Best Road Trips in Australia Chosen By Travel Bloggers

There are many amazing road trips that you can do in Australia from short scenic road trips that can be done in a day to epic multi-day road trips that take you from one side of Australia to another.  Although I have visited several places in Australia, I would love to go back and do a road trip so that I can see smaller towns and other attractions that I can only get to by driving. It is easy to find a good vehicle for a road trip here and I would love to purchase a campervan and road trip around Australia for a month or longer.  There are many great Australian road trip routes so to help me narrow down the best Australian road trips, I asked my fellow travel bloggers to name their favorite Australia road trips. Several road trips were mentioned more than once, so I have put together a list of the top 5 road trips in Australia.

Best Road Trips in Australia

1) The Great Ocean Road

Contributed by Josh of The Lost Passport

The Great Ocean Road winds its way along Australia’s south coast from Torquay to Warrnambool, with endless views of the Tasman Sea. What makes this road trip so epic is the wide range of places to visit along the way.

If you are a surfer, this is heaven with amazing surf beaches such as Torquay, Jan Juc, Lorne, and Bells Beach on offer. Whether you visit in the summer, or middle of winter, you are sure to see loads of surfers out on the water. They don’t call this the Surf Coast for nothing.

Prefer to stay dry? No worries, you can check out the iconic Twelve Apostles, London Bridge, and Loch Ard Gorge rock formations. Entry is free, however if you can also go all out and jump on board a scenic flight.

Of course, this trip would not be complete without a great lunch at one of Port Campbell’s many cafes. If you are not the designated driver, you can even try one of the local beers at The Sow & Piglets.

Still got time to spare? Then check out these awesome stops on The Great Ocean Road. The Great Ocean Road is one trip, which will not disappoint.

2) Brisbane – Sydney

Contributed by Kylie at Between England and Iowa

A good road trip to take in Australia is between Brisbane, QLD and Sydney, NSW on the east coast!  It can easily be done in 7 days, covering a distance of 1520km/945miles.  Some great stops along the way include: Surfer’s Paradise, Byron Bay, Port Macquarie and Palm Beach on Sydney’s Northern most tip.  There’s something for everyone, from coastal walks and beaches (Cape Byron, the most easterly point of mainland Australia), to National Parks (Tamborine National Park and Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park) to enjoying one of Gold Coast’s many theme parks!  Even on a tight schedule, the longest driving days are around 4.5 hours (Byron Bay to Port Macquarie and Port Macquarie to Palm Beach/Sydney), making it a very achievable road trip!  Read more about the Brisbane – Sydney road trip here.

3) Perth to Broome

Contributed by Richard of The Travel Tramp

Western Australia is a vast, vast state, as much filled with nothingness as it is filled with incredible natural beauty. Driving from Perth to Broome in the far north is a long way, but it’s a road trip that will allow you to experience the widest spectrum of WA’s great outdoors, coastal towns and rural communities. It’s a journey of over 2000 kilometres, along some of the most remote yet beautiful beaches in Australia.

Stop off at the wild cliffs of Kalbarri, then visit the isolated Shark Bay peninsular, before carrying on further north to Coral Bay and Exmouth, where you can don a mask and snorkel and venture out onto the Ningaloo Reef, the largest fringing reef in the world. Finish the last thousand kilometres to Broome with a stop inland at Karijini National Park, a desert landscape filled with spectacular gorges, waterfalls and natural swimming holes, before following the coastal highway along some of the longest and most pristine beaches found anywhere in the world, to Broome.

Once you are finally in Broome, relax on the famous Cable Beach, enjoy the laid back holiday town atmosphere and the quirky charms of this far off city and decide if you’d rather drive all the way back to Perth or carry on the same distance to Darwin.

4) Hobart to Launceston

Contributed by Allison from Flights to Fancy

Australia’s smallest state Tasmania is perfect for road tripping even with limited time. We had just six days for our Tasmanian road trip so planning was critical. We got a brilliant deal on a Jetstar flight from Sydney to Launceston but it would have been more convenient to fly into Hobart and return from Launceston. We landed early, picked up the hire car and drove straight through the heart of Tasmania to reach Hobart just on lunch time. We spent the remainder of the day exploring Hobart city and Salamanca place. Try Jacke Greene for great cocktails and burgers. On day 2 head out to Port Arthur to learn more about Australia’s brutal convict past and take in one of the wineries in Richmond on the way back. On day 3 point the car east and head for Freycinet. If you are on a budget look at Bicheno as a more affordable alternative to Coles Bay. Spend the afternoon hiking to Wineglass Bay. Your thighs will be burning but the views make up for the pain. Start Day 4 with a cruise on the magnificent Wineglass Bay. Disembark and head North to the Bay of Fires to see the incredible lichen covered rocky coast and end the day in Launceston. Make sure you have a meal at the Black Cow and check out Cataract Gorge. Tasmania truly is breathtaking so get out there and explore it all!

5) Red Centre Way: Alice Springs – Uluru

Contributed by Cat from Walk my World

The road trip between Alice Springs and Uluru is our favourite in the whole of Australia, taking you through the heart of this huge country: the Red Centre. The trip via the Mereenie Loop is 700km, but because of the roads it takes over 16 hours, and you will need a 4×4.

The road trip starts at the West MacDonnell Ranges with their towering red cliffs and perfect swimming holes. You’ll then hit the Mereenie Loop which takes you really deep into rural Australia. Watch out for camels crossing the road, brumbies (wild horses), dingos and kangaroos! Just before you reach the magnificent Uluru you’ll visit Kings Canyon, a huge canyon that really stands out against the endless flat of the Outback. The 5.5km Rim Walk is one of the best in the whole of Australia. The endless red sand and wide open views, plus finishing at the awe-inspiring Uluru make this a road trip to remember. Read more about this road trip here.

Looking for more Australia road trip inspiration? Here are 8 more Australia Road Trips to Add to Your Bucket List.

Hopefully, this post has inspired you to take an Australian road trip.  And to make sure you pack everything you need before you get going, check out my road trip packing list.

Have you done a road trip in Australia? What do you think are the best road trips in Australia?

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