Australia Itinerary: 7 Days in Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns / Great Barrier Reef
This route trades the whole continent's scale for its three most rewarding bases, linked by short domestic flights. Sydney opens on its harbour and beaches, Melbourne answers with laneways, galleries and coffee, and Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and the ancient Daintree rainforest. Seven days is enough to feel the contrast between the country's two great rival cities and its tropical far north without spending days on the road.
Australia had 7.2 million international arrivals (2023, short-term visitor arrivals, Australian Bureau of Statistics / Tourism Research Australia). Last reviewed 2026-08-21.
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
🚋 Tram hop
🏛️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
🚌 Shuttle hop
🏛️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.
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Best time to goSouthern 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.
Recommended splitSydney 3d · Melbourne 2d · Cairns / Great Barrier Reef 2d
Local tip: Book the two internal flights early and reef day-trips a day or two ahead, and remember the seasons are reversed, so December to February is peak summer heat in the south.
Sydney, 3 days
Beyond the Opera House and the Bridge, Sydney rewards slower wandering: the sandstone lanes of The Rocks, the terrace-lined creative quarters of Surry Hills and Newtown, and a chain of harbour and ocean walks. Three days leave room for its major art collections and a coastal cliff walk alongside the obvious icons.
Neighborhoods to base yourself inThe Rocks. The city's oldest quarter below the Harbour Bridge, a grid of convict-era sandstone lanes, pubs and weekend markets.Surry Hills. A terrace-house neighbourhood of design shops, cafes and small bars just south of the centre.Newtown. A bohemian inner-west strip along King Street known for street art, live music and vintage stores.Manly. A relaxed ocean-and-harbour beach suburb reached by a classic ferry ride across the harbour.
LandmarksQueen Victoria Building. A restored 1898 Romanesque shopping arcade under a great stained-glass dome.St Mary's Cathedral. A twin-spired sandstone Gothic Revival cathedral facing Hyde Park.Hyde Park Barracks. A Georgian convict barracks by architect Francis Greenway, now a UNESCO-listed museum of Australia's penal past.
Nature and outdoorsRoyal Botanic Garden. Harbourside gardens wrapping Farm Cove, with the Mrs Macquarie's Point lookout at their tip.Bondi to Coogee coastal walk. A six-kilometre clifftop path past ocean pools and surf beaches on the eastern shore.Taronga Zoo. A harbourside zoo on the north shore with Australian wildlife and skyline views.
MuseumsArt Gallery of New South Wales. The state gallery, strong in Australian, Aboriginal and Asian art, expanded by the Sydney Modern building.Australian Museum. The country's oldest museum, covering natural history and First Nations cultures.Museum of Contemporary Art. An Art Deco building at Circular Quay showing contemporary Australian and international work.
Worth a guided tourHarbour Bridge climb tour. A guided ascent of the steel arch to the summit above the harbour.Harbour kayak tour. A paddling tour of the coves and beaches around the harbour foreshore.Blue Mountains day tour. A trip west to the eucalyptus valleys and Three Sisters escarpment.
Getting around SydneyTrains, buses and light rail use the tap-on Opal card, but the harbour ferries are the scenic way to move and reach Manly.
Melbourne, 2 days
Getting here: Flight, Frequent domestic flights from Sydney (SYD) to Melbourne (MEL), one of the world's busiest air corridors.
Australia's cultural capital hides its best self in graffiti-splashed laneways, Victorian arcades and a ring of leafy neighbourhoods. Two days cover its world-class galleries, the garden belt around the centre and the espresso culture that made the city's name, with the Great Ocean Road within day-trip reach.
Neighborhoods to base yourself inFitzroy. The city's oldest suburb, now a strip of Brunswick Street bars, record shops and street art.Southbank. The Yarra's south bank arts precinct, home to the promenade and the main performing-arts venues.St Kilda. A bayside suburb with a historic pier, foreshore promenade and a small penguin colony on the breakwater.Hosier Lane. The best known of the CBD's ever-changing street-art laneways.
LandmarksFlinders Street Station. The yellow Edwardian railway station whose clocks and dome are a city meeting point.Royal Exhibition Building. An 1880 exhibition hall in the Carlton Gardens, Australia's first UNESCO-listed building.Shrine of Remembrance. A monumental war memorial in the Domain gardens with city and bay views from its terrace.
Nature and outdoorsRoyal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Sweeping lakeside gardens beside the Yarra with a native rainforest gully and lawns.Fitzroy Gardens. A formal Victorian park of avenues and fern gullies holding the transplanted Cooks' Cottage.Dandenong Ranges. Fern-filled forest hills of tall mountain ash east of the city, home to the Puffing Billy steam railway.
MuseumsNational Gallery of Victoria. Australia's oldest and most visited gallery, split between an international collection and Australian art at Federation Square.Melbourne Museum. A natural-history and cultural museum in Carlton with the Bunjilaka Aboriginal cultural centre.ACMI. The Australian Centre for the Moving Image, devoted to film, television and digital culture.
Worth a guided tourLaneway street-art walking tour. A guided route through the CBD's stencil and mural lanes.Coffee culture tour. A walk through the roasters and cafes behind Melbourne's espresso reputation.Great Ocean Road day tour. A coastal drive to the Twelve Apostles sea stacks and rainforest lookouts.
Getting around MelbourneThe extensive tram network covers the centre, with the free City Circle tram inside the CBD and Myki cards elsewhere.
Cairns / Great Barrier Reef, 2 days
Getting here: Flight, Direct domestic flights from Melbourne (MEL) north to Cairns (CNS).
Tropical Cairns is the launch point for two of Australia's great natural wonders sitting side by side: the Great Barrier Reef offshore and the Daintree, the world's oldest surviving rainforest, to the north. Two days allow a full reef day-trip and a rainforest excursion, bookended by the city's waterfront lagoon.
Neighborhoods to base yourself inCairns Esplanade. The palm-lined waterfront with a free saltwater swimming lagoon and boardwalk over the mudflats.Palm Cove. A quiet beach village of melaleuca trees north of the city, a base for reef and reef-island trips.Port Douglas. A resort town an hour north where the reef and the Daintree meet, and the jumping-off point for outer-reef cruises.
LandmarksKuranda Scenic Railway. A heritage railway that climbs through rainforest and past waterfalls to the village of Kuranda.Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. A gondola gliding just above the rainforest canopy between Cairns and Kuranda.
Nature and outdoorsGreat Barrier Reef. The world's largest coral reef system and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, reached by day-cruises to the outer reef.Daintree Rainforest. An estimated 180-million-year-old lowland tropical rainforest, the oldest continuously surviving on earth.Green Island. A coral cay with reef and rainforest a short catamaran ride offshore.Cape Tribulation. The headland where the Daintree rainforest meets the reef along a wild tropical coast.Barron Falls. A dramatic gorge waterfall near Kuranda, thunderous after tropical rain.
MuseumsCairns Aquarium. A regional aquarium focused on the ecosystems of the reef and tropical north Queensland.Cairns Museum. A local-history museum in the old School of Arts building covering the region's gold, timber and Aboriginal past.
Worth a guided tourGreat Barrier Reef snorkel and dive cruise. A day-boat to the outer reef with snorkelling and introductory dives.Daintree and Cape Tribulation tour. A guided trip north through the rainforest with a river cruise for crocodiles.Kuranda rainforest day tour. A loop up on the scenic railway and back down by cableway to the canopy village.
Getting around Cairns / Great Barrier ReefThe compact centre is walkable, but reef cruises leave from the marina and rainforest sites to the north are best reached by tour or hire car.
The full plan as text
The same day-by-day plan, expandable day by day. Times are starting points, not homework.
Day 1: Sydney: Queen Victoria Building
9:00 AMQueen Victoria Building
A restored 1898 Romanesque shopping arcade under a great stained-glass dome.
1:30 PMArt Gallery of New South Wales
The state gallery, strong in Australian, Aboriginal and Asian art, expanded by the Sydney Modern building.
6:00 PMThe Rocks
The city's oldest quarter below the Harbour Bridge, a grid of convict-era sandstone lanes, pubs and weekend markets.
Day 2: Sydney: St Mary's Cathedral
9:00 AMSt Mary's Cathedral
A twin-spired sandstone Gothic Revival cathedral facing Hyde Park.
1:30 PMRoyal Botanic Garden
Harbourside gardens wrapping Farm Cove, with the Mrs Macquarie's Point lookout at their tip.
6:00 PMHarbour Bridge climb tour
A guided ascent of the steel arch to the summit above the harbour.
Day 3: Sydney: Hyde Park Barracks
9:00 AMHyde Park Barracks
A Georgian convict barracks by architect Francis Greenway, now a UNESCO-listed museum of Australia's penal past.
1:30 PMAustralian Museum
The country's oldest museum, covering natural history and First Nations cultures.
6:00 PMSurry Hills
A terrace-house neighbourhood of design shops, cafes and small bars just south of the centre.
Day 4: Arrive in Melbourne
8:30 AMFlight to Melbourne
Frequent domestic flights from Sydney (SYD) to Melbourne (MEL), one of the world's busiest air corridors.
2:00 PMFlinders Street Station
The yellow Edwardian railway station whose clocks and dome are a city meeting point.
6:00 PMFitzroy
The city's oldest suburb, now a strip of Brunswick Street bars, record shops and street art.
Day 5: Melbourne: Royal Exhibition Building
9:00 AMRoyal Exhibition Building
An 1880 exhibition hall in the Carlton Gardens, Australia's first UNESCO-listed building.
1:30 PMNational Gallery of Victoria
Australia's oldest and most visited gallery, split between an international collection and Australian art at Federation Square.
6:00 PMLaneway street-art walking tour
A guided route through the CBD's stencil and mural lanes.
Day 6: Arrive in Cairns / Great Barrier Reef
8:30 AMFlight to Cairns / Great Barrier Reef
Direct domestic flights from Melbourne (MEL) north to Cairns (CNS).
2:00 PMKuranda Scenic Railway
A heritage railway that climbs through rainforest and past waterfalls to the village of Kuranda.
6:00 PMCairns Esplanade
The palm-lined waterfront with a free saltwater swimming lagoon and boardwalk over the mudflats.
Day 7: Cairns / Great Barrier Reef: Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
9:00 AMSkyrail Rainforest Cableway
A gondola gliding just above the rainforest canopy between Cairns and Kuranda.
1:30 PMCairns Aquarium
A regional aquarium focused on the ecosystems of the reef and tropical north Queensland.
6:00 PMGreat Barrier Reef snorkel and dive cruise
A day-boat to the outer reef with snorkelling and introductory dives.
Make this Australia trip yours
Forward your real booking confirmations to Petrel and it builds this exact day-by-day view for you: flights, hotels, reservations, live flight status, and the travel time between stops. Under a minute.
Start your free tripFirst trip free. No account, no credit card.