when you book a tour to Australia, on departures from September 2027. Book by 28th February 2026.
Discover the best
of Australia on our escorted tours
Australia is a diverse country known for its intriguing wildlife, captivating landscapes, cosmopolitan cities and rich indigenous culture, all waiting to be discovered on an unforgettable journey through Australasia. No tour of Australia is complete without a visit to Sydney with its iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge; or a visit to Uluru, the world’s largest monolith. Cruise, snorkel or dive in the Great Barrier Reef on one of our Australia escorted tours, home to countless colourful fish, beautiful coral and marine life or visit Kangaroo Island to see its namesake, koalas and other wildlife up close. Witness the most wonderful landscapes unfolding before you as you enjoy a leisurely dining experience on board the legendary Ghan on an Australian rail tour, or combine with a trip to New Zealand to truly take it all in. Explore our award-winning tours of Australia, designed to showcase the country’s icons, hidden gems and unique experiences.
Blue Mountains National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Walkaway Wind Farm, Western Australia, Australia
Bondi Beach, Sydney, New South Wales
Koala, Australia
Essential information in Australia
Time difference
GMT +8 to +11 hrs
Best time to visit
January - April / August / October - December
Official languages
English
Currency
Australian Dollar (AUD)
Flight time
Around 21–23 hrs from UK
Electricity
Voltage: 230V; Plug type(s): I
Featured
Australia
Get closer to the extraordinary: Australia
Australia is a diverse country known for its intriguing wildlife, captivating landscapes, cosmopolitan cities and rich Indigenous culture, all waiting to be discovered on an unforgettable journey Down Under. Here are just a few of the extraordinary experiences you can expect on these tours.
Planning a holiday to Australia has never been simpler. Our dedicated travel experts are with you every step of the way. Our Product Managers carefully curate each experience so you can discover the very best of Australia, while our Reservations Specialists make the booking process effortless. We’ve personally travelled on these tours and visited the destinations ourselves, giving us first-hand insight to share with you.
Kath Morris
Product Manager
With 25 years of travel experience, Kath is passionate about crafting exceptional tours across destinations. She’s especially inspired by Asia and Australasia – from India and Sri Lanka’s ancient wonders to the striking landscapes and natural beauty of Australia and New Zealand.
Riah Abdellah
Reservations Consultant
Riah brings a passion for creating unforgettable holidays to her role as a Reservations Consultant. She recently joined our Essential Australia tour, an experience she describes as truly unforgettable, and loves helping customers plan their own once in a lifetime adventures.
From our blog
Discover more about this incredible destination with our collection of travel blogs, filled with expert insights, local highlights and inspiration for your next adventure.
Spotlight on…Essential Australia
By Ellie Jones - 02/08/2024
Must-See Stops on the Great Ocean Road
By Kath Morris - 25/07/2019
25 Facts About Australia
By Kath Morris - 14/03/2018
Species of Kangaroo you can find whilst touring Australia
By Kath Morris - 29/08/2018
Great ways to see Kakadu National Park
By Liz Reddy - 30/08/2019
All aboard... Iconic rail journeys around the world
By Ellie Jones - 21/01/2026
10 fascinating Daintree Rainforest facts you should know
By Kath Morris - 27/03/2019
New Zealand vs Australia: Your Complete Travel Guide
By Kath Morris - 10/05/2019
Christmas Traditions in Australia: Sun, Sand, and Spectacular Celebrations
By Kath Morris - 06/12/2019
How Many Countries Can You Visit on New Year’s Eve?
By Ellie Jones - 11/12/2017
Christmas celebrations in Australia
By Kath Morris - 20/12/2014
Customer testimonials
Distant Journeys uses Feefo, the global feedback engine, to gather genuine and independently verified reviews. Our guests are invited by Feefo to review our company on all aspects of their holiday experience, from the customer service they received to the product itself.
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Excellent trip, very well organised.
Elizabeth Marshall
Highlights of Australia and New Zealand
Well organised, great itinerary and nice fellow travellers. I would do it again.
Kevin Head
Christmas and New Year in Australia
Well organised tour. We saw many places and had some very good experiences on this tour. The hotels were a good standard. You have to be prepared for a lot of travelling and one or two very early starts but the payback is that you get to see many different places and experiences. We are very happy with the tour and would recommend.
Highlights of Australia and New Zealand
Well organised, hotels clean and comfortable, tour guide excellent plenty information going around Australia, tours to different places and locations very good.
A couple of optional tours disappointing
Very Best of Australia
A brilliant holiday - we had a fantastic time with some unforgettable experiences in Australia.
Essential Australia
It was a special holiday for a special birthday and Distant Journeys along with Darrin our guide it was made even more special.
Essential Australia
The trip was amazing from start to finish.
Essential Australia
Great holiday well organized, most of the hotels where 4/5 star, 2 of the hotels would not recommend.
Rep in both location very helpful and knowledgeable, was never a problem to organize or sort anything out.
Only complaint was group size, I was lead to believe, as was other travels in our group, it would be 20 to 25 people, our group was 39, far to big.
Linda Littlefield
Highlights of Australia and New Zealand
Overall a great itinerary, quite tiring due to some early starts and there is a lot of travel, but there was some downtime to recuperate. The hotels were all of a good standard., the included excursions were all generally enjoyable and the optional ones offered were good value. I am aware that some people on the trip had a few issues but for us everything went smoothly from booking, to downloading the DJ app through to the holiday, so we are very satisfied.
Kate Penfold
Highlights of Australia and New Zealand
A comprehensive tour of Australia expertly organised and curated to make this trip of a lifetime one of the most memorable. Highly recommended.
Australia’s seasons are opposite to those in the northern hemisphere. Weather patterns around the world are also becoming less predictable, however, as a general guide; Australia enjoys temperate weather for most of the year. The tropical northern states (Cairns and Darwin) typically experience very warm weather and can be very humid in the Australian summer.The southern states are typically warm and sunny.
Dress for our tours is generally relaxed and informal during the day, dressing to suit the weather conditions and the activity you are undertaking. It’s likely there will be occasions when exploring you’ll be walking on uneven surfaces, so we recommend sturdy and comfortable walking shoes. Wearing layers of clothing means it’s much easier to deal with potentially varied weather conditions and it’s always advisable to carry a waterproof. Any included evening dinners are also informal, with smart casual dress being the norm. We would also recommend taking good insect repellent, a high factor sun screen lotion and a hat for protection from the sun.
When visiting Australia’s Red Centre, some guests appreciate taking a fly net which can be placed over a hat to keep the flies away.
Major credit cards and cash machines are widely available throughout your tour and your tour manger will be on hand to help you find the best places to exchange your money. When travelling to Australia, a currency card is a simple way to buy currency and lock in a great exchange rate before you travel. Distant Journeys recommends Revolut, a digital banking app which offers a pre-paid physical or virtual currency card. It is also simple to apply for, set up and use.
For more information on the Revolut Currency Card, please click here.
We also recommend advising your bank of your travel plans prior to departing from the UK so you do not encounter potential problems when trying to withdraw cash.
Whilst it is not compulsory to tip in Australia, it is now an accepted practice in many areas. It is the norm, for example to tip in a restaurant if you are happy with the service, usually around 5-7%. For your tour, tipping is discretionary, however, suggested tipping amounts for your driver and guides would be as follows:
Tour Manager: $5.00 AUD per person per day Coach Driver: $5.00 AUD per person per day
The following information on entry requirements, passports and Visa’s is for British citizens only. Holders of a British Subject passport, non-British citizens and holders of a passport endorsed in any way should check immigration requirements with the relevant embassy or consulate of the country to be visited, as should clients with dual nationality or renounced citizenship.
A valid ten-year British passport is required for all holidays, valid for a minimum of six months after your return date to the UK. If you are not currently in possession of a valid passport please make sure you leave plenty of time before your holiday to apply for this document. Our recommendation is that you should apply at least three months before your holiday.
Visitors to Australia will require an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA). Applications for ETAs will be processed by Distant Journeys for a charge of £35 per ETA. An ETA is valid for 12 months and allows you multiple entries into Australia with a maximum duration of three months per entry. An ETA is equivalent to a visa but there is no stamp or label in your passport. For more information on passport information and entry requirements please visit the Government Passport Office website: www.gov.uk/browse/abroad/passports and the Foreign Office website: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
It is important to note entry requirements may change and it is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of all necessary travel, passport, visa, other entry requirements before departure. All costs incurred in obtaining such documentation must be paid by you. We regret we cannot accept any liability if you are refused entry onto any transport or into any country due to failure on your part to obtain and carry all required documentation.
The Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) between the Australian Government and the United Kingdom Government, covers visitors for any medical treatment required due to ill-health or injury occurred during your stay in Australia only. While this agreement means visitors may receive treatment in Australia, we’d like to emphasise that this should not replace the need for having adequate travel insurance to cover potential medical expenses. Please note there are certain requirements that you must fulfil before departing from Australia: you’ll need to discuss any charges with the hospital staff or doctor that is treating you, and you must enroll at a Medicare office in Australia at the earliest opportunity. To enroll in Medicare you will need your passport with a valid visa and identification to prove that you’re enrolled in your country’s national health scheme. If you receive treatment before you enroll, you may be required to pay for treatment costs in advance.
Health facilities, hygiene and disease risk vary worldwide. You should take health advice from your GP or local travel clinic about your specific needs as early as possible and ensure that vaccinations or preventative measures are taken early enough (which may be a month or more prior to departure) to be fully effective by the date of travel. For more information on health and vaccinations please visit the Foreign Office website www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice and NHS Travel Vaccinations website on: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/travel-vaccinations/
Advice may change and you should check the most up to date position with your GP or local health / travel clinic in good time before departure.