New Tour Spotlight: Australia in Depth

In 2027, we’re expanding our exploration of the Lands Down Under with an all-new, all-Australia small group tour. Introducing Australia in Depth, a 20-day sojourn that crisscrosses the continent from Sydney to Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef to Adelaide, and Tasmania (above) to beloved Melbourne.

Read on to discover the sights, sounds, tastes, and cultures that we encounter on this brand-new adventure.

Explore the Tour: Australia in Depth

Sydney Harbour and its iconic opera house

Sydney: Opera-tunity Knocks

Like our long-running Exploring Australia & New Zealand tour, this journey begins in Sydney. From our base in the middle of the Central Business District, we enjoy all the highlights of one of the world’s great cities. A few memorable experiences here include:

• Exclusive to this tour: Full-day excursion to the Blue Mountains (top, featured image), with jaw-dropping scenery at Echo Point and the aptly named Scenic World
• Exclusive to this tour: A full day at leisure in Sydney to explore the city as you wish
• City tour featuring The Rocks historic neighborhood, Darling Harbour, Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair, and Rose and Watson’s Bays
• Guided tour of the world-famous Sydney Opera House
• Afternoon cruise around Sydney Harbour, with lunch on board
• Visit to Featherdale Wildlife Park to see koalas, dingoes, and wombats, among other residents

Fabled Uluru

Uluru: Red and Revered

No visit to Australia would be complete without a trip to the Outback to take in Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, the thousand-plus-foot-tall sandstone monolith revered by the local Anangu people. During our two-night stay at Uluru, we enjoy:

• Sunset Uluru viewing followed by dinner under the stars at Field of Light, where some 12 acres of desert are gently illuminated by color-changing, solar-powered lights (Both Australia tours offer sunset Uluru viewings; Field of Light is a unique experience on this tour)
• Exploration at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, site of the Kata Tjuta rocks (the Olgas), the dramatic domed rock formations venerated by Aboriginal people
• Optional sunrise viewing of Uluru for those interested
• A visit to Uluru itself, where we follow several of the many walking trails around its base and learn local legends about this sacred site

Guests enjoy a full-day excursion to the Great Barrier Reef.

Cairns: Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef

Tropical Cairns serves as the jumping-off point for our exploration of the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest living organism and a deeply significant marine resource. An extra day in Cairns gives us the chance to explore the city’s lush local environment. Our touring here includes:

• Exclusive to this tour: Morning walk through the coastal ecosystems of Cooya Beach, guided by a member of the local Aboriginal tribe
• Lunch and a guided nature walk through the jungles of Mossman Gorge and along the tranquil, boulder-strewn Mossman River
• A full-day excursion to the Great Barrier Reef
• Boat ride to Michaelmas Cay on the reef, where we can swim, snorkel, and view the reef from a semi-submersible vessel

The wines of McLaren Vale are enjoyed the world over, and guests have lunch and a tasting at a family-run winery here.

Adelaide: Corked and Coastal

It’s here that this tour diverges entirely from Exploring Australia & New Zealand. Adelaide is a new destination for Odysseys, and our touring here hits the highlights of South Australia’s capital:

• Panoramic city tour featuring a visit to the Adelaide Botanic Gardens
• South Australian Museum, home of one of the world’s largest collections of Aboriginal artifacts
• Visit to the Adelaide Hills to tour The Cedars, the former home of famed Australian landscape artist Hans Heysen
• Lunch and a wine tasting at a family-run winery in the world-renowned McLaren Vale wine region

Mount Wellington, Tasmania

Tasmania: Where the Wild Things Are

Australia’s southern isle is known for its rugged beauty, its history as a penal colony, and its legendary “devil.” During our touring, we dig into each of these touchstones:

• Walking tour along the Hobart waterfront to learn the rich maritime history of Tasmania’s capital
• Spectacular views from the pinnacle of Kunanyi (above, also known as Mt. Wellington), the 4,000-foot peak overlooking downtown Hobart, the Derwent River, and wild Tasmanian countryside
• Visit to an “unzoo” to view Tasmanian devils and other wildlife in their natural habitat
• Touring in UNESCO site of Port Arthur, once a prominent penal colony
• Afternoon Port Arthur harbour cruise

We stroll through Melbourne’s gorgeous Fitzroy Gardens

Melbourne: Penguins and Pedestrians

We finish our tour in Melbourne, Australia’s cultural capital which was named as one of 52 Places to Go in 2026 by the New York Times. Highlights of our touring in this relaxed and cosmopolitan city include:

• Visit to sprawling Fitzroy Gardens and Cooks’ Cottage, the former home of the parents of Captain James Cook
• Evening viewing of the nightly penguin parade at Philip Island, where hundreds of little blue penguins return from a day of fishing and waddle to their burrows
• Walking tour of the alleys and lanes of Melbourne Center, appreciating the vibrant street art and murals of these unique spaces
• Both a morning and afternoon at leisure in this delightfully walkable city

As with all of our small group tours, guests on Australia in Depth will enjoy a group with no more than 24 guests, experience small group highlights unavailable to larger travel parties, stay in distinctive accommodations, and travel with an experienced Odysseys Unlimited Tour Director.

We’re thrilled to introduce this new exploration of Australia, and can’t wait to have you join us in 2027!