Brisbane to Hong Kong - 25 nights, March 2014

The Brisbane River meanders through the heart of the city. Elegant Georgian buildings of native sandstone stand next to sleek glass towers. Brisbane is also a superbly landscaped city with jacarandas, flame trees, and bougainvilleas thriving in its semi-tropical climate. Come face to face with koalas, kangaroos and wombats on tours from this laid-back city.

This sprinkling of 74 verdant isles, fringed by white sands and turquoise skies present a vision of immense beauty beside the vast natural wonder that is the Great Barrier Reef. Whether you choose to bush walk, scuba dive or sail, there are a myriad of ways to experience the Whitsundays.

Rabaul means ‘mangrove’. The Germans built Rabaul on a mangrove swamp when New Britain was a German colony. Papua New Guinea showcases extraordinary wildernesses, a land of tiny tree kangaroos and giant butterflies.

Edo was an obscure fishing village until it became the capital of the Tokugawa shogunate from 1604 to 1866. When the emperor was restored to power, this new imperial capital was renamed Tokyo (Eastern capital). The wide ocean, the harbour with its special atmosphere, the hill which stands in a row of steep slopes, a Chinatown which is full of exotic moods – there are so many “postcard scenes” in Yokohama.

Kobe is the starting point for excursions to the cultural fountainheads of Classical Japan. Ride the bullet train to the classical pavilions and castles of Kyoto. Until 1868, Kyoto was the capital of Japan, filled with elegant timber buildings and, perhaps more than any other Japanese city, imbued with Kami, the divine spirit. You’ll sense it everywhere, for there are hundreds of Shinto shrines and over a thousand Buddhist temples.

Japan’s first contact with the West came in the form of Portuguese explorers and Jesuit missionaries. Dutch merchants followed. Apprehensive shoguns closed Japan to foreign trade - except at Nagasaki. Stop by Peace Park for a moment of serenity, or visit the Confucian Shrine to see the influence that the Chinese community has on Nagasaki.

In this beach-fringed city, whisk up the dramatic Busan Tower and savour the sensational panorama. The most densely built up areas of the city are situated in a number of narrow valleys between the Nakdong River and Suyeong River, with mountains separating some of the various districts.

Shanghai’s attractions are legendary, from exquisite temples and superb museums to a stroll along the Bund with its elegant 19th-century European architecture. The city is also your gateway to the Grand Canal and the famed cities of Wuxi and Suzhou.

Hong Kong is a paradigm of contradictions. On the one hand the city vibrates with modern commerce, soaring skyscrapers and sophistication. But at the same time it is a land of ancient beliefs and intriguing local customs: small, gilded shrines glow with red lamps, joss sticks and fresh oranges; markets are heaped high with salted eggs, squid and every kind of medicinal root and herbal remedy imaginable; red-sailed junks and sampans ply the harbour.

Hong Kong is a paradigm of contradictions. On the one hand the city vibrates with modern commerce, soaring skyscrapers and sophistication. But at the same time it is a land of ancient beliefs and intriguing local customs: small, gilded shrines glow with red lamps, joss sticks and fresh oranges; markets are heaped high with salted eggs, squid and every kind of medicinal root and herbal remedy imaginable; red-sailed junks and sampans ply the harbour.