Independent Australian Explorer: Sydney, Cairns & Melbourne
10 days · Australia
Globus charges £2,500
No-markup version: ~£1,615 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Globus's 10-day Sydney–Cairns–Melbourne tour, rebuilt for solo travellers on a backpacker budget. You'll cover the same headline experiences — Sydney's Opera House and Bondi, the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns, and Melbourne's laneways, markets and Skydeck — but using hostels instead of hotels, self-booked day tours instead of a tour director, and domestic budget flights instead of group transfers. Costs are rough backpacker estimates in GBP and exclude international flights to/from Australia.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Sydney
Sydney
Land in Sydney, pick up an Opal card (or just tap your contactless bank card) at the airport and take the Airport Line train to Central Station (~A$20/£10, about 15 mins). Check into a hostel in the CBD, Surry Hills or Kings Cross. Spend the afternoon walking off the jetlag along Circular Quay to see the Opera House and Harbour Bridge at golden hour, then grab an early dinner in Chinatown or Surry Hills. Hostels here run ~£25–35/night in a dorm.
🚌Airport Link train from Sydney Airport to Central, ~£10
🛏Hostel dorm in Sydney CBD / Surry Hills (~£28/night)
- →Circular Quay walk
- →Opera House & Harbour Bridge views
- →Chinatown dinner
Sydney highlights on foot and by ferry
Sydney
Do a DIY version of the guided city tour. Start at the Opera House (free foreshore walk; a 1-hour guided Opera House tour is ~A$45/£23 if you want to go inside, book direct on their site), walk across to The Rocks, then catch the ferry from Circular Quay to Watsons Bay (~A$8/£4 with Opal) for the cliff walk to Hornby Lighthouse. Bus 333 from the city to Bondi Beach for the afternoon (~A$5/£2.50) and do the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk (6km, free).
🚌Opal card ferries and buses, ~£8 total
🛏Hostel dorm in Sydney CBD / Surry Hills (~£28/night)
- →Sydney Opera House foreshore & optional interior tour
- →The Rocks
- →Watsons Bay ferry & cliff walk
- →Bondi to Coogee coastal walk
Sydney free day: harbour, surf or wine country
Sydney
Pick from the tour's optional extras at backpacker prices. Cheapest and best value is a surf lesson at Bondi (~£50–60 for a 2-hour group lesson via GetYourGuide/Klook) or a harbour ferry loop to Manly (~£5 return with Opal, plus a walk to Shelly Beach). The Hunter Valley wine day trip is expensive (~£90–110 with GetYourGuide) — skip it if you're watching the budget. Evening: eat your way down Spice Alley in Chippendale (Asian street food, ~£10–12 a plate) or join a Rocks pub tour (~£20).
🚌Opal ferries/buses, ~£6
🛏Hostel dorm in Sydney CBD / Surry Hills (~£28/night)
- →Surf lesson at Bondi (self-booked)
- →Manly ferry & Shelly Beach walk
- →Spice Alley street food
- →Optional Rocks pub tour
Fly Sydney to Cairns
Cairns
Cheap domestic flight day. Book Jetstar or Virgin Australia Sydney–Cairns direct (~£90–130 one way, 3 hrs) — book 4–8 weeks ahead for the lower end. Land in Cairns and take the public bus or a shared shuttle from the airport into town (~£4–8). Check into a hostel in the city centre (Gilligan's, YHA or similar, ~£22–30 dorm). Wander the Esplanade lagoon (free) and pick up reef trip info at the Cairns visitor centre; also book your reef day tour today if you haven't already.
🚌Jetstar/Virgin domestic flight Sydney–Cairns, ~£110; airport bus ~£5
🛏Hostel dorm in Cairns city centre (~£26/night)
- →Cairns Esplanade lagoon
- →Reef trip booking
- →Night Markets browse
Great Barrier Reef day trip
Cairns
The headline day. Self-book a reef cruise to the outer reef — the same style of catamaran trip Globus includes. Budget options like Reef Magic, Sunlover or Down Under Cruise & Dive run ~£110–160 including snorkel gear, lunch and either a semi-submersible tour or a marine biologist talk. Book via GetYourGuide, Klook or directly with the operator. Pickup from your hostel is usually included. Take seasickness tablets the night before and bring reef-safe sunscreen.
🚌Reef cruise transfer from hostel (included in tour cost)
🛏Hostel dorm in Cairns city centre (~£26/night)
- →Great Barrier Reef catamaran cruise
- →Snorkelling
- →Semi-submersible tour / marine biologist session
- →Lunch on board
Daintree Rainforest or Kuranda
Cairns
Choose one big day out. Option A: a self-booked Daintree Rainforest & Cape Tribulation day tour (~£90–110 via GetYourGuide, includes Mossman Gorge and Cape Tribulation beach). Option B: DIY Kuranda — public bus to Freshwater Station (~£5), then the Kuranda Scenic Railway (~£30 one way) up and the Skyrail cable car (~£35) back down through the rainforest. Either way, finish with the Cairns Night Markets for cheap eats (~£10).
🚌Tour pickup or public bus to Kuranda, ~£5–10
🛏Hostel dorm in Cairns city centre (~£26/night)
- →Daintree & Cape Tribulation day tour OR Kuranda Scenic Railway & Skyrail
- →Mossman Gorge
- →Cairns Night Markets
Fly Cairns to Melbourne
Melbourne
Domestic flight day: Jetstar or Virgin Cairns–Melbourne direct (~£110–150, ~3h 15m), booked well ahead. From Melbourne Airport take the SkyBus to Southern Cross Station (~A$22/£11) or the cheaper public 901 bus + train combo (~£3, slower). Check into a hostel in the CBD or Fitzroy (~£25–32 dorm). Evening stroll the laneways (Hosier Lane street art) and grab dinner in Chinatown or Fitzroy.
🚌Jetstar/Virgin Cairns–Melbourne flight, ~£125; SkyBus ~£11
🛏Hostel dorm in Melbourne CBD / Fitzroy (~£28/night)
- →Hosier Lane street art
- →Laneway wander
- →Fitzroy dinner
Melbourne city sights DIY
Melbourne
Recreate the guided city tour yourself using the free City Circle tram. Loop past Federation Square, St Patrick's Cathedral, the Shrine of Remembrance and Albert Park Lake, then hit Queen Victoria Market for a cheap lunch (~£6–8). Take tram 96 or 12 to St Kilda Beach in the afternoon for the pier and penguins at dusk (free). Book the Melbourne Skydeck online in advance (~£18–22, cheaper than walk-up) for sunset views.
🚌Free City Circle tram + Myki tram rides, ~£5
🛏Hostel dorm in Melbourne CBD / Fitzroy (~£28/night)
- →Federation Square
- →St Patrick's Cathedral
- →Shrine of Remembrance
- →Queen Victoria Market
- →St Kilda Beach
- →Melbourne Skydeck
Great Ocean Road or Phillip Island
Melbourne
Pick one. The Great Ocean Road day tour to the Twelve Apostles is the standout (~£75–95 self-booked via GetYourGuide/Klook, 12-hour day). Alternatively, Phillip Island Penguin Parade evening tour (~£70–85). If you'd rather stay local, do the free National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), a Melbourne coffee crawl through Fitzroy and a self-guided laneway and arcade walk — the Old Melbourne Gaol is ~£18.
🚌Included in day tour, or Myki tram ~£5
🛏Hostel dorm in Melbourne CBD / Fitzroy (~£28/night)
- →Great Ocean Road & Twelve Apostles tour OR Phillip Island Penguin Parade
- →NGV (free)
- →Melbourne laneways & arcades
Last morning in Melbourne and depart
Melbourne
Slow morning: breakfast at a Fitzroy café, last-minute souvenir shopping on Bourke Street or at Queen Victoria Market, then SkyBus back to the airport for your flight home. If you have a late flight, the NGV or the Royal Botanic Gardens are free and easy to fit in.
🚌SkyBus to Melbourne Airport, ~£11
🛏Checkout — no accommodation needed
- →Fitzroy café breakfast
- →Bourke Street shopping
- →Royal Botanic Gardens (free)
Self-launched vs. Globus
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Globus | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,615 | £2,500 |
| Duration | 10 days | 10 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £885 per person (35%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Globus-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,615
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Independent Australian Explorer: Sydney, Cairns & Melbourne cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,615 per person for 10 days in Australia. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Globus?+
Yes — Globus charges around £2,500 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,615 — a saving of roughly £885 (35%) per person.
How long is the Australia trip?+
This itinerary runs 10 days, covering 10 day-by-day stops through Australia.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, culture, beaches trip through Australia, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
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