Australia's best outback road trips

Take a journey into the vast, red heart of Australia and discover the magic of the outback.

Here are seven of Australia’s best outback road trips to inspire you from our special 100 Amazing Road Trips around Australia series.

Outback road trips

Golden Quest Discovery Trail, WA
Broken Hill via White Cliffs, NSW
Kings Canyon to Uluru, NT
The Warlu Way, WA
The Savannah Way
The Canning Stock Route, WA
The Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail, WA

23. Golden Quest Discovery Trail, WA

All up, there are 25 official stops dotted along the Golden Quest Discovery Trail in Western Australia, which provides a rewarding exploration of a region rich in gold rush history.

You can complete the trail at a leisurely pace over six days and start your journey at any one of the recommended stopping points. And while the self-drive adventure can be undertaken in a 2WD vehicle, a 4WD is recommended. Note: distances are route-dependent.

Lake Ballard Menzies — Experience the vibrant colours of the Golden Quest Discovery Trail. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Day One: Coolgardie to Menzies (180km)

Take up the trail in Coolgardie, seven hours’ drive east of Perth, which, in its heyday, was the unofficial capital of the Eastern Goldfields and where thousands of gold miners came to seek their fortune.

Visit the Goldfields Exhibition Museum, which has one of WA’s largest antique bottle collections before making your way to Menzies, passing the famous Golden Pipeline as well as old grave sites, ghost towns and mine shafts.

Coolgardie Bluff Coolgardie — Take in the natural beauty of Coolgardie Bluff, and discover some of the fascinating iron sculptures along the track. (Image: Jared Send)

Day Two: Menzies to Kookynie (142km)

Start the day with a stroll around the tombstones of Menzies Cemetery, where tales of the town’s gold mining history are etched in stone before heading for the gold rush ghost town of Kookynie.

Enjoy a bevvie with some of the local characters (including Willie the horse) who congregate at the rustic Grand Hotel, and visit the Old Miner’s Cottage, said to be the town’s last timber and iron building still standing from the turn of the 20th century. It’s also worth the hour-long detour to Niagara Dam for a refreshing swim.

Niagra Dam at Menzies — Take a break at Niagra Dam, a little Oasis in the wilderness. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Day Three: Kookynie to Laverton (230km)

Experience a cultural tour around Lake Ballard with Indigenous guide Linden Brownley from Bush Ghoodhu Wongutha Tours before heading to Laverton, a region that has many sites of significance to the Wongutha or Wankatja people, the Traditional Owners of the land.

Along the way you will see the abandoned township of Malcolm, pass by landscapes of flat mulga and saltbush and the lonely graves of prospectors. When in Laverton, visit the Outback Gallery, known for its Aboriginal art, and enjoy some pub grub at the Desert Inn Hotel.

Aboriginal Art Gallery Lavertone — Discover the beautiful world of Indigenous Australian Art at Laverton’s Aboriginal Art Gallery. (Image Jared Send)

Day Four: Laverton to Leonora (124km)

The landscape from Laverton to Leonora changes from the flora of the acacia woodlands to a rugged desert landscape stubbled with tufts of spinifex and groves of marble gums.

Visit the ghost town of Gwalia, which is like a time capsule from the gold-mining era, and Malcolm Dam for its bird watching and natural beauty.

Book a room at historic Hoover House designed in 1897 by young mining manager Herbert Hoover, who went on to become the 31st president of the United States.

Malcom Dam, near Leonora — Experience the rich reds of the outback, on the way to Malcolm Dam (near Leonora). (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Day Five: Leonora to Lake Ballard (160km)

Get up before dawn to make the one-hour road trip to Granite Creek where you can watch the sky bruise purple and blue around the edges.

This ancient rocky watercourse lined with river gums is a pleasant place for a breakfast picnic before heading another 50 minutes down the road to Copperfield, which was once a major mining community.

A highlight of the trail has to be Lake Ballard, where 51 metal sculptures by British artist Antony Gormley stand, dotted along the shimmering surface of the vast salt lake.

Antony Gormley sculptures at Lake Ballard — Wander around this unique art installation created by Turner Prize-winning artist Antony Gormley.

Day Six: Lake Ballard to Kalgoorlie-Boulder (253km)

From Lake Ballard, it’s about an hour and 15 minutes to Davyhurst, another abandoned mining town inhabited by ghosts of the gold rush. It will take about two more hours to get to Broad Arrow Tavern, known for its famous Broady Burger.

It’s a further 31 kilometres to Kalgoorlie-Boulder, where you will find Australia’s only legalised two-up shed and the end of the Golden Quest Discovery Trail.

A girl standing out the front of the Broad Arrow Tavern in Kalgoorlie. (Image: Tourism Western Australia) — The drive to Broad Arrow Tavern in Kalgoorlie is worth it for the famous Broady Burger. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Words by Carla Grossetti

24. Broken Hill via White Cliffs, NSW

The direct route between the NSW towns of White Cliffs and Broken Hill takes just under three hours along the Barrier Highway, but you can amp up the outback by packing in some diversions and going the long way round.

White Cliffs

Before departing White Cliffs, you will want to take a Red Earth Opal Mine Tour to wonder at the gently shimmering hues of the opals that proliferate here (White Cliffs is Australia’s oldest commercial opal field) and learn about the ancient history of the Barkandji peoples at Mutawintji National Park (a four-hour return drive to the north-west of the town).

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

Wilcannia

Then set forth for Broken Hill along the Opal Miners Way via Wilcannia, another of the state’s quintessential outback outposts.

It takes less than an hour to reach this town, with its proud historic buildings and proximity to the Darling River (take the River Walk to stretch your legs).

Broken Hill

From here it’s another two hours to Broken Hill, where Broken Hill Outback Resorts’ deluxe cabins are the perfect base for exploring.

Distance:

329 kilometres via Wilcannia.

25. Kings Canyon to Uluru, NT

While flying into Kings Canyon’s red-dirt airstrip in the heart of the Northern Territory’s Red Centre affords jaw-dropping aerial views of the arid, russet-toned landscape, opt to leave the dramatic surrounds by road to take in the outback vistas – and the unique experiences it offers – at closer quarters.

The journey from Watarrka National Park to Uluru charts a roughly 325-kilometre course along Luritja Road and the Lasseter Highway, traversing a relentlessly flat landscape that is punctuated with low, tawny scrub that merges with infinite blue skies at the always-elusive horizon.

Departing Kings Canyon

If setting off from Kings Canyon Resort, take the time to visit Karrke Aboriginal Cultural Experience & Tours (34 kilometres along the Luritja Road), owned and operated by Christine Breaden and Peter Abbott who live on the land of their ancestors in the small Aboriginal Community of Wanmarra (population 10) and proudly preserve and maintain their Luritja and Pertame (Southern Aranda) language.

Kings Canyon Hiking — Lace up your hiking boots, and wander among the soaring sandstone walls of Kings Canyon. (Image: Tourism NT/Jess Caldwell)

Curtain Springs Station to Mt Conner (Atila/Artilla)

Another 182 kilometres down the road, the roadhouse at the 405,000-hectare Curtain Springs Station (which narrowly avoided being called Stalin Springs in the 1940s in honour of the despotic Russian leader after the then owner’s son objected; they named it after Prime Minister John Curtin instead) is a timely stop to stock up on drinks and use the facilities (signs point out toilets for the blokes and sheilas ) before continuing on to take in the behemoth form of Mt Conner (Atila/Artilla), known as Fooluru due to its habit of foxing uninformed tourists, and the shimmering white expanse of Lake Amadeus.

My Conner Northern Territory — Breathe in the majesty of the outback, punctuated by marvels such as the magnificent Mt Conner (aka Fooluru). (Credit: Tourism NT)

Uluru

The last leg of the drive to Uluru takes just under two hours, delivering you to one of the world’s true wonders at the end of a truly wondrous journey.

Stay:

In the Dreamtime Escarpment luxury tents at Kings Creek Station near Kings Canyon and Longitude 131° overlooking Uluru for bookended luxury.

26. The Warlu Way

The geography of the Warlu Way is as photogenic as it is diverse. And steeped in culture. Discover the Dreamtime legend of the Warlu, a sea serpent said to have snaked its way through the Pilbara region of Australia’s North West, carving out the epic landscape you’ll trace along any iteration of this magical journey.

A car drives the red dirt roads in Cape Keraudren, east of Port Hedland in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. (Image: Tourism Western Australia) — Drive the red dirt roads in Cape Keraudren, east of Port Hedland in the Pilbara. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Explore the ancient landscape linking Broome with Exmouth through coastal and inland sections, and along the Manuwarra Red Dog Highway and East Pilbara Geoheritage Route, where you’ll see towering rock faces, wild coastlines, stunning sunsets, plunging gorges, soaring red ranges and sapphire seas and views that stretch on forever.

Download the free Warlu Way travel app so you can choose between one of the self-drive itineraries that allow for either a return trip or a one-way adventure.

Eighty Mile Beach, Mackerel Islands & Murujuga National Park

You could spend an entire day sifting sand through your toes at Eighty Mile Beach or the Mackerel Islands, exploring the ancient Aboriginal rock art of the Pilbara region in Murujuga National Park (which has more than 1 million petroglyphs), or kayaking in the blue-green waters of Nhanggangunha (Deep Reach Pool), where the spirit serpent is said to live.

Cape Keraudren Warlu Way — Join local wildlife to catch a vibrant sunset on the Warlu Way. (Image: CJ Maddock @cjmaddock)

Karijini National Park

Carve off to Karijini National Park to see hidden waterholes and gorges as gnarled and weathered as time amid one of the oldest landscapes on the planet.

The park lies at the heart of the Warlu Way, where the Yindjibarndi have roamed for thousands of years. Fans of the film Red Dog should detour to Dampier to snap a selfie in front of the statue dedicated to the kelpie that travelled across the Pilbara and inspired a movie of the same name.

An aerial shot of Joffre Gorge, Karijini National Park. (Image: Tourism Western Australia) — Make a stop at Joffre Gorge in Karijini National Park. Just wow. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Distance:

The Warlu Way is almost 3000 kilometres in full and can also be explored in sections via its four interconnected routes.

Stay:

Karijini Eco Retreat

Words by Carla Grossetti

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27. The Savannah Way

Perhaps the country’s ultimate adventure drive, The Savannah Way is an unparalleled opportunity to get to grips with the beauty, diversity and magnitude of northern Australia.

Beginning in Broome and ending in Cairns, this 3700-kilometre coast-to-coast route charts a course between the red sands of WA’s mystical Kimberley and the dazzling blue-greens of Queensland’s Tropical North, via majestic savannahs and the big vistas of the NT’s Top End.

A 4WD is parked by a campfire under the stars at Lorella Springs Wildnerness on the Savannah Way, Northern Territory. (Image: Tourism NT/Sean Scott) — Camp under the stars at Lorella Springs Wildnerness on the Savannah Way. (Image: Tourism NT/Sean Scott)

To complete the whole journey in full can take upwards of three weeks, but it can also be tackled in – somewhat – more bite-sized portions, such as the 1700-kilometre leg between the Cairns and Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park near the NT border.

The Savannah Way — Cruise along magnificent red sand and take in the unparalleled beauty of Australia’s North. (Image: Tourism NT/Peter Eve)

Stay:

Camp in some of Australia’s most magnificent national parks, such as Nitmiluk.

28. The Canning Stock Route, WA

The Canning Stock Route is an iconic track that extends from Halls Creek in the Kimberley region of Western Australia to Wiluna in the Mid West.

As well as being the longest historic stock route in the world, the trail offers the opportunity for an extraordinary adventure, slicing through narrow gorges, sheer cliffs, ancient Aboriginal rock art sites and engravings left by early explorers and drovers.

Wolfe Creek Crater, South of Halls Creek. (Image: Tourism Western Australia) — The Wolfe Creek Crater, South of Halls Creek, displays nature’s beauty. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Built in 1910, the route is a ragged ochre ribbon that follows in the footsteps of the East Kimberley drovers for whom the track was created. The cattlemen were looking for an alternative way to move their cattle south in order to break the West Kimberley beef monopoly.

Although you can go it alone, the most comfortable way to explore the track is with Outback Spirit, an Australian company with decades of experience guiding visitors through this raw and rugged terrain.

The red dirt road to Wiluna in Western Australia. (Image: Paul Fowler) — The big open road to Wiluna is as picturesque as it looks. (Image: Paul Fowler)

The stock route crosses the Gibson, Great Sandy, Little Sandy and Tanami deserts and while the cattle are now long gone, the stockmen’s history has been preserved due to the extreme isolation. The track, blessed as it is with stunning landscapes, is one of the most iconic 4WD drives in the country.

Halls Creek Western Australia — An old stock route now provides a gateway to the breathtaking scenery of the Kimberly region. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Distance:

1850 kilometres one way.

Stay:

In a desert safari tent under the stars on an Outback Spirit tour.

Words by Carla Grossetti

29. The Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail, WA

The Golden Pipeline is a self-guided trail that spaghettis between the Perth Hills and WA’s Eastern Goldfields.

Follow the waterway as it squiggles its way from Mundaring Weir to Mt Charlotte, and from forested hills to the red dirt of the state’s goldfields, and you will learn about the ambitious scheme to pump water higher and further than had ever been done at the end of the 19th century.

A view of Mundaring Weir (Image: Tourism Western Australia) — The amazing landscapes of Mundaring Weir. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

As well as being historically significant, the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme is regarded as an engineering marvel. It has been pumping water through a steel pipeline to its destination some 560 kilometres east for more than a century, and it’s predicted it will continue to do so for another (golden) century.

The pipe at Southern Cross Town, Southern Cross. (Image: Tourism Western Australia) — The Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail is rich in goldrush history. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

The Golden Pipeline, a National Trust WA project, honours the work of civic engineer CY O’Connor who was responsible for creating major public works during the 1890s that stimulated the development of WA. The fact that this water supply scheme still functions effectively to this day is a testament to his skills.

The scheme came about due to the fact water was scarce in the goldfields following discovery of the precious metal in Coolgardie in 1892, then Kalgoorlie in 1893.

While some of the pump stations may be closed for remediation works, others are like open museums, standing like memorials to the great engineer.

A streetscape of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. (Image: Tourism Western Australia) — The goldfields town of Kalgoorlie is filled with mining history. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

This is a journey into the wild, wild west. As well as learning about the water supply scheme, you can home-school your kids about WA’s gold-mining history, see dreamy sunsets and wildflowers as you make your way through the wheatbelt and the goldfields.

Australia Golden Pipeline Sign Merredin — Begin a unique adventure on the Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Distance:

650 kilometres

Stay:

Kalgoorlie Overland Motel

Words by Carla Grossetti

Keep reading our special Top 100 Road Trips in Australia editorial series.

Located just an hour north-west of Melbourne, the largely undiscovered Macedon Ranges quietly pours some of Australia’s finest cool-climate wines and serves up some of Victoria’s best food.

Mention the Macedon Ranges and most people will think of day spas and mineral springs around Daylesford, cosy weekends away in the countryside or the famous Hanging Rock (of enigmatic picnic fame). Or they won’t have heard of the Macedon Ranges at all.

But this cool-climate destination has been inconspicuously building a profile as a high-quality food and wine region and is beginning to draw serious attention from oenophiles and epicureans alike.

The rise of Macedon Ranges wine

liquid gold barrels at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — Barrels of liquid gold at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

With elevations ranging from 300 to 800 metres, Macedon Ranges vineyards are among the highest in the country. This altitude, combined with significant day/night temperature swings, makes for a slow ripening season, in turn nurturing wines that embody elegance and structure. Think crisp chardonnays, subtle yet complex pinot noirs and delicate sparkling wines, along with niche varietals, such as gamay and nebbiolo.

Despite the region’s natural advantages – which vary from estate to estate, as each site embodies unique terroir depending on its position in relation to the Great Dividing Range, soil make-up and altitude – the Macedon Ranges has remained something of an insider’s secret. Unlike Victoria’s Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula, you won’t find large tour buses here and there’s no mass marketing drawing crowds.

Many of the 40-odd wineries are family-run operations with modest yields, meaning the wineries maintain a personal touch (if you visit a cellar door, you’ll likely chat to the owner or winemaker themselves) and a tight sales circle that often doesn’t go far beyond said cellar door. And that’s part of the charm.

Though wines from the Macedon Ranges are just starting to gain more widespread recognition in Australia, the first vines were planted in the 1860s, with a handful of operators then setting up business in the 1970s and ’80s. The industry surged again in the 1990s and early 2000s with the entry of wineries, such as Mount Towrong, which has an Italian slant in both its wine and food offering, and Curly Flat, now one of the largest estates.

Meet the new generation of local winemakers

the Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. — The Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Then, within the last 15 years, a new crop of vignerons like Andrew Wood at Kyneton Ridge Estate, whose vineyard in 2024 was the first in the Macedon Ranges to be certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia; Geoff Plahn and Samantha Reid at Paramoor, who have an impressive cellar door with a roaring fire and studded leather couches in an old Clydesdale barn; and Ollie Rapson and Renata Morello at Lyons Will, who rapidly expanded a small vineyard to focus on top-shelf riesling, gamay, pinot noir and chardonnay, have taken ownership of local estates.

Going back to the early days, Llew Knight’s family was one of the pioneers of the 1970s, replacing sheep with vines at Granite Hills when the wool industry dwindled. Knight is proud of the fact that all their wines are made with grapes from their estate, including a light, peppery shiraz (some Macedon wineries purchase fruit from nearby warmer areas, such as Heathcote, particularly to make shiraz) and a European-style grüner veltliner. And, as many other wineries in the region do, he relies on natural acid for balance, rather than an additive, which is often required in warmer regions. “It’s all about understanding and respecting your climate to get the best out of your wines,” he says.

farm animals atKyneton Ridge Estate — Curious residents at Kyneton Ridge Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Throughout the Macedon Ranges, there’s a growing focus on sustainability and natural and low-intervention wines, with producers, such as Brian Martin at Hunter Gatherer making waves in regenerative viticulture. Martin previously worked in senior roles at Australia’s largest sparkling winemaking facility, and now applies that expertise and his own nous to natural, hands‑off, wild-fermented wines, including pét‑nat, riesling and pinot noir. “Wild fermentation brings more complexity,” he says. “Instead of introducing one species of yeast, you can have thousands and they add different characteristics to the wine.”

the vineyard at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The estate’s vineyard, where cool-climate grapes are grown. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Most producers also focus on nurturing their grapes in-field and prune and pick by hand, thus avoiding the introduction of impurities and the need to meddle too much in the winery. “The better the quality of the fruit, the less you have to interfere with the natural winemaking process,” says Wood.

Given the small yields, there’s also little room for error, meaning producers place immense focus on quality. “You’re never going to compete in the middle [in a small region] – you’ve got to aim for the top,” says Curly Flat owner Jeni Kolkka. “Big wineries try to do things as fast as possible, but we’re in no rush,” adds Troy Walsh, owner and winemaker at Attwoods. “We don’t use commercial yeasts; everything is hand-harvested and everything is bottled here, so we bottle only when we’re ready, not when a big truck arrives.” That’s why, when you do see a Macedon Ranges product on a restaurant wine list, it’s usually towards the pointy end.

Come for the wine, stay for the food

pouring sauce onto a dish at Lake HouseDaylesford — Dining at Lake House Daylesford is a treat. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

If wine is the quiet achiever of the Macedon Ranges, then food is its not-so-secret weapon. In fact, the area has more hatted restaurants than any other region in Victoria. A pioneer of the area’s gourmet food movement is region cheerleader Alla Wolf-Tasker, culinary icon and founder of Daylesford’s Lake House.

For more than three decades, Wolf-Tasker has championed local producers and helped define what regional fine dining can look like in Australia. Her influence is palpable, not just in the two-hatted Lake House kitchen, but in the broader ethos of the region’s dining scene, as a wave of high-quality restaurants have followed her lead to become true destination diners.

the Midnight Starling restaurant in Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The hatted Midnight Starling restaurant is located in Kyneton. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

It’s easy to eat well, whether at other hatted restaurants, such as Midnight Starling in the quaint town of Kyneton, or at the wineries themselves, like Le Bouchon at Attwoods, where Walsh is inspired by his time working in France in both his food offering and winemaking.

The beauty of dining and wine touring in the Macedon Ranges is that it feels intimate and unhurried. You’re likely to meet the winemaker, hear about the trials of the latest vintage firsthand, and taste wines that never make it to city shelves. And that’s worth getting out of the city for – even if it is just an hour down the road.

Delicate dishes on the menu at Midnight Starling. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the accommodation at Cleveland Estate, Macedon Ranges — Stay at the Cleveland Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Soak up vineyard views from Cleveland Estate near Lancefield, embrace retro charm at Kyneton Springs Motel or indulge in lakeside luxury at the Lake House.

Eating there

Enjoy a four-course menu at the one-hatted Surly Goat in Hepburn Springs, Japanese-inspired fare at Kuzu in Woodend or unpretentious fine dining at Mount Monument, which also has a sculpture park.

Drinking there

wine tasting at PassingClouds Winery, Macedon Ranges — A tasting at Passing Clouds Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Settle in for a tasting at Boomtown in Castlemaine, sample local drops at the cosy Woodend Cellar & Bar or wine-hop around the many cellar doors, such as Passing Clouds.

the Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar signage — Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Playing there

a scenic river in Castlemaine — Idyllic scenes at Castlemaine. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Wander through the seasonal splendour of Forest Glade Gardens, hike to the summit of Hanging Rock, or stroll around the tranquil Sanatorium Lake.

purple flowers hanging from a tree — Purple flowers hanging from a tree. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Take a journey into the vast, red heart of Australia and discover the magic of the outback.

Outback road trips

23. Golden Quest Discovery Trail, WA

Day One: Coolgardie to Menzies (180km)

Day Two: Menzies to Kookynie (142km)

Day Three: Kookynie to Laverton (230km)

Day Four: Laverton to Leonora (124km)

Day Five: Leonora to Lake Ballard (160km)

Day Six: Lake Ballard to Kalgoorlie-Boulder (253km)

24. Broken Hill via White Cliffs, NSW

White Cliffs

AI Prompt

Wilcannia

Broken Hill

Distance:

25. Kings Canyon to Uluru, NT

Departing Kings Canyon

Curtain Springs Station to Mt Conner (Atila/Artilla)

Uluru

Stay:

26. The Warlu Way

Eighty Mile Beach, Mackerel Islands & Murujuga National Park

Karijini National Park

Distance:

Stay:

27. The Savannah Way

Stay:

28. The Canning Stock Route, WA

Distance:

Stay:

29. The Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail, WA

Distance:

Stay:

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Located just an hour north-west of Melbourne, the largely undiscovered Macedon Ranges quietly pours some of Australia’s finest cool-climate wines and serves up some of Victoria’s best food.

The rise of Macedon Ranges wine

Meet the new generation of local winemakers

Come for the wine, stay for the food

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

Eating there

Drinking there

Playing there