From Sydney to Cairns, we’ll explore the best of Australia’s East Coast in an epic 6 week adventure. From Sydney’s city vibes to the surf culture of Bondi Beach, we’ll experience everything this amazing city has to offer before starting our Ultimate Australia East Coast adventure! Chill in Byron Bay, explore Fraser Island by 4×4, sail the Whitsundays, snorkel the Great Barrier Reef and everything in between – we’ll check everything off your Aussie bucket list!
This trip is a great way to start your adventure in Australia! Whether for a working holiday or just a trip around the country East Coast Adventure is the perfect introduction to the Aussie way of life.
The minimum age to join this trip is 18.
– Sydney Harbour Cruise, Bondi Beach Day, Wine & Cheese Night + Rooftop Yoga
– Byron Bay Yoga, Cheese & Wine Night, Lighthouse Walk & Surf Lesson
– Magnetic Island Adventure incl return ferry transfer & Guided Fort’s Walk
– 2 day / 2 night Whitsunday Island Sailing
– Brisbane City Tour & Streets Beach
– 3 day / 2 night All inclusive Fraser Island Tour
You will be travelling with a group of fun, exciting and interesting people from everywhere in the world! And you can easily make new friends along the trip.
Small groups, insider access, and personal freedom to follow the whim of the moment are the order of the day, every day.
Groups sizes are usually between 5 – 22 people with most groups even celebrating reunions years after their trip! Chat with other people from your group before you leave home!
All visitors to Australia (excepting those from New Zealand) will require a visa or e-visa/ETA to enter. These must be applied for before departure, and if you’re planning on working in Australia whilst you’re out here you’ll need a Working Holiday Visa. If you are just heading to Australia for fun however, an ETA will suffice. Both visas can be applied for online. Please feel free to contact us if you need any more information.
Also, check out the general Australian visa requirement here.
Sure! We recommend searching and comparing flight prices using Skyscanner.com.
Travel insurance is highly recommended for all of our trips in Australia. You can get this in the Insurance section of our site.
If your start date is more than 40 days away, you can secure your spot by paying a 10% deposit.
Simply select the ‘deposit’ option when you Check out. We’ll hold you a spot on your chosen start date and send you a link to pay the remaining amount.
The balance must be paid in full at least 40 days prior to your tour start date. If you are booking within 40 days of your start date the deposit option is not available so you need to pay in full.
We’ll organise your airport transfer so your arrival into Sydney will be smooth and easy. You will need to go to a pre-set meeting point at Sydney airport and a greeter will direct you to the shuttle bus which will take you directly to your hostel to begin your East Coast adventure!
The Ultimate Australia East Coast Adventure tour departs from Sydney on Monday on Day 1 of the itinerary (04:00 pm). It’s best to arrive on the actual start date.
Arriving early? Choose to add additional pre-tour nights when you book with us, or chat with our res team to organise extra nights.
Your Aussie adventure kicks off in Sydney! When you land, our driver will take you directly to your accommodation – one of Sydney’s award-winning backpacker hostels. Settle in and get ready for your epic adventure in the land down under! Today, join us at the office where you’ll meet the rest of your group. We’ll talk you through the plans for the next few weeks, answer any questions you have and introduce you to the crew. Next, we’ll take you on a guided city walk; think selfies in front of Sydney Opera House, lunch in Darling Harbour, lush Botanical Gardens and China Town. This evening we’ll take you to our favourite backpacker bar for our Welcome dinner.
16:00 | Start point: Haymarket New South Wales 2000, Australia.
Today, we explore Sydney Harbour on our private catamaran! We’ll cruise under The Harbour Bridge and past the Opera House stopping off at one of Sydney’s hidden bays for a swim. Enjoy your first Aussie BBQ, jump into the warm harbour waters and sip on a few chilled beers in the sunshine! What better way to spend your first two days in Sydney?
This morning, leave the city behind and head to the world famous shores of Bondi. Your modern beach hostel is in prime position, overlooking Bondi beach. Watch the surfers, take a dip in the clear blue waters, spot ‘Bondi Rescue’s’ Lifeguards or take part in a yoga class on the rooftop of your hostel. This evening, enjoy a ‘cheese and wine night’ with new mates. You’ll have two days here so unpack, unwind and soak up the beachy vibes of Bondi!
Please note: Days 3-5 are unguided however the Travel Crew are always here to help throughout!
This morning join an optional surf lesson in Bondi (add-on) or check out the boutique shops in Bondi’s laneways before washing the sand off your feet and heading back to the city. Spend the next day chilling, take a stroll over the top of The Harbour Bridge, hop on a ferry to Manly or join a day trip to The Blue Mountains (add-on). This evening, get ready for the ultimate party night! We’ll take you on a pub crawl of the best backpacker bars and clubs in Sydney.
There’s no better way to shake off last night’s hangover than with some fresh sea air! After a little lie-in, we’ll take you on the famous Coogee to Bondi coastal walk, stopping off at five stunning beaches and coves along the way. Just another reason to fall in love with Sydney!
This evening, we begin our East Coast adventure. We’ll travel overnight by luxury air-conditioned bus – complete with Wifi, USB ports and reclining seats – to our first destination, Byron Bay. Sit back, relax and get ready for your epic East Coast adventure!
Byron Bay is famous for it’s amazing beaches, laid-back-surfer attitude and boho vibes. Here we’ll explore the relaxed town and some of the many beautiful beaches in the area as well as the famous Byron Lighthouse, standing at the most easterly point of the Australian mainland. Embrace the surfer vibes of Byron with a professional surf lesson. Keen for more? Get up close with friendly wild dolphins on a dolphin kayaking tour or check out the alternative hippie hub of Nimbin (add-ons).
This morning, we’ll hop on the bus to Surfers Paradise: where long stretches of stunning sandy beaches meet high rise buildings and never-ending nightlife! By day we’ll explore the town and beaches and at night, we’ll get dressed up and head to some of our favourite party bars and clubs for the real Surfers experience! If you love theme parks, your tour guide can also help you organise a visit Dreamworld, The Gold Coast’s most famous theme park (optional).
After a short journey North of the Gold Coast, we’ll arrive at our Brisbane accommodation, right in the city centre. We’ll spend the next two days checking out some of Brisbane’s hotspots including Street’s Beach (Brisbane’s man-made city lagoon), Brisbane River and the cultural hub of the South bank. You’ll also have the option to head to the famous Australia Zoo to see some amazing wildlife! (add-on).
If being surrounded by tropical greenery and beautiful beaches is your cup of tea, you’ll love Noosa! We’ll hike through National Park to lookouts boasting incredible views over Noosa’s spectacular coastline, stopping off to spot amazing Australian wildlife along the way. Your hostel has it all; chill by the resort pool or enjoy a few cold ones at the bar. Anyone fancy a game of beer pong?
This morning, we arrive at Rainbow beach, the gateway to Fraser Island. We’ll check into our hostel and head out for a short hike to Carlo Sand Blow, a unique sand mass where you can watch the sunset over the southern tip of Fraser Island! The next morning, we’ll head to Tin Can Bay, home to wild humpback dolphins where you’ll get the opportunity to hand feed the resident pod of dolphins. The rest of the day is yours to chill on the beach, explore Rainbow or relax at the hostel. This evening you’ll recieve a safety briefing at our hostel, ready for your Fraser Island adventure the following day!
Welcome to World Heritage listed Fraser Island, the world’s largest sand island! You’ll be spending the next few days on this island paradise, exploring sand dunes by 4×4, driving through lush rainforest, swimming in crystal clear lakes, spotting rare Aussie wildlife and hiking to headlands for incredible 360 views of the island. At night, we’ll set up camp at our own private campsite just metres from the beach. After an epic few days on Fraser Island we return to Rainbow beach for the night. But the adventure doesn’t stop here! Next stop: Town of 1770
This evening, we arrive in the small coastal town of 1770, named after the second landing sight of Captain James Cook. We’ll check in to our accommodation, spark up the barbie and gather around the fire pit for some wood-fired marshmallows. Keen to explore the area? Join 1770’s famous scooter tour of the town; get tattoed up, put on a leather flame jacket and channel your inner biker (add-on). This evening, we’ll hop on the bus, waking up in Airlie Beach!
Today we arrive in Airlie Beach, the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands! We’ll check into our hostel in the centre of town and check out the harbourfront. Soak up the atmosphere – we’re in paradise! Our next few days will be spent sailing around the Whitsunday Islands. We’ll snorkel in pristine blue waters, getting up close with an abundance of tropical fish and visit some of the whitest sandy beaches in the world. The views here are breathtaking! Our home for the next few days is a Maxi Sailing yacht, where we’ll eat delicious food, party and sleep in comfortable beds below deck (or under the stars!) – it doesn’t get any better than this!
This morning, we return to the tropical bliss of Airlie beach where we’ll spend the next two nights. Later on, we’ll head to the bar for our post-island party; eat, drink and be merry as we reminisce on our past few days in paradise! Wander to Airlie’s harbourfront lagoon for a dip, explore the surrounding national park or see the Whitsundays from the air on the Whitsunday Heli Experience.
Just a short ferry crossing from Townsville, we’ll arrive in Maggie island, a gorgeous tropical haven with heaps to see and do! Explore the many bays and golden sandy beaches, snorkel the pristine island waters, take the guided Fort’s walk offering incredible views of the island and come up close with koalas and wallabies at our hostels on-site wildlife park. In the evening, we’ll enjoy a few drinks and games at our hostel bar. Feeling adventurous? Take your new mates on a tour of the island in a 4WD ‘barbie’ car (available for daily hire). The photo opportunities are endless!
This afternoon we leave Magnetic Island and travel to the beautiful beachside town of Mission beach where the reef and rainforest meet. The sunrise here in Tropical North Queensland is magical! We’ll rise early the following morning and hike into the neighbouring National Park, part of the traditional country of The Djiru Aboriginal people. Feeling adventurous? Mission beach is also home to Australia’s highest (15,000ft!) and most popular skydiving spot – an experience not to be missed for the adrenaline junkies out there! Because where else can you jump out of a plane, fly over reef and land on the beach!? Pre-book your skydive (add-on) or arrange with the help of your guide as you travel, no worries! You also have the option of joining our awesome white water rafting adventure in Tully, just a short distance from Mission Beach! (add-on)
This evening we arrive in Cairns, our final stop along the East Coast and the Ultimate backpacker destination – you are in for a treat! Our resort style accommodation is one of the best in Cairns, with luxury air-conditioned en-suite dorm rooms, a huge pool and daily entertainment. Sit back, relax, and prepare for the next few exciting days!
Our first adventure in Cairns takes us to the Tablelands region where we’ll spend the day swimming under waterfalls, sliding down natural rock slides and spotting shy platypuses in the wild.
The next day, we explore the famous Great Barrier Reef. We’ll cruise to the outer reef to snorkel with inquisitive Nemos, stingrays, turtles and friendly Maori Wrasse and learn all about the diverse marinelife of the reef. When we’re not exploring the rainforest and reef, we’ll hang out at Cairn’s famous harbourfront lagoon, hit the local bars and party the night away at our hostel’s very own club! On our last night we’ll meet for a farewell dinner and reflect on an epic 6 weeks of Aussie East Coast fun!
Whether you plan to stay in the tropics, travel elsewhere in Australia or onto a different destination, your tour guide and the crew in Sydney will be here to support you and help you plan your adventure!
10:00am | End point: Cairns, Gilligan’s Backpackers Hotel & Resort, 57 Grafton St., Cairns, Queensland 4870, Australia.
We’ll pre-arrange your Airport Shuttle and email you a voucher with details instructions and contact number in case you get stuck. Your driver will be waiting at the ‘Meeting Point’ in the Sydney Airport arrivals area, just outside the customs area. You’ll be dropped-off at your hostel in no time.
Sydney City Tour & Welcome Dinner
Sydney Harbour Cruise
Explore Bondi Beach
Bondi Beach Day, Wine & Cheese Night + Rooftop Yoga
Sydney Party Night
Guided Coastal Walk from Coogee to Bondi
Byron Bay Yoga, Cheese & Wine Night, Lighthouse Walk & Surf Lesson
Byron Bay Beach & City Tour
Surfers Paradise Beach & City Tour
Brisbane City Tour & Streets Beach
Noosa Headland Walk
Dolphin Encounter in Rainbow Beach
Rainbow Beach Sand Blow Walk
3 day / 2 night All inclusive Fraser Island Tour ($15 insurance levy payable locally + $10 optional sleeping bag hire)
Discover Town of 1770 + Hostel camp fire
2 day / 2 night Whitsunday Island Sailing – departs Airlie Beach
Airlie Beach post cruise party
Magnetic Island Adventure incl return ferry transfer & Guided Fort’s Walk
Visit Mission Beach
Visit Cairns Lagoon
1 day Great Barrier Reef Snorkel Trip ($20 reef conservation levy payable locally)
1 day Atherton Tablelands Waterfalls tour.
40 nights accommodation + 2 nights overnight bus
You’ll be staying in our favourite hostels in Sydney and along the East Coast, a private campsite by the beach and 2 nights on a luxury boat!
9 x Breakfast, 7 x Lunch, 7 x Dinner + Wine & Cheese Night
This tour offers Vegetarian and Vegan food options on request. Simply let our Customer Support team know the food option that you prefer.
Your Australia East Coast guide will be travelling with you from start to finish and available 24/7. Our guides are experienced, first-aid trained, professional, fun and have expert local knowledge – they will show you the best time!
All transfers included.
Return travel to Bondi.
Travel Pass (Sydney to Cairns).
Return transfers to Fraser Island.
Return ferry to Magnetic Island.
International flights not included.
We recommend searching and comparing flight prices using SkyScanner.com or contact us for a great flight deal.
Travel Insurance is NOT included, however it is mandatory for you to have travel insurance for the duration of your tour. If you require travel insurance, Grabatour Travel has partnered up with World Nomads to provide a hassle-free experience. More information can be found here.
Whilst our tours are jam-packed with awesome activities, you may choose to add our optional activities to your booking.
You can pre-book optional activities guaranteeing availability on your chosen departure date or organise any additional activities with your tour guide as you travel, for the same price (subject to tour availability.) Check out some of our popular optional extras and simply add them to your booking at checkout. These are bookable before you go or through your tour guide on the road.
Bondi Beach Surf Lesson
Blue Mountains Day Tour
Dolphin Sea Kayak Tour
Nimbin Tour
One Day Ticket Dream World
Australia Zoo 1 Day
Self-Guided Noosa Everglades Kayak
Adventure Scooteroo 1770 Mini Chopper Motorbike Tour
Whitsundays Helicopter Experience
Tully Full Day White Water Rafting
Skydive Mission Beach
Day Tour to Cape Tribulation.
Of course you are – anyone would be – and of course we will! We completely understand you because we’ve been you.
One thing about our tours that amazes us the most is how close our travellers get on tour, and how they become one big, tight-knit family at the end.
We have people who were in the same tour group with us a year ago, who are still travelling the world together now! Everyone’s in the same boat, and you will make friends for life.
Yes you do! If you’re coming here just as a tourist to visit Australia, you’ll need a Visitor Visa.
If you’re coming here to work while you’re on holiday, you’ll need either a Working Holiday Visa (417) or a Work and Holiday Visa (462), depending on which country you’re from.
You can find more information and a list of the various visas HERE.
We recommend organising this as soon as possible.
The application can be completed through your travel agent, or directly through the same Australian Government website as above.
We always recommend checking Australian Government website for any specific enquiries.
Absolutely! It doesn’t matter if you’re coming to this beautiful country to work, visit friends or family, study, sunbathe with the kangaroos or perfect your Australian accent. All of our travellers will still get the full package: a lifetime membership to our wonderful little travel family, a week full of food, friends and fun and any support you may need along the way.
Our tours cater for people aged 18-39 years old. The average age varies each week and that’s what we love about it.
The $99 deposit is required to secure your booking. But don’t worry! Full payment is only required 28 days before your departure date, which gives you time to save money for it!
However, if you make a booking within 28 days of your departure date, you will need to pay the full amount at the time of booking.
We also want to be flexible – so if you pay your deposit and later realise you have to change your date, don’t panic.
You can change the date of your booking, unlimited times and subject to availability, up until 28 days before your departure date. Please note that date changes made between 28 – 15 days before your departure date will incur a $50 fee, and changes made 14 days or less prior to departure are not possible.
Expect the best experience ever!
As long as you’re polite and friendly then you’ll be fine. To get the best out of your experience we recommend talking to people in your dorm as soon as possible. Travel broadens the mind and that is mainly because of people you meet. Listen to where they’ve been, what they’ve loved, what they recommend, their funniest stories, all of it! This will be you in a few months!
Sure, from time to time you may have a cliché guitar player, a loud snorer or a 6am deodorant-sprayer (you’ll know what I mean soon!) but that’s all part of travelling and the people you meet will be a big part of your stories and travel experiences!
All dorms have lockers, but you will need to buy a small padlock to use them.
We aim to try and get everyone in the same dorm, but if you have any special requests such as, you want to be in an all female dorm or you want to upgrade to your own room. Then will be able to assist you.
1 breakfast, 3 dinners and 3 lunches are included as part of the tour, as well as some delicious tastings. Outside of that, you’ll be able to find lunch for between $6-15 and dinner for $10-$20. If you want to save money, you can always team up with people and cook dinners at the hostel!
For drinks, the welcome dinner will include a drink, and you’ll be given another four during the bar crawl – how good is that! Outside of that, drinks usually cost between $7-11 but we can also point you in the direction of plenty of places with happy hours offering drinks for $5-6.
Because accommodation, activities and some food and drink is already included, we would suggest that $200-$250 of extra spending money during your week with us will be enough!
This depends on trip length, your travel style (backpacker or flashpacker) and what you are wanting to experience here in Australia.
According to the Australian Government, you need $5,000AUD in your bank account on arrival if you’re coming on a Working Holiday visa. This is a good savings target if you are wanting to either travel for a month or set yourself up for working and living in Australia after the Sydney Gap Year: Working Holiday Intro week.
However, everybody is different and to give yourself the best chance of experiencing as many things as possible in Australia, we would recommend just saving up as much as possible before you come travelling.
That’s up to you! Everyone has different plans for their time in Australia. You might even find that your plans may change halfway during the tour after meeting some new friends.
Either way, our team is here to support you before, during and after the welcome week. Whether it’s work or travel you’re looking to organise or get advice on, we’ll be able to help you.
We will go through options that suit you specifically in the one-on-one sessions on the Saturday of the tour. We then have our Travel Experience Team who will be there to help you throughout your whole time in Australia!
Of course! During our travel presentation, we will give you an overview of all the beautiful and exciting destinations and experiences around Australia.
Following this, during your one-on-one sessions with our team, we will talk more specifically about what exactly you want to see and do, and we’ll help you plan everything. We want to make sure you have the most amazing adventure possible while you’re here!
With our help, that’s how! As part of your Welcome to Sydney package you will receive exclusive tips, resources and guidance towards finding a job and farm work in Australia.
We will present you with all of the basic information needed to get started, and give you access to our huge database of employers and contacts in sectors such as hospitality, retail, construction, sales and marketing and many more.
We also send out a weekly update email that highlights the most recent job and farm work opportunities we come across.
Depending when you land you will receive your Australian Sim Card on Friday morning before the tour or on Monday morning of the tour, during the meet and greet session.
Don’t panic! You will be able to jump on the free wi-fi at the hostel and airport beforehand to let everyone back home know that you got to Sydney safe and sound.
This is basically a personal identity number created for you by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). It is required if you want to work in Australia, so that you can be correctly taxed on your income from day one.
You will provide this number to each employer you have while you are in Australia and your tax will be deducted from your wage accordingly, just as it would be in your home country.
If you’re travelling as a tourist for just a few weeks, you don’t need one – a pre-loaded travel cash card will work just fine!
If you’re here for a longer period of time (for example, on a Working Holiday Visa) then it’s highly recommended to open an Australian bank account. Not only will you save a lot on exchange/transaction fees, but employers will only pay wages into an Australian account. It’s also an extremely easy process that we will organise for you.
You can fast-track the whole process by creating a Transferwise account, so that you can already have Australian dollars in your account for when you get here. But don’t worry about all of this now, we’ll explain it all soon!
Medicare is Australia’s health care scheme, which allows Australians and some overseas visitors to access certain health services at little or no cost. Only a handful of countries are eligible to apply for Medicare in Australia, including:
Belgium, Finland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, The Republic of Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Click HERE to see details for eligibility and details for enrolment, such as what documents you will need to bring to service centres. We will also explain this in more detail when you arrive and point you in the right direction.
Overall I had a great time on my trip. Lots of fun, new adventures, new friends and great experiences that I will have for the rest of my life. I feel like I’ve become less ignorant, and more appreciative of many things. We were lucky to have 2 great leaders, Daniel and Sam, who both did everything they could to make sure everyone was having a good time, doing well, and living their trip. They always made it clear that everyone can do pretty much whatever they want, which is awesome to have within a tour. My only issues with the trip is that I think our group should have been smaller, with a better ratio of guys to girls. With all these girls, many cliques formed and there was a lot of drama, which I managed to avoid but still influenced the vibe of my trip. However, as I was not involved I overall had a great time.
Great 6 weeks! Had a few bumps with bags on trips but the group was so great and supportive that I barely even missed it. Fantastic experience.
I enjoyed this trip overall. It wasn’t really what I expected I thought there was going to be more activities that were covered but other than that I enjoyed it. I like all the transportation and accommodations.
The 6 weeks dose of paradise tour was everything and more! Great combination of partying and activities all in 6 weeks
I first of all met the most amazing people. strangers became friends and those friends became family in such a short period of time. once you have great people everything else becomes great. it was very beautiful and I would always recommend saying yes to hikes in Australia. do things that scare you and step out of your comfort zone. everyone here has your back! plus who doesn’t like drinking beer and watching beautiful sunsets or swimming in the ocean and getting tan. plus we have boat parties!