The best road trips in Australia
28 drives, from the famous ones to the ones locals keep for themselves. Each with the stops in order and where to sleep.
The classics
- Cape to Cape and Margaret RiverA short loop through wine, caves and surf between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin.120 km · 3 days
- Cairns to Cape TribulationThe Great Barrier Reef Drive: palm-fringed beaches, Port Douglas, the Daintree ferry and rainforest meeting the reef.140 km · 3 days
- Waterfall WayCoast to tablelands in 170 km: Bellingen, Dorrigo rainforest, big gorge waterfalls and Armidale.170 km · 2 days
- Tasmania Great Eastern DriveOrford to St Helens along the east coast: Freycinet, Bicheno and the Bay of Fires.200 km · 3 days
- Great Ocean RoadVictoria's surf-coast classic: 240 km of cliff road from Torquay past rainforest and the Twelve Apostles to Warrnambool.270 km · 3 days
- Kangaroo IslandFerry from Cape Jervis and a loop of wildlife, sea lions, dunes and Flinders Chase.300 km · 3 days
- Great Alpine RoadWangaratta to Bairnsdale over Mount Hotham, one of Australia's highest sealed roads, through Bright, Omeo and the High Country.304 km · 3 days
- Snowy Mountains loopCooma to Jindabyne and across the Alpine Way, through Kosciuszko National Park to Tumut.330 km · 3 days
- Tasmania Western WildsHobart to Strahan and Cradle Mountain through wild rivers and rainforest.500 km · 4 days
- Top End: Litchfield and KakaduDarwin to Litchfield's waterfalls and Kakadu's rock art and billabongs.600 km · 5 days · Loop
- Gibb River Road660 km of gravel between Derby and Kununurra with gorges, swimming holes and cattle stations.660 km · 7 days
- Sydney to Brisbane Pacific CoastAbout 950 km up the NSW coast: Newcastle, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Byron Bay and the Gold Coast.950 km · 4 days
- Sydney to Melbourne coastal routeThe slow way down the Princes Highway: south coast beaches, Eden whales, Gippsland lakes and into Melbourne.1,040 km · 6 days
- Red Centre WayA desert loop of about 1,200 km from Alice Springs via the West MacDonnell Ranges and Kings Canyon to Uluru.1,200 km · 5 days · Loop
- Coral Coast: Perth to ExmouthNorth along the Indian Ocean from Perth through the Pinnacles, Kalbarri and Shark Bay to Ningaloo.1,270 km · 7 days
- Nullarbor: Eyre Highway1,664 km across the treeless Nullarbor from Norseman to Port Augusta with roadhouses and cliffs.1,664 km · 4 days
- Bruce Highway: Brisbane to Cairns1,679 km along the Queensland coast past the Whitsundays, Townsville and Mission Beach, ending at the Reef.1,679 km · 8 days
- Adelaide to Darwin on the Stuart HighwayThe big one: roughly 3,000 km north through Coober Pedy, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine.3,020 km · 8 days
Lesser-known drives
- Huon Valley and Bruny IslandSouth of Hobart along the Huon Highway: orchards, caves and the car ferry to Bruny Island.150 km · 2 days
- Silo Art TrailA long, flat drive through the Wimmera-Mallee with giant murals painted on grain silos in tiny farming towns.200 km · 2 days
- Scenic Rim loopA loop west of the Gold Coast through Canungra, Rathdowney and Boonah, with Lamington rainforest and Mount Barney views.300 km · 2 days · Loop
- Atherton Tablelands loopA loop over the Kuranda Range into volcanic lakes, waterfalls and farm towns behind Cairns.300 km · 2 days · Loop
- Oodnadatta TrackA 614 km outback gravel run from Marree to Marla past mound springs, Lake Eyre and William Creek.614 km · 4 days
- Murray River roadAbout 663 km along the Murray Valley Highway, from Euston to Corryong, past river towns, paddle steamers and wineries.663 km · 4 days
- Flinders RangesA drive north from Quorn through Hawker to Wilpena Pound, Brachina Gorge and Arkaroola.950 km · 5 days
- Eyre Peninsula coastPort Augusta to Ceduna via Port Lincoln: seafood, cuttlefish, sea lions and Coffin Bay.1,000 km · 5 days
- Cape York to the TipA remote 4WD expedition from Cairns to the northern tip of mainland Australia, with long unsealed stretches.1,000 km · 10 days
- Savannah WayCairns to Broome across 3,501 km of tropical north: Normanton, Katherine, Kununurra and Fitzroy Crossing.3,500 km · 14 days
Looking for stops rather than a route? See road trip stops in Australia, or plan your own drive with the road trip planner.
Plan the drive, not just the stops
Roadtrip works out what the drive costs in fuel for your car, splits it into days with the best stops and places to sleep, and finds the cheapest fuel on the way.
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