Begin your journey from your home city - destination: Melbourne, Australia!

Today you will cross the International Date Line as you continue your journey to Melbourne.

Upon arrival at Melbourne International Airport, after completing Immigration and Customs formalities and collecting your luggage, exit into the Arrivals Hall. You will be met by your driver, who will transfer you to your hotel. (Pre-registered rooms have been arranged for immediate occupancy.) In the early afternoon, meet your Specialist Horticulture Guide, who will be with you throughout your time in Australia, for a walking tour of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne. The Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria is a custodian of lands, landscapes and living plant collections, renowned for their visual beauty and heritage as well as their scientific and horticultural interest. The living collections and landscapes at both the Melbourne Gardens and Cranbourne Gardens play an important role in helping scientists and the public understand the history, present day uses and what the future may hold for plants in natural environments - and are great spaces for the public to enjoy, understand and appreciate plants. The Melbourne Gardens extends over 90 acres, with displays of more than 50,000 individual plants representing over 10,000 different species from every part of the globe - these are represented in 31 living plant collections. Return to your hotel this afternoon. Enjoy a relaxed dinner at your hotel this evening.

After a full breakfast at the hotel, set out by private coach for the day's garden visits, starting at Lambley Gardens and Nursery. Lambley is set around an old farmhouse within the hot, dry, windswept plains of central Victoria's Goldfields region. The garden features frost-hardy plants that require very little watering and is world-renowned as a benchmark in dry climate and sustainable gardening. The ornamental gardens are spectacular. Instead of manipulating the environment to suit the plants, garden designer David Glenn has very carefully selected the plants to suit the climate. Another highlight is the extensive organic vegetable garden, featuring trial beds for vegetable and flower seeds. David is a leading expert on dry climate gardening in Australia, and he will provide a talk on this subject during your visit. After a stop for lunch (at own expense) and some free time in the town of Daylesford, continue on to Stonefields Garden. With its magnificent rural views, Stonefields has become one of the most iconic gardens in Australia. In designing the rural property, creator Paul Bangay has drawn heavily on the influence of his travels to Italy and France; the garden is characterized by precise clipped hedges, oak-lined driveways, symmetrical parterre plantings, carefully manicured lawns, and water features on what was previously a vacant paddock of nearly 50 acres. Afterward, return to your hotel, with leisure time this evening. Your guide can assist with dinner selections from the fine restaurants in the area (at own expense).

After breakfast head to Lubra Bend, an award-winning private garden in the beautiful Yarra Valley. The garden consists mainly of plants native to Australia. It retains a large, established garden of camellias, magnolias, and oaks planted by previous owner Margaret Stokes. Today, the property has a camellia grove, a Seville walk, an orchard, a vegetable garden, and a new dry garden by distinguished landscape designer Phillip Johnson, all set around a home designed by noted Victorian architect Guilford Bell. Phillip Johnson was commissioned in 2006 to create a rock and water garden for the dry, barren entrance paddock. Other highlights include gravel paths, brown granite boulders, drought-tolerant and Australian plants, such as banksia, acacia, melaleuca, and kangaroo paw. Between 2007 and 2009, Phillip was engaged to extend the waterfall's cascade into additional ponds and add a set of Aztec-style steps. Today the cascade runs 1,968 feet and features magnificent ponds that extend to the Yarra River. Next, depart Lubra Bend for your visit to Coombe Yarra Valley to view the seven acres of stunning gardens, landscaped over a hundred years ago. Once the home of world-famous opera singer Dame Nellie Melba, Coombe Yarra Valley is a unique destination. Behind the 1,900 feet of cypress hedge lie a succession of terraced lawns, native, Italian and vegetable gardens, a croquet lawn, an old tennis court, a newly established rose arbor, and the oldest swimming pool in Victoria - all against a historic, picturesque backdrop. Have lunch at Coombe Yarra Valley, and then continue to Cloudehill, a delightful, cool-climate garden designed by owner Jeremy Francis. It retains some old plantings from its origins as a nursery, including a magnificent Magnolia denudata and many larger trees including beech and maple. The garden comprises a series of distinctive terraced and lawn areas. Throughout, dry stone walls, brick masonry and hedging help define the garden form. The central feature of the garden, running almost its full width, is an Italian-inspired walled courtyard garden. Later, return to Melbourne with time to explore on your own.

After breakfast, depart for the Melbourne Airport for your flight to Sydney, where you will be met and taken to your hotel. (Your bags will be safely stowed by the hotel until your rooms are available for occupancy at 3 pm.) After a quick lunch (at own expense), board your coach and transfer to Circular Quay, where you will board Captain Cook Cruises' Premium Harbour Story Cruise for a delightful cruise on Sydney Harbour. This is Sydney Harbour sightseeing at its very best. Experience the most beautiful harbor in the world, aboard a premium vessel specially designed for Sydney. The cruise route can vary depending on what's happening on the harbor. Every cruise includes Sydney's iconic landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Royal Botanic Gardens, Garden Island naval base, Taronga Zoo, Government House, palatial waterfront homes, and Fort Denison. The pace is relaxed and gentle, giving you plenty of time to capture the perfect selfie. The Harbour Story operates using premium sightseeing vessels with spacious outdoor decks and expansive viewing windows from their all-weather indoor lounges. This evening, stroll to the nearby Sydney Tower Restaurant for spectacular views over Sydney and a delicious buffet dinner.

This morning, visit Barangaroo Reserve, Sydney's newest harbor foreshore park. The 14-acre park was transformed from a shipping container terminal into a sprawling green space and has set new benchmarks for environmental remediation and sustainable reuse of materials and water. Named after Barangaroo, an Indigenous woman who was a powerful voice in the early days of colonial Sydney, the reserve is rich in Aboriginal and cultural history. This morning's visit will include a discussion about the Barangaroo project with an expert. Then, walk with your guide from Barangaroo down through the historical Rocks District and enjoy lunch and an address by a researcher with the Climate Council. This is likely to be a lively discussion on this hot topic issue. The researcher will join the group for lunch. Then walk past Circular Quay to the Sydney Opera House for an hour-long tour of this magnificent iconic building, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. Your guide will be on hand to lead you through every aspect of the building's 14-year creation and 58-year history. Return to your hotel, then later walk to dinner at Nick's Seafood Restaurant overlooking Cockle Bay.

This morning, depart Sydney for the Blue Mountains, traveling along the Great Western Highway. Today's tour will highlight the diversity of flora of the Blue Mountains National Park, and you will view some of the bushfire-affected areas. Nearly 1,000 species of gum tree (Eucalyptus spp.) have evolved since Australia split from the supercontinent Gondwana 109 million years ago to dominate as a genus across deserts, over snow-covered mountains to coastal beach front, and every habitat in between, to survive drought, floods and bushfire across the Australian continent. All this is visible in the UNESCO-listed Blue Mountains National Park west of Sydney. Your first stop will briefly visit the famous Three Sisters rock formation at Echo Point in Katoomba - the Blue Mountains' most spectacular landmark, with sweeping views over Megalong Valley. Continue to Mount Wilson to visit a private garden. This area is famous for its cool-climate exotic gardens, and during spring and fall it is a blaze of color. From Mount Wilson, travel to the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah. The garden covers 70 acres on the summit of a basalt-capped peak. At 3,280 feet above sea level, you'll find cool-climate plants from around the world. Meet the director or head curator on this visit. Return to Sydney via the Bells Line of Road in the late afternoon, with time at leisure for the remainder of the day.

This morning go sightseeing through the trendy district of Oxford Street, then through elegant Paddington with its rows of beautiful terraced houses. Continue on to the Pacific Ocean, passing though the beachside suburbs of Bronte and Tamarama and on to the world-famous Bondi Beach. Take a stroll on the beach before traveling back toward Sydney through beautiful harbor-side suburbs and arriving at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, a 75-acre oasis in the heart of the city. Established in 1816, the organization is the oldest scientific institution in the country and home to an outstanding collection of plants from Australia and overseas. Here you will meet one of the garden's curators, then enjoy a guided walk of the garden and a visit to the Calyx exhibition center. After lunch in the stylish Botanic House Restaurant, you have the afternoon at leisure to explore Sydney, walking back to your hotel at your own pace.

After breakfast, check out and return to Sydney Airport for your flight to Cairns in tropical north Queensland. Upon arrival, travel the few minutes to Tabu Gardens in the suburb of Freshwater. This lush garden sets the scene for the tropical portion of your program. Sculpted into the hillside of Mount Whitfield, Tabu is cleverly designed with mass plantings of beautiful foliage and flowers and benefits by having the rainforest as its backdrop. After lunch and an inspection of Tabu, board your private coach and travel north along the Captain Cook Highway to the seaside resort town of Palm Cove. Check in at your hotel and then enjoy time to relax and explore Palm Cove independently in the afternoon. The elegant Reef House provides a relaxed beach house ambiance, with its unique colonial style reflected in its white plantation-style buildings and cool South Pacific décor nestled among lush gardens and emerald pools.

Today, escape into a world of surprises to experience the breathtaking beauty of the Outer Great Barrier Reef. From Cairns, cruise to the stable reef activity platform - the perfect base for swimmers and non-swimmers to explore the reef's vibrant marine life. Snorkel and/or dive, visit the underwater observatory, cruise in a semi-submersible, or just relax on the sundeck with a delicious buffet lunch. In addition to the activities included in your tour, there is also a wide range of optional activities. Scuba dive, join a snorkel tour, Scuba Doo below the waves, or enjoy the Great Barrier Reef from the air with a scenic helicopter tour. Return to Cairns and transfer by coach to your hotel in Palm Cove. Dine at any of the restaurants in Palm Cove this evening (at own expense).

An exciting story waits this morning at Botanical Ark. Alan and Susie Carle have an ambitious goal - they want to save the rainforest. So instead of simply writing a check, they are going about it with a mix of creativity, practicality, and sheer hard work. At Botanical Ark, in the lush countryside outside Mossman in far North Queensland, the Carles grow 3,000 different species of rainforest plants, more than 400 of which are edible. One of the Carle strategies is to use their love of food and their passion for new flavors to lure us into saving the rainforest by eating it. So lunch at Botanical Ark is a treat. But first there's a tour of the garden, crammed with unusual fruits and the stunning flowers of tropical heliconias, costus and other treasures. From Botanical Ark, travel to Whyanbeel Arboretum this afternoon, formerly a sugar cane farm that nestles into the hills of the Upper Daintree. Peter Sargent loves living close to the wilderness. His arboretum is so much more; it's a tropical botanic garden and flower farm. Ferns, mosses and native peppers grow along the shaded river bank. Exotic vanilla orchids grow among native vines scrambling up palms and trees. Peter's family runs a cut-flower business, producing gingers, heliconias and palms. Many of the bromeliads and cordylines growing there have been bred by Peter and his father. Return to Palm Cove later this afternoon and enjoy the remainder of your day and evening at leisure.

This morning, travel to Mossman Gorge, part of the traditional lands of the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people. Located in the southern part of the World Heritage-listed Daintree National Park, Mossman Gorge is one of the few places in the country that visitors can gain an insight into the lives, culture and beliefs of Australia's Indigenous population and their connection to the natural environment. Join a guided 90-minute Dreamtime Gorge Walk to get a deeper insight into the ancient flora and fauna of the rainforest, and learn about traditional plant uses and Kuku Yalanji culture. You will be welcomed with a traditional 'smoking' ceremony that cleanses and wards off bad spirits. The walk then meanders through stunning rainforest and takes in traditional huts or humpies. Your interpretive Indigenous guide will demonstrate traditional plant use, identify bush food sources and provide an enchanting narrative of the rainforest and their special relationship with this unique tropical environment. Your guide will also demonstrate traditions like making bush soaps and ochre painting. At the end of the tour enjoy traditional bush tea and damper. This afternoon, delight in a tour of a private garden in Port Douglas. Visit the nursery and garden of local horticulturist and landscaper John Sullivan. John will share his knowledge of subtropical gardening and plans to develop Mossman Botanic Garden.

After breakfast at your hotel, check out and transfer to Cairns Airport where you will check in for your flight to Brisbane. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel, which is located opposite the heritage-listed City Botanic Garden, Brisbane's original botanic garden. The garden features a Bamboo Grove, Weeping Fig Avenue, ornamental ponds, and more. You will have free time this afternoon to enjoy the garden or to explore Brisbane city on your own. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner in the hotel's Walnut Restaurant.

After breakfast at your hotel, check out from your rooms, with check-out time at 11 am. Depending on your departure flight time, a boxed breakfast can be arranged as needed. You will be transferred to the Brisbane International Airport for your flight(s) home.