Seven days. That is the length of the itinerary we built for Australia, across Sydney, Melbourne and Cairns / Great Barrier Reef.
Here is what each day holds. Every stop below carries its time, and every gap says how to get to the next stop, with the walk or drive time wherever both stops are mapped.
Australia · 7 days Sydney → Melbourne → Cairns / Great Barrier Reef
Best time: Southern spring and autumn (September to November, March to May) balance mild city weather with dry, calm reef conditions; the tropical north is best May to October, outside the humid, jellyfish-prone wet season.
Sydney: Queen Victoria BuildingDay 1
🏛️9:00 AMQueen Victoria Building
A restored 1898 Romanesque shopping arcade under a great stained-glass dome.
🚶 ~17 min · 🚗 ~2 min · 0.6 mi
🖼️1:30 PMArt Gallery of New South Wales
The state gallery, strong in Australian, Aboriginal and Asian art, expanded by the Sydney Modern building.
🚶 ~21 min · 🚗 ~3 min · 0.8 mi
🌆6:00 PMThe Rocks
The city's oldest quarter below the Harbour Bridge, a grid of convict-era sandstone lanes, pubs and weekend markets.
Sydney: St Mary's CathedralDay 2
🏛️9:00 AMSt Mary's Cathedral
A twin-spired sandstone Gothic Revival cathedral facing Hyde Park.
🚶 ~14 min · 🚗 ~2 min · 0.5 mi
🥾1:30 PMRoyal Botanic Garden
Harbourside gardens wrapping Farm Cove, with the Mrs Macquarie's Point lookout at their tip.
⛴️ Ferry hop
🎟️6:00 PMHarbour Bridge climb tour
A guided ascent of the steel arch to the summit above the harbour.
Sydney: Hyde Park BarracksDay 3
🏛️9:00 AMHyde Park Barracks
A Georgian convict barracks by architect Francis Greenway, now a UNESCO-listed museum of Australia's penal past.
🚶 ~11 min · 🚗 ~1 min · 0.4 mi
🖼️1:30 PMAustralian Museum
The country's oldest museum, covering natural history and First Nations cultures.
🚶 ~20 min · 🚗 ~3 min · 0.8 mi
🌆6:00 PMSurry Hills
A terrace-house neighbourhood of design shops, cafes and small bars just south of the centre.
Arrive in MelbourneDay 4
✈️8:30 AMFlight to Melbourne
Frequent domestic flights from Sydney (SYD) to Melbourne (MEL), one of the world's busiest air corridors.
✈️ ≈1h30 by flight · 443 mi
🏛️2:00 PMFlinders Street Station
The yellow Edwardian railway station whose clocks and dome are a city meeting point.
🚶 ~44 min · 🚗 ~6 min · 1.6 mi
🌆6:00 PMFitzroy
The city's oldest suburb, now a strip of Brunswick Street bars, record shops and street art.
Melbourne: Royal Exhibition BuildingDay 5
🏛️9:00 AMRoyal Exhibition Building
An 1880 exhibition hall in the Carlton Gardens, Australia's first UNESCO-listed building.
🚶 ~34 min · 🚗 ~4 min · 1.3 mi
🖼️1:30 PMNational Gallery of Victoria
Australia's oldest and most visited gallery, split between an international collection and Australian art at Federation Square.
🚋 Tram hop
🎟️6:00 PMLaneway street-art walking tour
A guided route through the CBD's stencil and mural lanes.
Arrive in Cairns / Great Barrier ReefDay 6
✈️8:30 AMFlight to Cairns / Great Barrier Reef
Direct domestic flights from Melbourne (MEL) north to Cairns (CNS).
✈️ ≈3h10 by flight · 1429 mi
🏛️2:00 PMKuranda Scenic Railway
A heritage railway that climbs through rainforest and past waterfalls to the village of Kuranda.
🚗 ~40 min · 11 mi
🌆6:00 PMCairns Esplanade
The palm-lined waterfront with a free saltwater swimming lagoon and boardwalk over the mudflats.
Cairns / Great Barrier Reef: Skyrail Rainforest CablewayDay 7
🏛️9:00 AMSkyrail Rainforest Cableway
A gondola gliding just above the rainforest canopy between Cairns and Kuranda.
🚗 ~30 min · 8.7 mi
🖼️1:30 PMCairns Aquarium
A regional aquarium focused on the ecosystems of the reef and tropical north Queensland.
🚌 Shuttle hop
🎟️6:00 PMGreat Barrier Reef snorkel and dive cruise
A day-boat to the outer reef with snorkelling and introductory dives.
This is how Petrel lays out a trip. Upload your own confirmations and it builds this for your dates: flights and hotels included, with live flight status and the travel time between stops.