Queensland Cruise

Day 1 - Sydney

Arrive: Sat 08 March 2025 / Depart: Sat 08 March 2025 at 16:00

Sydney, capital of New South Wales and one of Australia's largest cities, is best known for its harbourfront Sydney Opera House, with a distinctive sail-like design. Massive Darling Harbour and the smaller Circular Quay port are hubs of waterside life, with the arched Harbour Bridge and esteemed Royal Botanic Garden nearby.

Day 2 - At Sea

Day 3 - Moreton Island, Australia

Arrive: Mon 10 March 2025 at 07:00 / Depart: Mon 10 March 2025 at 17:00

Moreton Island is just off the coast of southeastern Queensland, Australia. The protected sand island is known for its beaches and steep dunes, like Mount Tempest. On the west coast, a dive site features coral and tropical fish around a group of sunken boats called the Tangalooma Wrecks.

Day 4 - At Sea

Day 5 - Airlie Beach

Arrive: Wed 12 March 2025 at 07:00 / Depart: Wed 12 March 2025 at 16:00

Airlie Beach is your gateway to the Whitsunday Archipelago. These 74 islands feature pristine fringing reefs, calm, lagoon-like waters, and superb beaches. The archipelago is one of Australia's premier playgrounds. The Whitsundays were once mountains. Rising seas at the end of the Ice Age formed the Whitsunday Passage between the islands and the mainland.

Day 6 - Cairns

Arrive: Thu 13 March 2025 at 10:00 / Depart: Thu 13 March 2025 at 21:00

Cairns is one of Australia's hottest vacation destinations. Cairns boasts three of Australia's great natural wonders. Just offshore, immense bastions of living coral form the Great Barrier Reef. Sixteen miles of superb beaches stretch to the north of the city - the famed Marlin Coast. And inland lays the immense Daintree National Park. Cairns itself basks in tropical sunshine, balmy breezes waft in from Trinity Bay. The city's graceful, tree-lined esplanade was once the gateway to the gold fields of North Queensland. Cairns graceful, tree-lined esplanade was once the gateway to the gold fields of North Queensland. A travel tip - Cairns is pronounced "cans."

Day 7 - Port Douglas

Arrive: Fri 14 March 2025 at 08:00 / Depart: Fri 14 March 2025 at 18:00

In 1877, the aptly named James Venture Mulligan struck pay dirt on Hodgkinson River, igniting the fabled North Queensland Gold Rush. At the height of the boom, Port Douglas boasted 12,000 residents and 27 hotels. Bust inevitably followed boom, and Port Douglas slid into decades of obscurity. Then came a second gold rush in the 1980s as tourists flocked to the North Queensland Coast. Located between the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and the Great Barrier Reef, Port Douglas provides a perfect gateway to hardy adventurers en route to rainforest and reef. In addition to its nearby scenic wonders, Port Douglas boasts several resorts ranging from the Sheraton Mirage to the Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa in the heart of the rainforest.

Day 8 - Willis Island, Australia

Arrive: Sat 15 March 2025 at 09:00 / Depart: Sat 15 March 2025 at 10:00

This tiny island measures in at just 1,600 feet long by 490 feet wide, though it is the only permanently inhabited island in the Coral Sea Islands Territory. You won't find any neighborhoods, schools or homes here, however. The only structures on Willis Island comprise a weather monitoring station hosted by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, where just a handful of weather observers reside at any given time. Willis Island is one of several tropical islands sitting beyond the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea Islands Territory, and is surrounded by thriving reefs where many creatures make their homes. Numbering into the thousands, Willis Island itself caters to many species of seabirds, including Masked, Brown and Red-footed Boobies that cry out nearly 24 hours a day. It is also an important nesting ground for turtles.

Day 9 - At Sea

Day 10 - Brisbane

Arrive: Mon 17 March 2025 at 08:00 / Depart: Mon 17 March 2025

Once considered the "country cousin" among Australian cities, Brisbane is today the nation's third-largest metropolis - and one of the most desirable places to live in the country. Lying on the banks of the meandering Brisbane River, this cosmopolitan city boasts elegant 19th-century sandstone buildings, a lively cultural scene and superb parklands. Brisbane is also your gateway to uniquely Australian adventures, be it the theme parks of the Gold Coast or Queensland's dazzling beaches. The beaches south of Brisbane form Queensland's Gold Coast. Travel tip: Brisbane is pronounced "Bris-bin."