Australia Travel Guide

Australia is a long flight and a serious budget, so it works best as a properly planned two-week trip rather than a quick sampler. Done well, it delivers the Great Barrier Reef, world-class cities and landscapes that exist nowhere else.

Why travellers choose Australia

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on the planet and remains extraordinary to snorkel or dive, particularly from the outer reef pontoons rather than the inshore islands.

Sydney and Melbourne are genuinely excellent cities — harbour, beaches and opera house in one; laneways, coffee and sport in the other — and they complement each other well.

Wildlife here is unlike anywhere else. Kangaroos, koalas, wombats and platypus are not zoo animals but a normal part of the countryside.

What not to miss in Australia

• Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge — A harbour cruise gives the best perspective; the BridgeClimb gives the best photograph.
• Great Barrier Reef — Outer-reef pontoon day trips from Cairns, with snorkelling, diving and glass-bottom boats.
• Great Ocean Road — The Twelve Apostles and the cliff coastline west of Melbourne — a long but rewarding day.
• Gold Coast theme parks — Movie World, Sea World and Dreamworld, plus surf beaches, ideal with older children.
• Blue Mountains — The Three Sisters, Scenic World's railway and eucalyptus valleys ninety minutes from Sydney.
• Uluru — The monolith at sunrise and sunset, with the Field of Light installation after dark.

When to travel

Seasons are reversed. September to November and March to May are the most comfortable nationwide. December to February is summer — excellent for Sydney and Melbourne, hot and wet in the tropical north, with stinger season affecting reef swimming without a suit. June to August suits Cairns and the Northern Territory best, and brings whale watching to the east coast.

Entry and paperwork

Indian passport holders require a Visitor visa (subclass 600), applied for online with supporting documents including financial evidence, employment proof and a travel itinerary. Processing times vary considerably and can extend to several weeks in peak periods, so we begin applications early.

Planning a Australia trip with Elitech Travels

Every Australia itinerary on this page is a starting point rather than a fixed product. Extend a city, change the hotel category, add a private guide or merge two routes and we will re-cost the trip and send a revised plan. Because we publish no departure dates, your holiday is operated in the window that suits your leave — tell us roughly when you want to travel and we confirm availability and pricing for exactly those days.