The Ultimate 3 Week Australia Itinerary!
So many people have told us they would love to visit Australia, but they only have a few weeks vacation time to see all the highlights. We get it, we can’t all take months off to go roaming around the world, and 3 weeks vacation is nothing to scoff at.
Luckily, you can see a lot on a 3 week trip to Australia, including some of the most iconic sites; Uluru (Ayers Rock), The Great Barrier Reef, The Sydney Opera House, and the Great Ocean Road, to name a few.
If you’re new to this blog and don’t know us, we’re Australian-born travel bloggers who spent 18 months exploring our own backyard, so when it comes to planning itineraries for Aus – we’re your people!
If you’re not sure where to go and what to see on a 3 week tour of Australia, then don’t worry, we we have put together the ultimate 3 week Australia itinerary so you can see the best of our country.
Table Of Contents
- The Ultimate Three Week Australia Itinerary
- Days 1 – 3: Sydney, NSW
- Days 4 – 6: Cairns, Far North Queensland
- Days 7 – 9: Road Trip Cairns to Cape Tribulation
- Day 7-8: Cairns to Port Douglas
- Day 9: The Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation
- Day 10: Fly to Alice Springs
- Days 11 – 15: Uluru & Red Centre Way
- Day 11: Alice Springs to Glen Helen Homestead
- Days 13 – 15: Uluru
- Day 16: Uluru to Alice Springs to Melbourne
- Days 16 – 18: The Great Ocean Road
- Days 19 – 21: Melbourne
- Is 3 weeks long enough in Australia?
- Before You Go
- Australia Highlights Videoes
- Pin To Save It On Pinterest
The Ultimate Three Week Australia Itinerary
The following itinerary is how we would spend three weeks if we hadn’t been to Australia before. It caters to first time visitors to Aus, but we’ve also included some hidden gems and non-touristy things to do, so if you have been before, you can still find a few places off the beaten path to exlpore.
It’s not set in stone and can be customised to your needs, budget, travel style and interests. We love beaches, native culture, nature, and incredible landscapes, so we’ve focused our attractions on that basis.
You might prefer more cities, or more time at the beach or want to visit some of Australia’s tropical islands, so use this as a guide and adjust it to suit you.
Take what you like, and leave the rest. We’ve provided lots of ideas for things to do in each place so you can pick and choose what feels right for you, and we also share some ideas for how to extend your trip if you decide to stay longer at the end of this guide.
Here is the route we will take:
To get around this itinerary, you will need to book internal flights to travel between major cities, and drive to get around.
So, you’re gonna need a rental car. We recommend Discover Cars as having the best booking platform for finding deals. It’s user friendly and backed by great customer service. I use them regularly for my car hires and love them. See rates and availability here.
If you are visiting multiple cities and attractions, then it may be a good idea to get an Australian Multi-City Flexible Attraction Pass. It can save you up to 40% off admission to Australia’s famous attractions, tours, cruises, and things to do all on one easy-to-use card.
Days 1 – 3: Sydney, NSW
When you visit Australia you can’t miss Sydney. In fact, it’s most likely the first place you will fly into!
Besides being Australia’s largest city (but not the capital), there are many reasons why Sydney, NSW is also the most visited.
The stunning harbourside location, iconic beaches, excellent restaurants, fantastic cafes and pubs, world heritage sites, terrific shopping, incredible festivals, a multicultural population, and good year-round weather.
So don’t just use Sydney as a gateway to Australia, with so much to see and experience give yourself three days.
How to get into Sydney from the airport
The first thing you’re going to want to know is how to get from the airport to the city. To do this, simply hop on the Sydney Airport Link Train, which takes 15 minutes or so.
The good news is you no longer need an Opal Card if you have a contactless payment card. You can simply tap your credit or debit card, or Apple or Google Pay, and use this to pay fares on trains, buses, ferries, and the light rail. It makes traveling around Sydney much easier.
Alternatively, catch an Uber. The airport link is expensive, so sometimes an Uber works out to be about the same price and is more convenient as you can take it directly to the hotel. You can do a price estimate through the Uber app before you request it to double check
Once you’re in the city, I suggest you book your accommodation in the Sydney CBD so you’re centrally located to all the best attractions and make the most of your visit.
You’ll find several of Sydney’s highlights can be taken in for free or cheap simply by walking around this district.
Things to do in Sydney
During your three days in Sydney, here are some of the attractions we recommend you visit. You may want to use your first day as an orientation day.
Get yourself an esim card, walk around the CBD and check out the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge.
For the other two days, here’s what we suggest you do.
- Walk Around Circular Quay – The best place to start your visit is in Circular Quay, the main transport hub of Sydney Harbour and where two of Australia’s most famous landmarks reside; Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Consider taking a 1 hour tour of the Opera House. Otherwise, just wander around and take your “I was here” photo.
- Royal Botanic Gardens – you can’t beat the serenity and harbour views from these gardens. Have a picnic or take a walk and admire the many different types of plants and city views on a free self-guided walking tour.
- Explore The Rocks District – The Rocks District is a historic area of Sydney and my favourite part of the CBD. It’s home to Sydney’s oldest pubs, cobblestone streets, weekend markets, and views of the harbour.
- Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge – climbing one of the most famous bridges in the world is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Take either dawn, day, twilight, or night climb and take in the breathtaking views. (Book well in advance).
- Walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge – a cheaper option than climbing is to simply walk across for FREE and take in the same views on a lower level. Or visit the Pylon Lookout and get fantastic views plus 3 levels of exhibits to learn about the history of the Bridge.
- Bondi Beach to Coogee Coastal Walk – one of my favourite free things to do in Sydney. A stunning coastal walk and the perfect way to spend a gorgeous few hours in Sydney.
- Catch the ferry to Manly – a cheap way to experience beautiful Sydney Harbour with stunning views of the city is to catch the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly and back. In Manly, walk down the palm tree-lined Corso towards the beach for an ice-cream, walk around to picturesque Shelly Beach, or grab a cold beer at Manly Wharf Hotel. Time your return ferry trip back to the Quay to coincide with the sunset behind the harbour bridge.
- Surry Hills – walk around one of Sydney’s most artistically-vibrant neighbourhoods with old terrace homes, a great mix of cafes, restaurants, wine bars, and pubs. Wander Crown Street, Bourke Street, and Cleveland Street.
- Queen Victoria Building – Located on George street. The place to go for the finest fashion boutiques, jewellery, and homeware, plus cafes and restaurants.
- Darling Harbour – lively harbourside precinct just a 10-minute walk from the CBD and has cafes, bars, restaurants, a large kids playground and a program of fantastic free Sydney entertainment every week
- Walk through Hyde Park – Australia’s oldest park and the city’s central open green space. The park contains St Mary’s cathedral plus numerous monuments and statues, and the central pathway through the park is an impressive fig-lined road.
- Hit the beaches – Sydney is famous for its beaches, which are great free things to do in Sydney. From the Northern Beaches to the Eastern Suburbs you have many great beaches to explore. Our favourites: Bronte and Coogee in the eastern suburbs – and you must visit the famous Bondi Beach at least once. Manly, Freshwater, and Palm Beach are on the northern beaches.
- Taronga Zoo – A wide variety of Aussie and international animals with keeper talks and animal encounters makes for a great half-day as a family outing in Sydney. Catch the ferry from Circular Quay to Taronga Zoo which is situated in a natural bushland setting with spectacular views over the harbour. Get tickets in advance here.
- Sydney Tower – it’s expensive to go up to the top of Sydney Tower, the city’s tallest free-standing structure standing at 309 m (1,014 ft) above the CBD, but it’s worth it. It has an observation deck with awesome views of the skyline. Get fast track entry tickets here.
Operation Bernhard
Podcast Transcript Wars can be fought in many different ways. Ultimately, they are resolve…
