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Day 10 – Friday, October 26: Sydney
Begin to discover Sydney this morning, a wonderfully cosmopolitan city. Many of the buildings around and including your hotel date from the very first years of the settlement, and are convict-built. A self-guided walk, using a brochure supplied by the nearby information center, will give you a good insight into the history of Sydney, and Australia. Just a short walk away is the Botanic Gardens and the Domain, which has good views of the harbor, an abundant bird life, and a colony of huge grey fruit-bats, whose wingspans are approximately three feet.

The Australian Museum, with its impressive collection of Aboriginal artifacts and art, is also close by. You may wish to take a guided tour of the Opera House; tours leave on the half hour from 9.30am until 4.45pm. This can be followed by dinner and a show, or just a show, in one of the Opera House theatres, depending on your tastes. A program of events can be found here. Everything is within walking distance of your hotel, although the Museum is a little far and you may wish to take the bus or a train - Sydney is extremely well-serviced by buses and the underground. Sydney is a good place to buy opals, and both Art of Opal and Altmann & Cherny have a good range of quality loose and mounted opals in all price ranges. Lunch can be taken on a cruise on the harbor, with views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, as well as the boats and ferries of what is often called the most beautiful city harbor in the world. Lunch can be taken on a cruise on the harbor, with views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, as well as the boats and ferries of what is often called the most beautiful city harbor in the world. While there are tours that utilize the ferries, usually with lunch or morning tea, the cheapest way to do this is to simply buy a return ticket to one of the up-harbour places. You’ll see a map of all the places they go at Circular Quay. The ferries have a snack/meal bar, and you can just get an easy lunch or snack there, sit back, and enjoy the ride. The ferry to Manly goes in the other direction, and as it passes the Entrance, where the harbor enters the Pacific, can get interestingly rough at times. This ferry will pass the Opera House and various other landmarks, and is especially memorable if you time it to return as the sun sets (6.17pm tonight) behind the Opera House and the Bridge as their lights come on; the shorter ride across to the Taronga Zoo jetty can be similar.

Day 11 – Saturday, October 27: Blue Mountains
Today pick up your rental car and drive west to enjoy the sights of the Blue Mountains, including the Thee Sisters and short, scenic walking trails through eucalyptus forest, beautiful gardens and scenic views. During one day you’ll see all the most famous sights, including the lookout and the near vertical scenic railway or the cablecar across the gorge. Aim to arrive back in Sydney about 6pm, before the sun sets.

Day 12 – Sunday, October 28: Sydney / Raymond Terrace
Spend much of today continuing to explore Sydney, where The Rocks outdoor markets continue from Friday. Sydeny has many good and innovative restaurants, all of which feature Australian wines, many, or most, of which never makes the US shores. Typical cuisine favors seafood, high quality Australian wagu, fresh, often tropical, vegetables and fruit, and often with a Southeast Asian influence. Mid to late afternoon pick up your rental car and head north to Raymond Terrace. The first part of this, just north of Sydney, is a very scenic drive past and through several National Parks including Kuringai Chase and Brisbane Water, and over the Hawkesbury River delta, and area famous for its oysters. If you have had your fill of Sydney you may want to leave a little earlier and make a couple of stops in this area.

Days 13 to 17– Monday, October 29 to Friday, November 2: Raymond Terrace & Newcastle region Rob has his ship handling course during this week. Kirsten explores the region, both independently and on tours, including a nice day out in the nearby Hunter Valley exploring the excellent wineries and artisanl foods including cheeses of different varieties. Sorry Rob.

Day 18 – Saturday, November 3: Raymond Terrace / Newcastle/Brisbane/Cairns
Fly to Cairns from Newcastle at 10.30 this morning for a short stay. You arrive at 3.40pm, and are met and transferred to your hotel on the Esplanade, and you have the afternoon free. Cairns has many restaurants and cafes, and naturally tropical seafood is commonly featured in this seaside city.
Day 19 - Sunday, November 4: Great Barrier Reef
Today you are introduced to one of the natural wonders of the world—Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, a series of reefs extending for about 1,250 miles along the coast of Queensland, nearly to Papua New Guinea. Your boat today is Tusa, a smaller dedicated snorkel and dive boat, which will take you to at least two separate places on the outer reef including Michaelmas cay, home to tens of thousands of swirling – and confiding - seabirds. You are picked up from your hotel at 7.25am to begin your day. Don't forget your towel (the hotel has special reef towels available), hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Most of the Great Barrier Reef, including the parts visited today, are multiple-use Marine Park. Brilliantly colored fish, giant clams, beche de mer and coral outcrops can all be seen. Easy swimming in brings you over coral “bombies,” heads of coral with their assortment of fishes, and hard and soft corals. Parrot fish glean algae from the coral, and small and medium predators search for food. Schools of fish twist and flash between the outcrops. An occasional sea turtle may be seen. Lunch is a tropical smorgasbord aboard. There is time after your return this evening to visit Cairns downtown for souvenirs and perhaps a meal at Red Ochre Grill, specializing in native Australian foods. This unique concept has introduced a whole new range of tastes to the Australian palate. (L)

Day 20 – Monday, November 5: Cairns
Today learn about Aboriginal culture at the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, and visit Kuranda. You are picked up to start with a scenic train ride up the range behind Cairns to Kuranda, then return by brushing the top of the rainforest trees by cablecar. Adjacent to the cablecar base is Tjapukai, a tourist concept begun and remaining today a means of introducing non-aboriginal people to the world’s oldest living culture, while at the same time showing by example to the Aboriginal people themselves that their culture, often ignored and looked down upon by its own people, is of great value and interest to others throughout Australia and the world. Through dance and theatre, and traditional activities including spear and boomerang throwing, food and medicinal plants identification, and shelter construction, there is much to learn here about Aboriginal life. Prior to Tjapukai you will be picked up for the morning scenic train ride to Kuranda, then the Skyrail cablecar ride down, an interesting way to see the rainforest from the canopy. Skyrail's terminus is adjacent to Tjapukai, and at the end of the day you will be returned to your hotel.

Day 21 – Tuesday, November 6: Cairns / Sydney
Continue to enjoy Cairns’ offerings by driving up to the Daintree River to spot salt-water crocodiles on a small boat tour. We recommend tours operated by the Lafferty's at Daintree Village under the name Daintree Cruise and Tour. You might like to visit High Falls Farm, where several dozen varieties of tropical fruits are grown, to see and sample fruits that you may never have heard of, or only seen canned or in recipes. At Mossman Gorge you can take a walk with local Aboriginal people to discover some of the rainforest secrets that susained Aboriginal people for thousands of years. Return via Port Douglas, and drop off the car at the airport to fly back to Sydney late this afternoon. Overnight at the airport.

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