Innovative itineraries

Best ‘Big 5’

itineraries by: Georgia Unger
post date: 07-20-2020
Lizard Island (Great Barrier Reef)
WE TAKE YOU BEYOND THE AVERAGE TOURIST EXPERIENCE

As part of our Innovative Itineraries series, this itinerary was created by Travel Designer Georgia Unger. Discover Australia’s cultural icons in outstanding depth and be awed by the diversity found across the country.

This customised journey was created by Travel Designer Georgia Unger for a couple celebrating a milestone anniversary with a first-time trip to Australia. These travellers requested the Best of the Best, exploring the country’s icons and developing a genuine feel for place, while avoiding traditionally popular destinations and experiences.

Georgia customised this itinerary to explore the icons of Australia with intimacy and exclusivity, and displayed her skills in creating one-of-a-kind encounters that turn into lifelong memories for her travellers. This itinerary offers authentic, luxury Australia at its best—ranging from interpretive walking tours around Uluru, snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef’s most biodiverse and remote sites, and gastronomic dining in a historic shed on Kangaroo Island.

Australia is enormous, encompassing myriad different climates, breathtaking landscapes, and cultural encounters. For these clients, Georgia ensured to include something from The Tailor’s ‘Big 5’ signature Australian experiences:

  1. Sydney: Australia’s oldest and busiest city with a stunning outdoor lifestyle;
  2. Wildlife & Nature: An incredible number of mammals, marsupials, reptiles, and birds can only be found in Australia;
  3. The Outback: The vast, remote, and beautiful interior of the country, filled with rugged and dramatic landscapes;
  4. Great Barrier Reef: A natural wonder made up of over 2,900 individual coral reefs, and home to incredible aquatic life;
  5. Aboriginal Arts & Culture: Australia is the Traditional Lands of the oldest living cultures in the world, dating back to over 50,000 years.

Be inspired by this hand-crafted itinerary exploring the five signature experiences we believe should feature in any first-time Australian journey.

  • At a Glance
  • Destinations
  • Where to next
itinerary details

At a Glance

  • Be inspired by an outstanding five-star range of differing yet distinctly Australian experiences

  • Dive into the layered local character of Australia that many travellers don’t discover

  • Enjoy an immersive blend between world-class luxury and authentic, down-to-earth Australia throughout

Destinations

Destinations

  • Destination 1: Sydney

    Travellers from far and wide are drawn to Sydney. This international metropolis is Australia’s largest city and is home to several internationally recognised icons. Touch down from your flight and transfer straight to your accommodation in a private luxury vehicle.

    Your home for the next few nights twists into the skyline. The Crown Towers Sydney is a luxurious five-star sanctuary in the heart of the Harbour and offers outstanding comforts in your stylish and modern villa. Indulge in unfettered Sydney views, enjoy access to an extraordinary poolside terrace, and delight in impeccable personal service at your fingertips.

    Hosted by locals throughout, your adventures through Sydney will showcase both the icons and hidden gems. Lace up your shoes and enjoy customised walking tours exploring the historic The Rocks district and the pristine beaches Sydney is known for. Make stops to local art galleries curated to your aesthetic taste and discover the cultural pulse of the region. Then, set sail and explore Sydney Harbour from the water with an afternoon charter filled with canapés, beverages, and superb hosting. Sail past the icons, including the Bridge and Opera House, and be welcomed into an Australian itinerary to remember.

    After three nights indulging in the cosmopolitan charm of Sydney, board your private jet bound for Australia’s nature-rich island escape – Kangaroo Island.

    Destination 1: Sydney has accommodation for 3 nights at the Crown Towers Sydney.

  • Destination 2: Kangaroo Island

    Touch down onto one of the Earth’s last unspoilt refuges – Kangaroo Island. This unique island off the coast of South Australia is home to prolific wildlife, coastal scenery and farmlands, alongside nearly 4,500 square kilometres of conservation area. This is the perfect place to discover Australia’s unique nature and wildlife.

    Rest in a large, contemporary private house atop a dune, nestled between bushland and a secluded beach. Your luxurious private retreat is open and spacious, designed to take in panoramic bush and ocean views with a simple yet elegant construction of native timber.

    Explore the eastern side of the island with the locals and discover day-to-day island lifestyle rich in history, culture, and cuisine. Witness wildlife in the wild and learn how the island’s endemic animal and bird populations thrive. Go nose-to-nose with nature by swimming with dolphins and birdwatching Glossy Black-Cockatoos. Meet local artisan food producers and assemblage artists, and enjoy a memorable seven course dining experience in a 100-year-old settlers shearing shed forged from iron and eucalyptus, with all food cooked, fired, stewed, and grilled directly in front of you on the fire pit.

    After three memorable days, board your private dual pilot aircraft and fly back to the mainland to Australia’s very heart, Uluru.

    Destination 2: Kangaroo Island has accommodation for 2 nights at One Kangaroo Island touring with Exceptional Kangaroo Island.

  • Destination 3: Red Centre

    Touch down into the heart of Australia at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. This spiritually profound area is the Traditional Lands of the Anangu people, and is one of Australia’s most recognised Outback regions offering dramatic views of mountainous ranges, red sands, and blue skies.

    Nestled within the rust-red sand dunes of Australia’s Red Centre, Longitude 131° is a remarkable luxury lodge overlooking Uluru itself. Sharing your stay with only a select few guests, this lodge offers premium dining and breathtaking views over the monolith every sunrise and sunset.

    Explore the sights of this renowned outback interior on a private basis. Visit the renowned Field of Light art installation and indulge in Longitude’s signature Dune Top Dining and hosted walking tours around Uluru with traditional Anangu interpretation. Venture further afield in the region and helicopter to the massive mesa known as Atila / Mount Conner on the privately-owned Curtin Springs cattle station for an exclusive mountain-top morning picnic to remember. Each adventure will display how multifaceted and mesmerising Australia’s Outback can be.

    After two nights, depart the red landscapes via private jet and touch down in the emerald greens and shining turquoises of Tropical North Queensland.

    Destination 3: Red Centre has accommodation for 2 nights at Longitude 131°.

  • Destination 4: Tropical North Queensland

    Tropical North Queensland is a must-visit for visitors to Australia. This region is not only home to the world’s oldest living rainforest, but is also one of the best places to get learn first-hand about Aboriginal arts, culture and history on the Traditional Lands of the local Kuku Yalanji people.

    Your accommodation in this region is Silky Oaks Lodge, perching upon the Mossman River in the Daintree Rainforest. Blurring the boundary between the in- and outdoors, Silky offers seasonal dining and on-site yoga in the serene surrounds of the rainforest.

    With your local guides—including an Aboriginal Elder who knows the lands intimately—experience the best of the Daintree. Learn about the biodiverse ecosystem with a private cruise along the Daintree River, watching for estuarine crocodiles and colourful birds with your naturalist guide. Enjoy a romantic candlelit dinner in a private garden housing the largest collection of tropical ethnobotanical plants in the world, and helicopter to ancient Rock Art sites dating back tens of thousands of years, while listening to stories from the Elder about growing up on the land, told in his own language.

    After your full immersion onto the ground of the Daintree, take to the skies across the Great Barrier Reef’s waters peppered with vessels, white sand cays and coral reefs to Lizard Island.

    Destination 4: Tropical North Queensland has accommodation for 3 nights at Silky Oaks Lodge touring with North West Safaris.

  • Destination 5: Great Barrier Reef

    One of the world’s most impressive natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef is home to over 900 islands and 2,900 individual reefs. Touch down at Lizard Island, a 2470-acre island with 24 private beaches and just 40 rooms and villas. This is the perfect place to disappear into secluded tropical bliss on the Great Barrier Reef.

    Unwind in The Villa at Lizard – a cliff-top retreat offering ultimate privacy and stunning ocean vistas from the outdoors, with a spacious and elegant interior. Enjoy unlimited access to your dedicated food and beverage valet, 8-metre plunge pool, and endless beverages with gourmet meals throughout your stay.

    Venturing into the Great Barrier Reef’s waters, enjoy a private tour on the 45ft Riviera vessel ‘Duyfken’ and enjoy a full day of diving and snorkelling with one-on-one guides. Enjoy the modern conveniences of a five-star hotel while on tour, and set anchor at some of the world’s best diving and snorkelling sites. After days on the water, settle into your evening with private massage treatments at the Essentia Day Spa, inviting you to rebalance, relax and rejuvenate.

    Finishing off your Australian tour with three nights of remote tropical bliss, Lizard Island offers an effortless and picture-perfect end to your Australian adventure.

    Destination 5: Great Barrier Reef has accommodation for 3 nights at Lizard Island.

itinerary details

Where to next?

The essence of Australia is difficult to distil into one itinerary – but experiencing the major attractions that awe travellers from all over the world is a wonderful way to enjoy a trip to this vast country. Combined with exclusive access to experiences which highlight the heart of Australia, this itinerary showcases Australia with its Best of the Best.

What are your ‘must-do’ Australian experiences? What region most exemplifies Australia to you? Be sure to let us know.

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