Contiki Beaches And Reefs Review

Famous beaches. Snorkelling. 4-wheel-driving. Ocean sunsets. Beaches And Reefs with Contiki is one of the greatest experiences you can have along the East Coast of Australia. But don’t take our word for it. Here, previous passenger, Adam D’Agostino from Canada, gives us his review on the Contiki Beaches And Reefs  from Cairns to Sydney.

What destinations did you visit on Contiki’s Beaches And Reefs?
We visited Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef; went on a sailing trip through the Whitsundays and then did a one-night stay on an Aussie cattle farm. We continued down south to Noosa, where we visited Fraser Island for a day. We then stopped in Brisbane for an afternoon before spending a weekend in Surfer’s Paradise. From there, we continued on to NSW, where we finished off with days in Byron Bay, at a surf camp near Coffs Harbour, and then ending the tour off in Sydney.

What were your favourite destinations?
My favourites were definitely seeing the Great Barrier Reef, Fraser Island, Byron Bay, and the surf camp at Coffs Harbour.

The Great Barrier Reef was incredible. The amount of different fish and wide array of colourful coral was stunning. I would strongly recommend anyone visiting Australia to go check it out.

We visited Lake Mckenzie on Fraser Island and it had the clearest water I’ve ever seen in my life – definitely an amazing sight. Driving on a sand highway in a big 4×4 minibus along the ocean was also pretty cool.

Byron was very chill and laid-back. We went sea kayaking and hung out on the beach for most of the time we were there; I would definitely visit again. We also checked out the bar, Cheeky Monkeys; it was full of backpackers until closing and everyone had a great night drinking and dancing on the tables.

The surf camp was great as well. I’d never tried surfing before but it turned out to be the most fun I’ve ever had falling on my ass. Definitely will be looking for more opportunities to go surfing in the future now.

Surfer’s Paradise was also interesting because coincidentally it was Schoolies (end-of-school-year graduate holidays) at the same time we were there. It was pretty funny to just sit outside and people-watch.

The Me Time activities that I chose were sea kayaking, the one-day sail from Daydream Island/Whitsundays, the Great Barrier Reef day trip from Cairns, and an intro dive while on the reef.

Why was Contiki right for you?
I had been living in Melbourne for the better part of 2015, and I didn’t want to go back to Canada without having seen the East Coast of Australia. Contiki is very good in terms of showing the highlights and getting you a bit of a taste of everything, and now I definitely know where I want to spend more time when I come back to Oz. I also prefer Contiki because it is much easier to make friends; this is my second Contiki trip (my first was in New Zealand) and my groups have been great for both.

Beaches And Reefs is one of many Contiki Holidays Australia trips from 3-25 days. If you’ve only got a few weeks to travel or if you’re looking to experience Australia and make new friends along the way, definitely consider organised group travel as an option. It’s great to share your experiences with like-minded people, and even better if they’re with you for the ride. Give Contiki a call on 1300-266-845, head to Contiki.com or visit your local travel agent.

All images by Adam D’Agostino (@dagss)