14 Days Down South and Outback Tour ( Melbourne to Alice )

Welcome to your Topdeck trip - meet your travel buddies and hit the road. If you've ever seen a car commercial, chances are you've seen the Great Ocean Road. With mere metres between road and water, hairpin bends and epic views out every window - today you'll join the list of five million people to do this road-of-passage each year. Before putting rubber on the Great Ocean Road, we'll spot koalas in the wild and lunch in a seaside village. This afternoon is all about the Twelve Apostles, aka the Stonehenge of Australia. Tonight chill out and get to know who you're travelling with.

Included today:

-Coastal lookouts

-12 Apostles

-National Park entry

Meals:

- Dinner

Optionals:

-Scenic helicopter flight over 12 Apostles

From one natural wonder to another, we'll explore the 167,000 hectares of The Grampians - a mecca for hikers and rock climbers. More than just a place to get geology goosebumps, you'll be standing on sacred ground, with 80% of Victoria's Aboriginal rock art on show. Meet the traditional land owners, whose ancestors were scratching and dabbing their Dreamtime stories onto rock long before the Pyramids of Egypt were conceived. Then paint your own story onto a boomerang. Dinner with the crew tonight.

Included today:

-Paint your own souvenir boomerang

-National Park entry

Meals:

- Breakfast

- Dinner

Next up: MacKenzie Falls, the largest waterfall in Victoria. It's no Niagara, but flowing water is guaranteed year-round - a rare promise in a country that's 40% desert. Then, the Northern Grampians for one last panorama shot where #natureporn trends with views to Mt Williams, the highest peak in the park and third-highest mountain in Victoria. Tonight, after a walking tour, get a slice of history as you get some shut eye in Old Mt. Gambier Gaol.

Included today:

-National Park entry

-Pinnacles Walk

-MacKenzie Falls

-Gaol history walking tour

Meals:

- Breakfast

Stroll through the Valley Lake conservation area and learn about the pre-human flora and fauna existence. Snap madly away on the camera as you spot a Skippy - hot tip: don't go to hug one. Before kicking on to Adelaide, check out the Blue Lake (depending on what time of the year you visit, the lake changes colour) and the Umpherston Sinkhole. Because no South Australian voyage is complete without wine, we get to concoct our own potion as we stop at Wynn's Coonawarra vineyard. Chin chin!

Included today:

-Make your own blended wine class

Meals:

- Breakfast

Optional activities:

-Naracoorte Caves

You've made it to one of the world's coolest cities (according to Lonely Planet). Today's a free day for the adventurous to head out to spot seals, kangaroos and penguins on Australia's answer to the Galapagos: Kangaroo Island. Learn about some of the 46 endemic species. Spend the day slurping noodles in the Adelaide Central Market, or take a tram to the seaside village of Glenelg.

Meals:

- Breakfast

Optionals:

-Kangaroo Island day trip

-Barossa Valley day trip

There are more wineries around here than flies on a sheep. On our way to the Clare Valley, we'll stop at the Barossa Reservoir Whispering Wall - there's a time and a place for confessions. This isn't it. There is a classic Aussie pub at the end of the road today.

Meals:

- Breakfast

- Dinner

Flinders Ranges National Park is a spoiled brat, it has everything. From mountains to gorges and creeks to rivers, you're lucky you get to play in it today. Take a hike to Wilpena Pound - a natural amphitheatre about three times the size of Uluru. Then to rock art site Arkaroo Rock.

Included today:

-Wilpena Pound guided walk

-National Park entry

Meals:

- Breakfast

- Lunch

- Dinner

Destination: Coober Pedy. Where locals live in homes carved deep underground to escape the heat. Along with these subterranean houses, this place is know for another little gem. Opals. 75% of the world's opals come from here. We'll take a mine and town tour to check it all out. Then: time to meet the orphans of the kangaroo world and learn more about how abandoned joeys are nurtured back into the wild.

Included today:

-Opal mine & town tour

-Kangaroo Orphanage

Meals:

- Breakfast

- Dinner

It's time to cross the gemstone littered and soft grounds of the Moon Plain up the middle of Australia. Then, check out the world's longest Dingo Fence (good thing there's a gate) and truck on past some very remote roadhouses before crossing the border into the Northern Territory. That resort pool is just what the doctor ordered.

Meals:

- Breakfast

We're hitting the red ground running as we pull into Yulara. It's off to the breathtaking Uluru in the afternoon for a guided tour, and a glass of bubbles as the glow of sunset morphs through 50 shades of red. Tonight hone your Aussie BBQ skills and cook your own steak (or veggie burger). Welcome to the outback, mate.

Included today:

-Mt Conner

-Uluru Sunset

-National Park entry

Meals:

- Dinner

Start your day with a big bowl of 'oh my god' thanks to a breathtaking sunrise back at Uluru. Follow in the footsteps of the traditional owners of this sacred World Heritage site with a full base walk, where you can escape the crowds and check out hidden waterholes. Keep watch for wedge-tailed eagles, spinifex hopping mice and thorny devils. Or splurge on a Harley ride or scenic flight and soar over the rock. Later, join an optional meditative dot painting class in the Aboriginal Art Markets and give yourself a free astrology lesson, stargazing at the endless Southern night sky.

Included today:

-Sunrise over Uluru

-National Park entry

-Uluru base walks

-Anangu Visitor centre

-Guided walk by your crew

Meals:

- Breakfast

Optional activities:

-Scenic flights

-Harley Davidson rides

-Camel tours

-Sounds of Silence

-Guided astrology tour

Get ready for some soul searching as we venture into the heart of sacred Kata-Tjuta (The Olgas) and walk amongst the 36 red sandstone giants through the Valley of the Winds. After a Dreamtime archeology lesson, and a drive into Watarrka National Park, live the life of a jolly swagman as we sleep under the stars in custom swags. Cue campfire stories and marshmallows tonight.

Please be aware that in winter months (May-Sept), nighttime temperatures can drop to near 0 degrees, warmer clothing will be required for the night sleeping in the swag.

Included today:

-Valley of the winds walk

-National park entry

Please note that the twin / double / or single upgrade is not applicable to the Overnight Swag Night at Kings Canyon. This has not been included in when upgrade rates were calculated.

Meals: Breakfast, dinner.

Optional activities:

-Quad bike ride

-Sunset camel tour

If you would walk 500 miles (steps), then you'll make it through the toughest part of the Rim Walk - Heart Attack Hill. The Kings Canyon Rim Walk is the real deal and the most famous canyon in Oz. Think age-old cycads, eroded dome shapes, a visit to The Lost City - and that's not even the best part. The sheltered valley and waterhole of the Garden of Eden makes today bloody bonza (translation: awesome).

Included today:

-Guided hike of Kings Canyon

-Garden of Eden walk

Meals:

- Breakfast

- Lunch

Wake up. Rub eyes. Climb into a hot air balloon. Just saying, it's an option...and an amazing start to the day. Back to earth venture on an excursion out amongst the Western MacDonnell Ranges. Our stops include the peaceful Simpsons Gap and the impressive Standley Chasm. It's back to Alice Springs to grab a late lunch and explore the town centre. This afternoon, have a wander. There are local Aboriginal art galleries to check out, the Desert Park Gardens to explore and the Reptile Centre to get creeped out in. Book in the optional late afternoon Kangaroo Sanctuary tour for sunset.

Included today:

-Stanley Chasm

-Simpsons Gap

Meals:

-Breakfast

Optional activities:

-Hot air balloon ride

-Desert Park

-Alice Springs Reptile Centre

-Kangaroo Sanctuary