In nine days, you can hit the highlights of Australia, from the cities to the outback to the rainforests of the northern tropics. Start the journey in style with the city sights and culture of Sydney before embarking on the nearby Blue Mountains for nature hikes around this Grand Canyon of the south.

While you cannot see the entire continent in 9 days, you can successfully complete a "Highlights Itinerary" in 2026. A popular 9-day route focuses on the Sydney-Uluru-Cairns triangle. This typically involves 3 days in Sydney (Opera House, Blue Mountains), 2 days in the "Red Centre" (Uluru/Ayers Rock), and 3 days in Cairns (Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest), with one day dedicated to travel between these vast regions. Because Australia is roughly the size of the contiguous United States, doing this in 9 days requires heavy reliance on domestic flights rather than driving. In 2026, many travelers prefer a more localized 9-day trip, such as the Great Ocean Road and Melbourne circuit or a "Top End" adventure in the Northern Territory. As a supportive peer reality: if you try to see "everything," you will spend 40% of your vacation in airports, so it's better to pick one coast and explore it deeply.