Overview
Take a Trip to Great Barrier Reef on your Australia Vacation
Believed to have been formed 600,000 years ago, the Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system comprising a complex of reefs, coral cays, islands, mangroves, and seagrass beds, over an area of 133,000 sq-mi (344,468 sq-km). So vast is the site that it is the only living structure visible from space. It is home to 600 types of corals or three-quarters of the world's coral species, over 1,500 species of fish, and 4,000 types of mollusks, and the habitat of endangered species, including the dugong (sea cow), loggerhead turtle, and saltwater crocodile.
You can experience the beauty and variety of the reef in various ways. Snorkel and scuba dive along the coral reefs, sail along tropical islands, observe marine life from a glass-bottomed boat, and soar over the sights on a scenic helicopter ride. The Great Barrier Reef is accessible from various points along the Queensland Coast, including Cairns and Port Douglas. Mainland attractions on the reef include diving and snorkelling at Whitehaven Beach, hiking on Hamilton Island, and interactions with koalas and kangaroos at the Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas. The best time to visit the Great Barrier Reef is between May and October when humidity is low. October to May is 'stinger season' and requires wearing stinger suits for protection while swimming.
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27 Trips Found
Classic Australia: Sydney, Uluru, Reef & Melbourne
Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory, Ayers Rock (Uluru), Victoria, and MelbourneDiscover Australia on an independent journey through harbour, reef, desert and city, where vibrant culture meets extraordinary natural beauty.
12 days
From US$4,747/p.p.
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Essence of Australia: Sydney, Rock and Reef
Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory, Ayers Rock (Uluru), Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, and Bondi BeachDiscover the wonders of Australia on this journey! Experience Sydney’s famed landmarks, explore the majesty of Uluru, and snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.
11 days
From US$3,648/p.p.
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Aussie Fly & Stay: Melbourne, Great Barrier Reef & Sydney
Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Victoria, and MelbourneDiscover Australia on an air inclusive trip, mixing Independent and Small group touring, with coral reefs, ancient rainforest, wild coastlines, wildlife and harbour views.
12 days
From US$4,299/p.p.
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Australia: Wildlife, Great Barrier Reef & Rainforest
Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Great Barrier Reef, South Australia, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, and Bondi BeachDiscover the diverse beauty of Australia on this adventure! Experience Sydney's iconic sights, explore wildlife on Kangaroo Island, and snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.
10 days
From US$3,745/p.p.
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Pacific Coast Road Trip: Sydney to Cairns
Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Whitsundays, Brisbane, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Sydney, Sydney Opera House, and Bondi BeachSet off along Australia's captivating east coast, where vineyards meet golden sands. From Hunter Valley's wines to Cairns’ tropical allure, this classic road trip beckons.
20 days
From US$4,785/p.p.
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Classic Downunder: New Zealand & Australia
Victoria, Melbourne, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory, Ayers Rock (Uluru), Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Christchurch, Rotorua, and AucklandVenture through New Zealand and Australia, where ancient landscapes meet cities. From Auckland's museums to the Great Barrier Reef's wonders, each stop tells a story.
22 days
From US$8,457/p.p.
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Ultimate Australia: A Luxury Journey
Victoria, Melbourne, Queensland, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory, Ayers Rock (Uluru), Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, and Bondi BeachA luxury, private-guided Australia journey pairs harbour sparkle, ancient rainforest, red desert silence, and reef-blue horizons in one unforgettable escape.
15 days
From US$19,325/p.p.
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Australia Unveiled: Cities, Reef & Outback
Victoria, Melbourne, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory, Ayers Rock (Uluru), Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, and Bondi BeachDiscover Australia on a journey from Sydney and Melbourne's vibrant streets to Uluru, coral reefs and wild coastlines.
14 days
From US$4,785/p.p.
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perfect trip idea?
Request a custom quote.
Turn your travel dreams into reality with Goway. Our customized vacations take travellers to all corners of the world.
Classic Australia: Sydney, Uluru, Reef & Melbourne
Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory, Ayers Rock (Uluru), Victoria, and MelbourneDiscover Australia on an independent journey through harbour, reef, desert and city, where vibrant culture meets extraordinary natural beauty.
12 days
From US$4,747/p.p.
Request a Quote
Essence of Australia: Sydney, Rock and Reef
Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory, Ayers Rock (Uluru), Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, and Bondi BeachDiscover the wonders of Australia on this journey! Experience Sydney’s famed landmarks, explore the majesty of Uluru, and snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.
11 days
From US$3,648/p.p.
Request a Quote
Aussie Fly & Stay: Melbourne, Great Barrier Reef & Sydney
Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Victoria, and MelbourneDiscover Australia on an air inclusive trip, mixing Independent and Small group touring, with coral reefs, ancient rainforest, wild coastlines, wildlife and harbour views.
12 days
From US$4,299/p.p.
Request a Quote
Australia: Wildlife, Great Barrier Reef & Rainforest
Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Great Barrier Reef, South Australia, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, and Bondi BeachDiscover the diverse beauty of Australia on this adventure! Experience Sydney's iconic sights, explore wildlife on Kangaroo Island, and snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.
10 days
From US$3,745/p.p.
Request a Quote
Pacific Coast Road Trip: Sydney to Cairns
Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Whitsundays, Brisbane, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Sydney, Sydney Opera House, and Bondi BeachSet off along Australia's captivating east coast, where vineyards meet golden sands. From Hunter Valley's wines to Cairns’ tropical allure, this classic road trip beckons.
20 days
From US$4,785/p.p.
Request a Quote
Classic Downunder: New Zealand & Australia
Victoria, Melbourne, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory, Ayers Rock (Uluru), Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Christchurch, Rotorua, and AucklandVenture through New Zealand and Australia, where ancient landscapes meet cities. From Auckland's museums to the Great Barrier Reef's wonders, each stop tells a story.
22 days
From US$8,457/p.p.
Request a Quote
Ultimate Australia: A Luxury Journey
Victoria, Melbourne, Queensland, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory, Ayers Rock (Uluru), Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, and Bondi BeachA luxury, private-guided Australia journey pairs harbour sparkle, ancient rainforest, red desert silence, and reef-blue horizons in one unforgettable escape.
15 days
From US$19,325/p.p.
Request a Quote
Australia Unveiled: Cities, Reef & Outback
Victoria, Melbourne, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory, Ayers Rock (Uluru), Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, and Bondi BeachDiscover Australia on a journey from Sydney and Melbourne's vibrant streets to Uluru, coral reefs and wild coastlines.
14 days
From US$4,785/p.p.
Request a Quote
Don't see the
perfect trip idea?
Request a custom quote.
Turn your travel dreams into reality with Goway. Our customized vacations take travellers to all corners of the world.
What do the experts say?
Tasmania is under the radar for many travelers, but it’s great for hikes, natural landscapes and now modern art!
Sydney and Melbourne are a great combination for first-time visitors to Australia, with Brisbane, Adelaide and/or the Outback added in, depending on how much time you have. Returnees should take in Perth, Darwin and the Kakadu National Park area and/or Tasmania if they can, plus spend some time in the cities they loved the first time around
It might sound cliche, but you really can visit year-round. Australia is a big country, so there is always somewhere with amazing weather!
Goway’s trips to Australia are not stock itineraries. We can put together trips of a few weeks or a few months, allowing you to see as much of the land Downunder as you can. And we offer a mix of travel options, from self-drives to train journeys to long stays.
Goway has partnerships with many unique inns and hotels in Australia. Among the most memorable are Qualia on Hamilton Island, Longitude 131 at Uluru and Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island.
Underwater with fish and reef
Woman Diver looking at red soft coral.
Sea turtle swimming along deep blue ocean reef ...
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ExcellentBased on 5,306 ReviewsWe have used Goway several times to plan simple & more complicated trips. The last 2 trips we worked with Brooke Theron who is extremely customer focused. She listens well & is alway flexible to look at alternatives. We will continue using this representative & Goway.
Our only criticism is that they do not break down the various costs of a trip which makes tipping very awkward. It can also create a sense of " mistrust" when all the costs are not transparent. Cheryl HayesOur trip to Switzerland was an amazing experience. Our travel agent at GoWay, Bo was so helpful in helping my husband Louie plan just what we wanted to do on this trip. Taking the trains thru the county was easy by the many hours Louie and Bo worked on this. Also our helicopter ride in Zermatt on my birthday was just unbelievable. Flying around the Matterhorn and the Alps is one flight we will never forget. Thanks Bo for setting this up. The trip was one incredible adventure that we will never forget. Thanks again Bo, Lynn Gerber. Lynn GerberWe booked a Goway tour to Botswana and Zimbabwe and it was excellent. We worked with Brooke, the Goway represntative, to set up the tour and she was an outstanding agent who answered any questions we had very quickly and completely. Her hotel recommendation for the additional night we stayed was pefect.
Goway hires a local tour group, Jenman Safaris, to lead the safari in the 2 countries. The tour itself was amazing...the lodges that we stayed at were very nice and the food was great (except for one lodge's food). The Goway itinerary was slightly different than the actual Jenman Safari itinerary but most of the sites that we went to were the same as listed on the Goway itinerary. I would use Goway again because their choice of a local tour group was very good...nice lodges/camps and good food and knowledgeable tour guides.Ma FaOur GoWay tour representative, Michael Keon, was on top of all of our concerns and questions in a professional manner and we look forward to working with him in the future. Michael was very easy to work with and treated us like family.ThomasMatthew handled my honeymoon couple's very specific African itinerary like a pro! My clients went to four different travel agents who only wanted to send them on safaris. My clients had already done safaris and were specific on what they wanted to do and see. Matthew hit the nail on the head! Highly recommend!Amanda SchottSeamless prompt excellent communication from our first query about a possible destination to follow-up after the trip ended. Shalini’s knowledge, advice and enthusiasm were invaluable. JaneJacqueline Fagioli from Goaway Travel is excellent and very helpful and supportive. VenessaOur travel agent, Melissa Moses, created the perfect itinerary for our recent holiday to Portugal. Melissa had also planned our previous trip to England/Scotland. We have a great deal of confidence in her ability as she really listens to what we are looking for and she caters the plans according to our comfort levels and interests. customerJacqueline F. made our trip exceptional. Everything she planned or reserved worked out as it was supposed to. Croatia was amazing and I feel we were able to explore a lot of it because of Jacqueline.AllenThis was the first time we had utilized Goway. We wanted a custom itinerary for a 3 week Italy, Athens and Greek Island adventure. Edwina Brislane was receptive to our goals for the trip, had helpful suggestions and reacted well to our requested revisions. Lisa Dachuk helped "tie a ribbon" on the trip and ensured we had considered all aspects of the experience. Lisa dealt quickly with a couple of requests while on the trip and celebrated a successful trip with us.
We enjoyed working with both Edwina and Lisa. Their knowledge and enthusiasm contributed to our very memorable trip.Dan & Gail
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