088 Take Highway 1 around the world’s largest island and smallest continent

Our own Department of Foreign Affairs calls us the world’s largest island and smallest continent, and that’s good enough for AT.

Forget for the moment any pesky distinctions that describe the continent of “Australia” as including bits of New Guinea and some tiny islands. Our own Department of Foreign Affairs calls us the world’s largest island and smallest continent, and that’s good enough for AT.

And thanks to a little piece of dirt and bitumen called Highway 1 – at more than 24,000km the world’s longest national highway – you can circumnavigate the lot. Australia is unique in that regard in the world.

Two parts in particular might trip you up – but they’re not insurmountable. You’ll need special permission to travel through certain traditionally owned parts of Arnhem Land, and you’ll need to pop your car or bike onto the Spirit of Tasmania ferry to complete the most southerly part of your trip. But it’s definitely doable.

Where // Highway 1 circumnavigates Australia and is more than 25,000km long.

Did you know? // The world’s longest international highway is the Pan-American Highway and is almost 50,000km long, winding from country to country in the Americas.