Au-Days 7 thru 11

Days 7 to 11

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Extension 11 to 14 Prior Trip Photos

Australia 2008

Australia 2008 Days 7 to 11: take us to Cairns which is in the far north of Australia and is Australia's equivalent of "Key West, Florida" except Cairns besides being close to the Equator and having beach weather all year long, is also the entrance to one of the world's Seven Most Beautiful natural features, the gigantic and environmentally essential Great Barrier Reef. There are many International Conventions that choose Cairns for their annual meetings as well it is the "go to" vacation setting for most of Australia and many in the Far East. There is a wide vacation infrastructure of Great Barrier Reef sailing catamarans, scuba, windsurfing, ballooning, parachute gliding, helicopters as well as going into the interior from Cairns to the rainforests via rail and private charted coaches with birds, monkeys, butterflies etc and in Cairns a complete late night array of taverns, bars, live music, and dancing including the world class Reef Casino. Click on the Blue Underlined Words to learn more.

Day 7 - November 4, 2008 - Tuesday: Sydney and Cairns (AB)

Buffet breakfast is included at our Travelodge Sydney Hotel this morning. Transfer by private coach and fly on Qantas Flight 924 leaving at 9:25 a.m. arriving at 11:25 a.m. at the Cairns International Airport (CNS). Upon arrival in Cairns (aerial photo above left), we meet our coach driver for our transfer to The Hotel Cairns (photo above right) where we are pre-registered and will be in the Plantation Rooms for the four nights we are there.

Day 8 - November 5, 2008 - Wednesday: Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef (B,L)

Buffet breakfast is included at The Cairns Hotel this morning. Transferred by private coach this morning to the Reef Fleet Terminal to board Reef Magic's Catamaran (photo above left) on its way to the Great Barrier Reef (photo above right) where we will spend at least five hours. Upon arrival at 'Marine World,' we will be provided with quality snorkel equipment, complete with instruction. Friendly crew will assist us and free snorkel lessons are available. Snorkel sites are supervised and swimming aids and flotation devices are available allowing all to experience the magic of the Great Barrier Reef. The Glass Bottom Boat is another magical way to experience the reef and is excellent for non swimmers. Tours include a fun and informative commentary. This activity is included to further assure guests gain the maximum Great Barrier Reef experience. See the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef without getting our feet wet! The Fish and Coral Viewing Observatory, located underwater (on the lower level of 'Marine World') is open all day and is a great, interactive way of learning about the Reef and it's inhabitants in all weather! After our morning activities a hot/cold sumptuous tropical seafood smorgasbord lunch is served. Complimentary morning and afternoon tea, coffee and cakes are also included. The fully licensed bar will keep us refreshed at all times and also sells soft drinks, snacks and a selection of souvenirs. Return to the wharf and a short transfer back to the hotel.

Day 9 - November 6, 2008 - Thursday: Cairns and the Rain Forest (AB)
Buffet breakfast is included at The Cairns Hotel this morning. Full day Kuranda Tour. This morning we will be transferred by private coach to Freshwater Station, where we will enjoy a scrumptious Tropical buffet breakfast on the platform! After breakfast, board the Kuranda Scenic Railway for a breathtaking journey on one of the world's most scenic train routes (photo above left). Travel through hand hewn tunnels into spectacular Barron Gorge, stopping to view the Falls. Upon arrival at Kuranda, visit the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, Kuranda Koala Gardens and Birdworld. Later this afternoon we board the Skyrail - the world's largest gondola cableway - and we'll glide just meters above the rainforest canopy and enjoy sights that were once strictly for the birds. At the end of our Skyrail (Check this web site out.Terrific description of the Skyrail.) you will be transferred back to our hotel by private coach.

Day 10 - November 7, 2008 - Friday: Cairns - Scuba, Helicopter, Shop, Walk (AB)

Buffet breakfast is included at The Cairns Hotel this morning. Free day. We are at our option to pursue whatever we have seen that we would like to do. Helicopter (photo above left) across the Great Barrier Reef? No problem. Go scuba diving (photo above right) for five hours. We have many options. Take a leisurely walk through one of the many City of Cairns parks, play in the gigantic city water park, shop in the MANY shops throughout the city, or just leisurely walk on the beach and soak up the sun. There are many desires we can fulfill.

Day 11 - November 8, 2008 - Saturday: Cairns, Brisbane, Los Angeles (B,L,D)
Buffet breakfast is included at The Cairns Hotel this morning. After breakfast we leave to the Cairns International Airport (CNS) (photo above left) where we board our Qantas Flight 168 leaving at 5:50 a.m. arriving in Brisbane Airport (BNE) (photo of Brisbane above right) at 8:00 a.m. From here we board our Boeing 747-400 Flight 015 leaving at 12:10 p.m. for our trans Pacific flight back across the International Dateline back to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). We arrive in Los Angeles at 7:00 a.m. the same day "five hours before we took off from Sydney" and connect to our flights back home. A portion of the group will not be heading back to the U.S. today but will be extending their Australia 2008 trip for an additional three days to visit Ayers Rock at Uluru, then return to Sydney for a night and then back to Los Angeles. For information on the three day extension, click here.

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