Routes · Oceania

Kuala Lumpur to Australia's icons: Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru

Kuala Lumpur → Sydney → Cairns (Great Barrier Reef) → Uluru

Australia icons Best season (general guide): May–Oct

Australia is huge, and this route uses domestic flights to link three of its best-known landscapes: Sydney's harbour, the Great Barrier Reef and the red heart of the continent at Uluru. From Kuala Lumpur you'll fly to Sydney. Flights connect Sydney with Cairns and Cairns or Sydney with Ayers Rock airport.

Sydney's harbour is best seen from the water, on the ferries from Circular Quay, and the Opera House, a UNESCO site, can be toured inside. Coastal walks connect the eastern beaches. In Cairns, boats go out to the reef for snorkelling and diving, and the Daintree rainforest and Kuranda are other day trips. The Great Barrier Reef is listed by UNESCO. Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, also on the UNESCO list, is jointly managed with its traditional owners, the Anangu. Climbing Uluru has been permanently banned since October 2019, but the base walk, cultural centre and sunset viewing areas are all ways to appreciate it.

May to October brings milder weather to the Red Centre, with Parks Australia noting daytime temperatures of 20 to 30°C in the cooler months. In Queensland, it is outside the stinger season, when dangerous jellyfish are present from about November to May.

Park passes are required for Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa. Carry water and fly nets in the Centre, and wear the stinger suits provided by reef boats when needed.

How to pace it: two nights at Uluru is the minimum, giving you one sunset and one sunrise. Book flights to and from Ayers Rock airport early, as there are few each day.

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