How Long Do You Need For An Australian Vacation?

Perhaps because it is a single country, when people consider travel to Australia, they may think they can see it all in a relatively short time, especially if they are accustomed to travelling the likes of Europe or parts of South America. What they fail to realise is just how large and vast Australia is. Roughly three-quarters of the size of the USA, the country’s 6 states and 2 territories are each a destination in their own right.

Here are just some of those exceptional experiences, sprinkled across every corner of Australia: Award-winning wine regions and Kangaroo Island - South Australia; the Ningaloo Reef and The Kimberley - Western Australia; The Sydney Opera House and Blue Mountains - New South Wales; Queensland, home to the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest; Mouth-watering food fare in Melbourne and wildlife experiences on Phillip Island - Victoria; Uluru (formerly known Ayers Rock), Alice Springs and the Red Centre - Northern Territory; Incredible mountain ranges at Cradle Mountain and historic and vineyards of Hobart - Tasmania.

Trains, Planes & Automobiles

Depending on how you like to travel and how much you want to see, you may be able to cover a fair bit of distance during a 2 week trip to Australia, but you will be moving at a considerable pace. Then again, you could quite easily spend 2 weeks in Tasmania alone! Our fully customisable Australia packages are designed to either stand alone or to be pieced together so that you can experience the regions of Australia of your choice. 

There is an element of romanticism on a self-drive holiday - it makes it feel like you are truly on an adventure. You have the autonomy to stop and smell the (Desert) roses, dip your toes in the ocean and to take a detour every now and then when your curiosity is piqued. Those long drives give you the chance to play countless games, discuss life’s greatest questions, and quite honestly, give you a chance to reconnect with those on the journey with you. A self-drive holiday enables you to slow things down and connect with the spaces through which you pass and is a wonderful way to explore Australia if you've got the time. 

If escorted coach touring is more suited to your tastes, there are a number of these available covering different parts of the country, and sometimes combining with New Zealand to cover both regions on one bucket list trip! These will often involve a number of domestic (and international) flights to move between different regions/states. They vary in length from about 11-21 days and tend to cover the main highlights but do make for some long travel days and move quite quickly. That being said, you can just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride as your coach captain manages all the logistics of the trip! 

Have you read about some of Australia’s magnificent train journeys and would like to incorporate them into your itinerary? If so, you should consider that most of them span a number of days. They are a phenomenal way to experience the different destinations along your journey and they truly allow you to get to know the different corners of Australia. 

The Ghan, for example, can be done over 3 days/2 nights from Adelaide (South Australia) to Darwin (Northern Territory), but can also be done over 14 days/13 nights, stopping in Alice Springs, Kings Canyon, Uluru, Coober Pedy, Katherine National Park and more. 

The Indian Pacific takes you all the way from Sydney to Perth, crossing 4352km. The shortest time you can do it takes 4 days/3 nights, and there are a number of other longer experiences with more inclusions pleasing different interest groups. 

The Great Southern travels from Brisbane to Adelaide (or vice versa) showcasing rugged coastline, stunning beaches and cosmopolitan cities over 4 days/3nights. 

Speak to your travel specialist today about how you could weave one (or more!) of these into your holiday!

Location, location, location!

Are you doing a cruise that begins or ends in Perth and want to explore the region in a bit more depth, at a leisurely pace? If that’s the case, have a look at our 6 Day Australian West Coast Wonders tour. What if you would like to visit the east coast while also going to Uluru and the Red Centre? Consider our 11 Day Australian Pacific Coast tour with the 3 Day Uluru Escape add-on. This combo would see you visiting Sydney, Byron Bay, Gold Coast and Brisbane with many stops in between before experiencing the best of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. 

Are you interested in experiencing the Great Ocean Road? Yes, it is true, you can see it on a day tour from Melbourne, but if you have the time to spread it out over three or four nights you will take so much more out of the experience and see it through such a different (and less crowded) lens. We feel so strongly about this that we’ve created 2 tours just for this part of Australia! Great Ocean Road Classic 5 Day and 5 Day Great Ocean Road & Grampians Escape. 

Wherever you’d like to visit, you should consider dispersing a number of free days throughout your holiday itinerary to allow you to revisit the gems you discovered the day before, reschedule an activity if weather prevents it from going ahead as scheduled, or simply to catch your breath. There will likely be some long days as you travel between regions. So that you don’t come home needing a holiday from your holiday, taking it at a leisurely pace is a great idea!

If you are short on time, the best way to maximise what you can do and see is to have a rental car to do day trips (or join a day tour or excursion) and fly between major destinations. This means the majority of your time is spent exploring the destinations of your choice and actually experiencing them rather than driving from Point A to Point B. 

So, how long do you need for a holiday in Australia? If you are visiting as a stopover enroute to another destination, 5-7 days would allow you to explore 1-2 regions well; if you are wanting to see more, consider spending 11-21 days here. Speak to our team today about the best way to plan your Australian holiday!