Australia: From Sydney to the Outback and the Great Barrier Reef

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This itinerary covers the essence of Australia in fourteen days, from vibrant Sydney to the tropics of Cairns, with a detour to the heart of the Outback. It begins in Sydney, where the Opera House — a UNESCO World Heritage Site designed by Jørn Utzon in 1973 — and the Harbour Bridge define the most recognizable skyline in the southern hemisphere. The Blue Mountains, two hours to the west, offer the Three Sisters and the eucalyptus valleys that give the mist its blue tint. In Melbourne, the CBD's laneways are a canvas of street art, specialty cafes and the Italian heritage of Lygon Street. The Great Ocean Road, one of the world's most spectacular coastal drives, leads to the Twelve Apostles, limestone pillars rising from the Southern Ocean. An internal flight carries you to the Northern Territory, where Uluru — the 1,142-ft red rock sacred to the Anangu — turns orange at sunset. Bruce Munro's Field of Light spreads 50,000 bulbs over the desert. Finally, Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, the largest living organism on the planet with 1,400 miles of reefs, and the Daintree rainforest, the oldest in the world at 180 million years.