Australia is a magical country that has so many diverse ecosystems and incredibly unique cities. So what better way to explore all of this variety than with an Australian road trip or two. Sure, Sydney is great and diving the Great Barrier Reef is memorable, but if you want to experience the real Australia, you have to get out and drive those winding roads into the small towns, dusty outback, rural hinterlands and barefoot beach towns. The only way you’re going to experience this is with an Australian road trip. We’ve included the most popular road trips in Australia below.
Driving In Australia
Sure they drive on the wrong side of the road: the left side, not the right side (double entendre intended). But driving in Australia is actually quite easy for those who can read English. There are road signs everywhere! They are very helpful. There are even road signs about what government grants sponsor the newly erected road signs.
However, cell service in rural Australian areas can be spotty. So we’d recommend a paper map, GPS or offline Google map. We bought an Australian road atlas and found it super helpful. If you buy from this link here we earn a small commission at no extra charge to you – check out our terms and conditions below for more info.
We’ve included general maps below to give you an idea of drive time. However, the maps don’t include all of the amazing stops so keep that in mind as Australian road trips tend to be longer than expected.
If you’re coming from outside of Australia, you’ll likely need to rent a car. Prices average around $26 USD/day. You’ll also pay more for one way rentals (where you drop off a car at a different location from where you pick it up). While this will add a bit of a price tag to your trip, most of the road trips below are one-way. This is because Australia is huge and it would add a huge amount of time to your trip to return the car. When we rented cars for most of these Australian road trips, we picked up the car at one airport, drove the route, then returned it to another airport and flew on to our next Australian road trip.
One-Way Australian Road Trips
Pacific Coast Drive
Time: 4-6 days | One Way – Sydney to Brisbane | Best For: beaches
This is one of the most popular road trips in Australia with both tourists and locals alike. That is because it goes through several popular towns famous for their laid back touristy vibes. Towns like Byron Bay, Gold Coast, Port Macquarie are popular stops along this road trip. But don’t forget the big two that make the start and stop point, Brisbane and Sydney. Sydney is a great stop with tons of iconic Australian sights. But Brisbane is more laid back with lots of chances to get a taste for Australian wildlife, like the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.
East Coast Drive
Time: 1+ week | One Way – Brisbane to Cairns | Best For: island adventures
Coastal Queensland is covered in sandy beaches and dotted with pristine islands, like the Whitsundays. This is another popular area with locals and tourists alike as the plethora of great spots means you can feel like you have entire beaches and islands to yourself as everyone spreads out along this route. This is also a great place for adventurers as popular activities include snorkeling, off-roading and rafting inland rivers.
Sydney Coastal Route
Time: 3-5 days | One Way – Melbourne to Sydney | Best For: Ocean retreat
The coastal areas between Melbourne and Sydney encompass more of the stunning coastline Australia has to offer. These dark blue waters are constantly by your side on this Australian road trip. The hip towns along this drive will make stops fun while the stark contrast of different beaches will keep the drive exciting.
Great Ocean Road
Time: 2-4 days | One Way – Melbourne to Adelaide | Best For: ocean views
This is one of the best road trips in the World! This twisting and turning road takes you along the cliffs of souther Australia. The towns along this road trip are amazingly unassuming and not overly touristy, despite being along one of the most popular Australian road trips. But the towns aren’t what you’ll be looking at. Around every twist and turn is a new view of the coast line, including the Twelve Apostles, with each view more impressive than the next. This is also a great place to spot koalas and kangaroos!
The South West Coast
Time: 3-4 days | One Way – Perth to Esperance | Best for: exploring the West coast
Western Australia doesn’t get nearly as much love as Eastern Australia – but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have just as much to offer. Perth is the cornerstone of any trip to the west coast. But that isn’t all you’ll see. From the white sand beaches to towering forests, the coast of western Australia has everything to offer the road tripper.
Coral Coast
Time: 1+ week | One Way – Perth to Broome | Best for: unusual beaches
Another gem of Western Australia, the Ningaloo coastal drive takes you from Perth to Broome alongside so many unique beaches along the Indian Ocean. While eastern Australia boasts the biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef, the Ningaloo coast is a common spot to see larger see creatures, like dolphins, sharks and the elusive whale sharks. In addition to the beauty of the coastal drive, you’ll also enjoy some quirky towns boasting Aboriginal culture and historical Australian commerce.
Nullarbor Plain
Time: 1+ week | One Way – Adelaide to Perth | Best for: the open road
The Nullarbor plain stretches across western Australia in its vast emptiness. For that reason, this Australian road trip may best represent the barrenness of the Australian outback. Because of this lack of civilization, it’s also a great place to star gaze in the southern hemisphere. And while you won’t find many cool living things here, you will see tons of geological highlights along the route like Wave Rock. However, this Australian road trip is not for the faint of heart as there are huge stretches of driving and lots of straight roads.
The Stuart Highway
Time: 1+week | One Way – Adelaide to Darwin | Best For: Australian outback
If you want to see the greatest variety of Australian wilderness, this is the rugged road trip for you. This huge road trip runs through the center of Australia, past mountains, gorges, and desserts. All of this ends in Darwin, another green town along the coast. This is a drive that you need to be prepared for as you’ll go long stretches between signs of civilization. If you do drive this Australian road trip, don’t forget to add on The Red Centre loop below for a view of Uluru.
Circular Australian Road Trips
The Great Barrier Reef Road Trip
Time: 1-4 days | Loop – Cairns | Best For: rainforests
Sure you can dive or snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, but don’t overlook the shoreline that it protects. In this loop from Cairns, you’ll drive through the Daintree Rainforest – another World Heritage site. In these lush forests, you’ll spot some very unique wildlife, different from the more popular southern Australian road trips. Along this road trip, you can snorkel, swim, spot crocs, see waterfalls and explore some posh vacation destinations along the coast.
The Red Centre
Time: 5-7 days | Loop – Alice Springs | Best For: Uluru
In the heart of the Australian outback is Uluru, a towering red cliff. This sight is on the top of many Australia bucket lists. And the best way to explore this area is with a road trip through the Red Centre from Alice Springs. On this loop, you’ll explore Watarrka National Park and see King’s Canyon, Uluru and plenty of other amazing desert features like red cliffs and hidden swimming holes.
Sydney Sights
Time: 5-7 days | Loop – Sydney | Best For: those staying in Sydney
This road trip combines several Sydney days trips into one Sydney road trip loop. Along this loop, you’ll explore Canberra, Australia’s capital city before heading into the Blue Mountains for some serious hiking. Top it all of with some wine tasting in the Hunter Valley and you have a perfect loop around New South Wales.
Tasmania Road Trip
Time: 4-8 days | Loop – Hobart | Best For: seeing Tasmania
Tasmania is a small island state off the southern coast of Australia. It is often overlooked on Australia vacations because it is so different from mainland Australia. However, it is a beautiful, rugged state that is worth a road trip. Highlights of Tasmania include wine drinking, hiking and beautiful beaches.
** We’re not including a map here because it’s an island, you drive around it and stop at the bits your interested in 😉
We hope these road trips have inspired you to visit your favorite location in Australia! We recommend picking a few road trips and fitting them together to make an epic Australis itinerary. You may have noticed that lots of these one way road trips connect. And you can put all of the coastal road trips together to make up “The Big Loop”, which takes you around the entire mainland of Australia. However, this would take you over a month. So most people pick a choose a few. Our absolute favorite road trip was the Great Ocean road – the road was just so fun to drive! Good luck and enjoy your time down under.
