Day 1 – USA to Victoria
Today you will begin your Swain Destinations customized itinerary. Please note, international air has not been included in this package price.
Day 2 – Cross the International Date Line
Cross the International Date Line, an imaginary line on the surface of the Earth that runs from the North to the South Pole - and defines one calendar day from the next. Crossing the International Date Line adds one day (24-hours) traveling west, and subtracts one day (24-hours) traveling east.
Day 3 – Welcome to Melbourne
Welcome to Melbourne. Upon arrival, a driver will meet you outside the customs hall to transfer you to your accommodation.
Crown Towers Hotel, Melbourne
Nowhere in the country, indeed the Southern Hemisphere, is there an entertainment complex with the excitement and style of Crown. At the glittering heart of Melbourne's world-class Crown Entertainment Complex is the luxurious Crown Towers Hotel. With a reputation for beautiful parks and gardens, wonderful shopping, spectacular special events and a rich tapestry of art and culinary fare, Melbourne is truly one of the world's most exciting cities. The five-star Crown Towers hotel is ideally located on the banks of the Yarra River which is a short stroll from the vibrant central business district and arts precinct. With 500 rooms and suites, convention and meeting facilities, business centers and the luxurious Crown Spa, it is the perfect destination for travelers.
Starting Accommodation: Crown Towers
Day 4 – Koalas and Kangaroos, In the Wild
See Koalas and Kangaroos in the wild! Walk with wild animals in their natural habitats on this full day, fully inclusive small group eco-tour, led by an experienced Wildlife Guide.
Walk through natural bush-land to meet wild koalas, then learn about each one's history and social life from your Wildlife Guide and Koala Researcher. Help create new koala habitat for future generations of baby koalas by participating in the 'Make a Home for Clancy' Koala project. Join wild mobs of Kangaroos on the plains and in open forests. Their natural instinct is to flee humans, but with care, you often get close enough to take photographs and observe their complex social life. The natural environments visited are also home to parrots, fairy-wrens, emus, honeyeaters, possums, wallabies and lizards. Your Wildlife Guide will help you find and understand them, and show you how to look for wildlife wherever you travel in Australia.
On this tour you are saving wild koalas. Your tour cost includes a donation to the Koala Clancy Foundation to plant a koala tree on your behalf. As the Australian environment becomes hotter and drier, You Yangs koalas are seeking gum-tree forest close to water - but around the You Yangs that forest ceased to exist many years ago. Koala Clancy Foundation is partnering with farmers to plant millions of trees back along the rivers so that koalas have a safe place to live and breed in the coming years. Your contribution is appreciated - you cover the cost of a tree and someone to plant it.
Starting Accommodation: Crown Towers
(L)
Day 5 – Lanes and Arcades Walking Tour
Have you ever been to a city and wondered what all the fuss was about? Or wasted time trying to find that cool local café you were told of, then ended up missing everything? Melbourne's arcades and laneways hide many of these answers. Join this indulgent morning walk through Melbourne's beautiful back streets, and become orientated in the life of the city that locals love. Discover local designers and specialty retailers that often are only found in the city. Some of the quirkiest cafes, independent designers, street art, architecture, and historical tales are found in these walkways, there is something for everyone, locals and visitors alike. Morning tea is included as well as lunch with a glass of wine.
Starting Accommodation: Crown Towers
(L)
Day 6 – Day at Leisure
Melbourne is Australia's second largest city, but it is second to none when it comes to fashion, festivals and sport. Set around the shores of Port Phillip Bay, the city itself is laid out in a large rectangle. She boasts a lively, cosmopolitan pulse, sitting on the northern banks of the Yarra River, about three miles from the bay. Visitors come for its shopping, restaurants and nightlife. Residents stay for its cultural diversity, passion for the arts and enviable sports calendar. Melbourne is renowned for playing host to a number of nationally- and internationally-recognized events each year, including the Australian Open Tennis Grand Slam, the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix and the ever-impressive two-mile horse race, The Melbourne Cup. This is a major event that spreads an addictive buzz through the city streets. You can be sure that locals and visitors alike will embrace the energy surrounding it.
Starting Accommodation: Crown Towers
Day 7 – Melbourne to Ningaloo Reef
Today, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Learmonth via Perth. You will then be transferred from Learmonth Airport to your accommodation.
Sal Salis
Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef is an exclusive safari camp hidden in the white sand dunes of Western Australia's Cape Range National Park, an hour's drive south of Exmouth. Nine spacious wilderness tents are just meters from the water's edge and the world's greatest fringing coastal coral reef. Sal Salis accommodation and hosting style exudes;'Wild Bush Luxury' and Sal Salis guides deliver an extraordinary insight to one of Australia's best kept natural secrets - Ningaloo Reef. In keeping with a philosophy of;'Wild Bush Luxury', the focus of your stay is the wilderness around you and its marine and land inhabitants, your accommodation is designed to expose you to the sights and sounds outside your tent. All power is solar generated, each en suite bathroom has a; "natureloo" (composting toilet), water usage is very carefully managed and no waste material escapes into the surrounding ecosystem. Each room has a fan to ensure the circulation of air in the middle of summer.
Starting Accommodation: Sal Salis
(L, D)
Day 8 – Day at Leisure
Fill your days at Sal Salis however you choose, relax in your tent’s hammock and watch the world go by, or laze on the beach and paddle in the warm Indian Ocean waters. The most popular experiences are in the water, as on the Ningaloo Reef you can swim alongside the majestic whale sharks and the magnificent humpback whales.
Right off the shores of the Sal Salis camp, you will have access to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef where you will find more than 500 species of colorful fish, 250 coral species, rays and turtles. The guides want you to fall in love with this little patch of paradise and will tailor activities to suit the weather and tides. Alternatively, head into the rugged landscapes of the Cape Range National Park and learn about Australia’s unique flora and fauna. You’ll spot red kangaroos, wallaroos, rock wallabies, goannas, echidnas and more than 100 bird species of all the colors of the rainbow.
Starting Accommodation: Sal Salis
(B, L, D)
Day 9 – Day at Leisure
During your stay at Sal Salis, guides will share information about the resident and migratory birds, the animals that frequent the camp and the Ranges. They will provide an understanding of the geology that makes up the area and explain the ecology of the fauna and flora that manages to exist in such an arid environment. Then after dinner you might like to do a little star-gazing and learn of the constellations that fill the southern skies.
Starting Accommodation: Sal Salis
(B, L, D)
Day 10 – Ningaloo Reef to Perth
Today you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Perth. Upon arrival, a driver will meet you in the baggage area to transfer you to your accommodation.
Crown Towers Perth
The epitome of luxury, guest rooms and suites at Crown Towers Perth command magnificent Perth views. Intelligently designed with the latest technology and the renowned Crown Towers service, guests will have the opportunity to experience a luxury hotel unlike any other. The hotel offers world-class design, and unprecedented resort facilities, dining and boutique shopping, within easy access of the city center and domestic and international airports. Designed to create the feeling of luxury and spaciousness, the Crown Towers Perth rooms and suites are styled in elegant neutral tones accented with the highest quality furnishings and amenities.
Starting Accommodation: Crown Towers Perth (B)
Day 11 – Perth, Cottesloe, Fremantle, and Swan River
Perth city is exciting with a unique blend of old and new architecture. One of the most isolated cities in the world vibrant Perth is a rapidly growing modern city powered by Western Australia's mineral resources boom and vast agriculture industry. See the Governor's residence, Council House, and historic Barracks Arch. At South Perth take a look at the expanding city from across the Swan River.
Kings Park boast a mixture of parkland, botanical gardens and native bushland a total area of 400 hectares with panoramic views of Perth city, Swan River and the Darling Range. Kings Park is home to over 300 native plant varieties and 80 bird species and also contains the State War Memorial. Enjoy lunch at elegant Indiana Tea House overlooking sparkling Cottesloe Beach on the Indian Ocean.
Fremantle is distinguished by its unique heritage, cosmopolitan culture and maritime charm with historic port buildings, many shops, cafes and restaurants and markets all humming with crowds of people adding to its vibrant nautical atmosphere. At Fremantle Harbour board a cruise to return to Perth on the scenic Swan River, seeing fabulous homes and parks along the way.
Starting Accommodation: Crown Towers Perth (L)
Day 12 – Day at Leisure
Perth, the go-ahead capital of Western Australia, gives a feeling of space and light - set on the banks of the sparkling Swan River, a few miles from the magnificent beaches of the Indian Ocean. Fremantle, 11 miles southwest of Perth, is a colorful, busy port at the mouth of the Swan River, easily accessible by bus, train, ferry and taxi. Attractions include the Fremantle Arts Centre, the Maritime Museum, the Round House, the market and the lively town center - affectionately known as the cappuccino strip. There is also the Perth Mint, where visitors can see how coins are made. And located in the city center is the Art Gallery of Western Australia, which houses a collection of Aboriginal art and Australian and international paintings. The Scitech Discovery Centre is a unique hands-on minds-on science and technology center. Outdoor activities include picnics in Kings Park with its walking trails and a 12-hectare botanical garden that is famous for its spring wildflower displays. The park is a pleasant walk from the center of Perth and is well served by public transport and the Perth Tram. Also visit some of the magnificent white-sand, Indian Ocean surfing beaches. The closest is City Beach, but Cottesloe, Floreat, Scarborough, and Sorrento are also popular.
Starting Accommodation: Crown Towers Perth
Day 13 – Perth to USA
Today you will be transferred to the Perth Airport for your flight back to the USA.
