarding the catamaran and returning to our Cairns hotel.

After breakfast we set off an unforgettable journey through Australia’s renowned tropical rainforests. Stretching nearly 8 km through the Barron Gorge National Park, the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway glides just meters over the canopy. Transported in a comfortable, six person gondola cabin, we view the spectacular sites of the rainforest, tropical Cairns, Coral Sea and Cairns Highlands. Our adventure includes two informative stops where we learn about this fascinating environment from the forest floor. Our first stop, the Red Peak Station, provides a guided boardwalk tour, and our second stop, the Barron Falls Station, provides lookouts over the Barron Gorge and Falls and a Rainforest Interpretation Centre. We conclude our rainforest journey in Kuranda, where we enjoy lunch at a local café and board the Kuranda Scenic Railway. This famous, winding railway travels from Kuranda to Cairns through the heart of the rainforest. Upon our return to Cairns we transfer to our hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

We begin our day transferring to the Cairns airport for our flight to Sydney, the capital city of New South Wales. Upon our arrival we transfer to our hotel for check-in. Next we travel to a nearby pool for a training session with a local coach. Following our training session we return to the hotel and prepare for our dinner at the Sydney Tower. The famous Sydney landmark stands 309m tall and provides spectacular views of the city. We enjoy a delicious dinner in the revolving Sydney Tower restaurant before returning to our hotel for the evening.

Today we visit the major sites of Australia’s largest city, Sydney. We begin our day visiting Hyde Park, the Domain, and Botanical Gardens before travelling to one of Australia’s most famous beaches, Bondi Beach. Here we enjoy a leisure filled time to absorb the view, take photos, swim, or walk along the beautiful coastal beach. Choose to eat lunch from one of the many local cafes or restaurants before heading to Watson’s Bay for an amazing view of Sydney and the Australian coastline cliffs. Returning to the city we view the high-class inner city living, the city center, the Queen Victoria Building, and one of Sydney’s most visited locations – Darling Harbour. Next we return to the hotel and prepare for our evening swim and dive meet against a local Australian team. After our meet we will enjoy a post-meet dinner with time to interact and become better friends with the team we just competed against.

Meet Two vs TBD

Following breakfast we travel from the center of Sydney into the heart of the charming Blue Mountains for an Australian bushland adventure. First, we stop at the renowned Featherdale Wildlife Park, where we can feed kangaroos and take photos with the Koalas. Upon our arrival to the Blue Mountains we visit the Three Sisters rock formation at Echo Point and see an Aboriginal didgeridoo and dance performance. Here we have the opportunity to ride the Scenic Railway (the world’s steepest railway) and Skyway before enjoying lunch at a local café. Following lunch we return to the city and visit the Sydney suburb of Homebush, the home of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. We visit the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, where the Australians competed extremely well in front of their home fans, and then return to our hotel for dinner.

We say goodbye to Australia and transfer to the Sydney airport to begin our journey home.