ACTIVE AUSTRALIA offers a variety of outdoor-oriented, small group, guided hiking, diving, paddling, and cycling trips all around Australia.
Want to dive the Great Barrier Reef, explore Uluru-Ayers Rock, or hike in the Blue Mountains? Would you like to backpack in the rugged mountains of Tasmania, or trek the Great Ocean Walk in Victoria? On each of our Australian adventure tours, we focus on a different part of the country, getting you out of the vehicle, and into the scenery! We don't do the standard Australian tourist thing, so you won't be sitting in a 50-seat touring coach for a series of twelve-hour rides between famous Australian icons. Depending on which trip you choose, you'll be hiking, biking, sea kayaking, swimming, snorkeling and diving. You'll also be able to meet the locals and see Australia's abundant exotic birds, marsupials and reptiles in their natural habitat. You can even learn to surf on some of our adventure tours!
All ACTIVE trips focus on hiking, paddling and cycling to some degree, but the activities on each trips are based around the unique geographical locations that we visit. On the Platypus, for example, there is more of a focus on marine activities, because you simply must go snorkeling or scuba diving if you're within easy reach of the Great Barrier Reef. We make sure the things we do appeal to beginners and experts alike, so you'll have lots of fun on your vacation whether you're a "newbie" or an old hand at, for example, paddling a sea kayak in the Whitsunday Islands (Platypus), hiking a steep trail in Tasmania (Wombat), or riding a mountain bike along the Great Ocean Road (Kookaburra).
our adventure trips
| platypus |
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13 days : brisbane-mackay |
US$3499 + applicable taxes & fees |
The
Platypus is an adventurous but relaxing trip up the
Queensland coast, with a little time spent in the Outback. It’s
literally crammed with cool things to do. We include your choice
of a 3-day live aboard
scuba diving or snorkeling trip on the
Great Barrier Reef, or a 3-day
hiking and sea kayaking trip around
the Whitsunday Islands. Both options are fabulous! You’ll do
a variety of great day hikes, and you’re likely to see kingfishers,
cockatoos, parrots, dingoes, and hopefully even the elusive
platypus along the way. We spend a couple of days on
Fraser
Island – the largest sand island in the world, and a World Heritage
site – where we hike and check out the teeming birdlife. We stay
at a classic Outback cattle station, where you can ride horses,
feed orphaned baby
kangaroos, join in the daily activities of the
farm, or just enjoy the fantastic sunsets from your hammock! You
can also learn to surf, which we highly recommend. In fact many
people have rated their first surf-ride as their favorite part of the
whole trip! We run more challenging trips, but it’s hard to beat
the
Platypus for sheer uncomplicated fun.
Complete itinerary
| emu |
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7 days : sydney-melbourne |
US$1999 + applicable taxes & fees |
The
Emu is a short multi-activity trip between Sydney and
Melbourne. We
climb Mount Kosciuszko – the highest mountain
in Australia, and one of the Seven Summits – and go hiking in the
Blue Mountains. We go
canoeing at the aptly-named Kangaroo
Valley, where we also spend a fun evening with the locals. We go
snorkeling at Jervis Bay, with its pod of 60 resident dolphins, and
head into the
Snowy Mountains for some horse riding. We also
explore the slot gorge river systems behind Katoomba, either by
hiking in the area, or canyoning – a fairly new sport that has to be
tried to be properly explained – sort of a combination of abseiling,
sliding down waterfalls and jumping into deep pools of water.
Complete itinerary
| wombat |
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7 days : hobart-launceston |
US$1999 + applicable taxes & fees |
The
Wombat is a 7-day
hiking trip in Tasmania, taking in the highlights of
this relatively untouched mountainous island
on the other side of Bass Strait. We designed the trip for keen
hikers, but it’s well within reach of anyone with sturdy boots and
a smidgen of enthusiasm. Many Australians consider the
hiking in “Tassie”, as it’s affectionately known, to be the best in the country,
and its remoteness means we often have the trails to ourselves.
Certainly the hiking here is more rigorous than our other trips,
with elevation gains of between 1500 and 2500 feet on several
days of our
Wombat trip. A steep climb, of course, generally
yields awesome views, and the hikes on this trip are no exception – you’ll enjoy grand vistas in all directions.
Complete itinerary
| kookaburra |
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8 days : melbourne-melbourne |
US$1999 + applicable taxes & fees |
| koala family trip |
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9 days : sydney-melbourne |
US$1999 + applicable taxes & fees
15 and under US$1499 + applicable taxes & fees |
The
Koala is a
family-friendly trip, designed as a more relaxed
version of our
Emu trip, with a few goodies added for the kids.
We’ve been running family trips for many years now, and we’re
well aware that a good family trip is more than just a regular trip
for small people! Our family trips have specialist experienced
guides, who have a lot of experience dealing with children, and
who get a real kick out of sharing their country with the young
ones. The
Koala starts in Sydney and ends in Melbourne, and like the
Emu, it includes some great hikes, albeit shorter than those on our
adult trips, but just as fun! It also includes some
family-friendly
horse trekking, snorkeling and canoeing.
Complete itinerary
| dingo |
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4 days : Yulara-Yulara |
US$1299 + applicable taxes & fees |
| bandicoot |
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7 days : perth-perth |
US$2499 + applicable taxes & fees |
Our Bandicoot trip
starts and ends in Perth, but heads out
of town right away, to get you into the
wilderness immediately. The Bandicoot is
a multi-activity trip, with plenty of great
hikes, including a day’s
hiking on the famous
Bibbulmun Track. You’ll be pleased it’s only
a day and not the whole track – it’s a full 600 miles long! As well
as the hikes, we
paddle to Penguin Island to go
snorkeling amongst
sea lions and dolphins, and see the island’s namesake, the adorable
little penguins. We try sand boarding on the dunes not far from
Perth, and offer a day’s surf lessons as well. Few people make it to
Western Australia, but those that do rave about it!
Complete itinerary
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| hiking |
biking |
sea kayaking |
snorkeling |
wildlife |
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PHOTO OF THE MONTH
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Go to our photo gallery to see more snapshots from our trips |
"Active Australia's Platypus was literally the best trip I have ever taken. Thank you!"
Heather Law (DE, United States) July 2007 Platypus |
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GUIDE OF THE MONTH
 Kyle Tahau
"Kyle was a wonderful trip leader. He was diligent and accomodating to all of us. He was also extremely knowledgeable about so many things and always willing to answer questions."
Cynthia Cousens-Jacobs (Duvall,WA)
Oct 2005 Platypus
Click here to read what our clients have said about their guides
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