The best two-wheeler trips in Australia

Not all road trips require four wheels. Sometimes riding freely atop your two-wheeler can be just as exhilarating, especially in Australia.

Here are six of Australia’s best cycling and motorcycle trips to inspire you from our special 100 Amazing Road Trips around Australia series.

95. New England High Country, NSW

I’d say there are no two ways about it, except that there are: a road trip to Armidale is ridiculously scenic. The first time we travel there is along Thunderbolts Way. Named in honour of the ‘gentleman bushranger’ who once roamed these parts, it twists, turns and careens through a scenic landscape marked strikingly by the unreal landscape of the Barrington Tops and invitingly by pretty, historic towns.

Landscape views of Thunderbolts Way, NSW, Australia — Travel along Thunderbolts Way.

In Walcha we look out for sculptures that comprise its open-air gallery and in Uralla we stop at The Alternate Root Cafe, admiring the original pressed-metal ceiling, deliberating over the inventive menu and perusing the wares made by local creative types. There are diversions along the way: to the eclectic Dobson’s Distillery , with its cinematic speakeasy vibes in the sleepy village of Kentucky, and to the pure air, walking trails and waterfalls of Oxley Wild Rivers National Park – a rugged gorge country that falls away dramatically from the gentler swathes of the tableland, the Great Dividing Range’s highest.

Dobsons Distillery- amworth — Browse the Selection at Dobson’s Distillery. (Image: Destination NSW)

Another time, we travel to Armidale from the quirky riverside town of Bellingen along the true-to-its-name Waterfall Way: ascending up into the mist-shrouded rainforest and stopping to go back in time at Dorrigo National Park, part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area.

Ebor Falls, Waterfall Way in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia — We make our way to the true-to-its-name Waterfall Way.

Our destination, the lofty city at the heart of NSW’s New England High Country always packs a punch on arrival: with its wealth of cultural experiences, from the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM) to historic Saumarez Homestead; and its cool but unpretentious pubs, cocktail bars and cafes including The Welder’s Dog , Charlie’s Last Stand and Goldfish Bowl. Combined with a stay in one of the country’s finest restored Art Deco hotels, Tattersalls , and its many outdoor pursuits it’s well worth the journey to get here. Even if that journey is reward in itself.

Tattersalls Hotel Guest Lounge (Photo: Sally Scott)

Distance:

474 kilometres (Sydney to Armidale via Thunderbolts Way); 156 kilometres (Bellingen to Armidale via Waterfall Way).

96. Cairns to Cape York by motorcycle, Qld

This most profound and adventurous immersion into tropical Australia is not beyond anyone with a motorcycle licence, a pinch of off-road riding experience and a hell-yeah attitude. A handful of companies, such as Cape York Motorcycle Adventures , offer fully supported, week-long trips that take riders to untainted wilderness and small settlements that most Aussies will never see (a support truck carries luggage or food). Burble through the Daintree, cruise the streets of Cooktown, and battle the Old Telegraph Track’s mythical ‘Gunshot’ en route to Australia’s extreme north.

Cruise your way through the vibrant and verdant Daintree rainforest. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

When night falls, slump into a camp stretcher next to a roaring fire next to a babbling tropical creek. You’ll earn every kilometre, through sand and water crossings, but don’t worry, the guides can tailor the route to your ability, and the pay-off and stories last a lifetime.

Distance:

1800 kilometres (route dependent)

Red Outback Dirt Road, Australia — Cape York Motorcycle Adventures take riders to the untainted wilderness of Queensland.

97. Great Southern Rail Trail, Vic

It’s difficult to imagine a better way to connect with the laid-back townlets and the green, green grass of Gippsland than by rolling through on arguably the region’s best multiday cycleway: the Great Southern Rail Trail.

From Leongatha (135 kilometres southeast of Melbourne), the neutral-gradient gravel trail parts dairy-farm fields and leafy peppermint forests. Stop one is slow-food hub Koonwarra; its ethical soft-centre based around Paddlewheel, the local farmers market store, Milly & Romeo’s Artisan Bakery and Cooking School , and The Ethical Food Store (great for a locally-sourced lunch).

Green landscape, Gippsland, Australia — Roll through on Gippsland’s best multiday cycleway: the Great Southern Rail Trail.

Roll on over restored trestle bridges and witness the Strzelecki Ranges emerge from the foliage. Linger in Meeniyan for its galleries and coffee-and-cake options (especially Moo’s) and the Meeniyan Pantry & Cellar , an upmarket deli selling cheese, wine and local smallgoods. Gentle Gippsland ups and downs will then deliver you further along to Fish Creek, an artist hub with a cheeky grin.

A six-kilometre ride from town, The Church House Gourmet Retreat , featured on Grand Designs Australia, is a worthy place to rest your gently throbbing thighs. The shapely Art Deco-style Fish Creek Hotel (with a giant fish perched precariously on its roof) is the spot to shoot the breeze with fun Fish-Creekians.

Exterior of Fish Creek Hotel, Victoria, Australia — Stay at the shapely Art Deco-style Fish Creek Hotel.

On day two, with Melbourne seemingly an aloof memory, ‘The Prom’ shows you her wild soul down in the distance all day. Leave the trail at the subtly signed Gurneys Cider (before Foster) to drink in the vistas (after a short, steepish ride up through fields) and head-lightening scrumpy cider made from wild apples. Freewheel through time-warped Toora before your tyres roll onto the long, long Port Welshpool Long Jetty and a rendezvous with your return lift (which can be provided courtesy of Australian Cycling Holidays ).

Distance:

72 kilometres (a gentle ride over two days)

98. Lakes Highway, Tas

On the edge of the escarpment a road sign warns of wiggles for seven kilometres. I grin under my helmet for the hundredth time since leaving historic Bothwell. Though, if that storm catches up to my BMW F 750 GS, it’ll be no joke. Lakes Highway is a scenic south-north route that weaves, at altitude, between countless lakes and shack-heavy fishing settlements. Raindrops speck my visor as I wind my way down from kooparoona niara – the original palawa name for Great Western Tiers – and hairpin through deep-green forest. Meander Valley is in sunshine. Lambs scatter and calves stare as I ride the backroads to my accommodation of Wandering Trout Taphouse in Mole Creek.

Distance:

Bothwell to Mole Creek via Highland Lakes Road/A5 is 150 kilometres.

Riding high on Tassie’s Central Plateau, Australia — Raindrops speck my visor as I wind my way down from kooparoona niara. (Image: Chris Crerar)

99. Cycling the Clare Valley, SA

Those with a penchant for pedalling through picturesque landscapes, preferably with the reward of a glass of something crisp at the end, should make tracks for South Australia’s Clare Valley wine region, which has established itself as one of the country’s most attractive cycling spots. It’s most famous for its Riesling Trail, which winds for 33 kilometres through vineyards, farmland and bushland punctuated by cellar doors and villages; it was established in 1994 from an old railway line that was damaged in the Ash Wednesday bushfires some 11 years earlier. Those looking for something a little less languid and more challenging can embark on the 900-kilometre Mawson mountain bike trail, which cuts through Clare on its way from the Flinders Ranges to the Adelaide Hills.

South Australia’s Clare Valley wine region, SA, Australia — Make tracks for South Australia’s Clare Valley wine region. (Image: South Australian Tourism; Adam Bruzzone)

Distance:

Route dependent

Stay:

In a cottage at historic farming property Bungaree Station.

100. Canberra’s cold climate wine region, ACT

Spending even the briefest time exploring the area that stretches between Yass and the ACT will instantly make you understand why there is an “it’s mine, no it’s mine" debate about which region can rightfully lay claim to it: technically it is part of NSW’s Southern Tablelands, but the whole area is also affectionately claimed by Canberra. The reason? Because it’s a picturesque, productive cold-climate wine region, with a burgeoning gourmet foodie scene bubbling along nicely in the background.

The shining gem of the region is Murrumbateman, which is best explored on two wheels and pedal power (the sleek, accommodating Abode Murrumbateman has bikes for guests to borrow), cruising between cellar doors at Clonakilla , Shaw Wines , Helm Wines and The Vintner’s Daughter . Fill your basket with a few top drops and grab the fixings for a perfect picnic: treats from Robyn Rowe Chocolates , fresh produce from Murrumbateman Village Market (every second Sunday) and a sourdough loaf or a sausage roll at Clementine Bakery in Yass.

Distance:

50 kilometres from Yass to Gundaroo.

Cycling on the shining gem of the region, Murrumbateman, NSW, Australia — Pedal through picturesque landscapes of the Murrumbateman region.

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

Slow down and find your rhythm on a Murray River journey through time and place.

Trust is a funny thing. It seems not that long ago that my mother was insisting on pouring the milk into my cereal bowl, because she didn’t trust me not to slosh it over the table, and yet here I am on the Murray River at Mildura in far north-west Victoria, being handed the keys to a very new and very expensive luxury houseboat.

After a crash course in how not to crash, I’m at the wheel of the good ship Elevate – pride of the All Seasons fleet – guiding her upstream past red-ochre cliffs as pelicans glide above the rippled river and kookaburras call from reedy banks. There’s a brief moment of breath-holding while I negotiate a hairpin turn around a jagged reef of skeletal, submerged gum trees, before a cheer rings out and calm descends as the timeless river unfurls in front of us.

The Murray River winding through Yarrawonga. (Image: Rob Blackburn)

Setting sail from Mildura

Murray River birds — Home to a large number of bird species, including pelicans. (Image: The Precint Studios)

A journey along the Murray River is never less than magical, and launching from Mildura makes perfect sense. Up here the river is wide and largely empty, giving novice skippers like myself the confidence to nudge the 60-tonne houseboat up to the riverbank where we tie up for the night, without fear of shattering the glass elevator (the boat is fully wheelchair accessible) or spilling our Champagne.

My friends and I spend three days on the water, swimming and fishing, sitting around campfires onshore at night, and basking in air so warm you’d swear you were in the tropics. The simplicity of river life reveals an interesting dichotomy: we feel disconnected from the world but at the same time connected to Country, privileged to be part of something so ancient and special.

Stop one: Echuca

19th-century paddlesteamers — A historic 19th-century paddlesteamer cruises along the Murray River. (Image: Visit Victoria)

The six-hour drive from Melbourne to Mildura (or four hours and 20 minutes from Adelaide) is more than worth it, but you don’t have to travel that far to find fun on the river. Once Australia’s largest inland port, Echuca is the closest point on the Murray to Melbourne (two hours 45 minutes), and you’ll still find a plethora of paddlesteamers tethered to the historic timber wharf, a throwback to the thriving river trade days of the 19th century. The PS Adelaide, built in 1866 and the oldest wooden-hulled paddlesteamer operating in the world, departs daily for one-hour cruises, while a brand-new paddlesteamer, the PS Australian Star , is launching luxury seven-night voyages in December through APT Touring.

The town is also a hot food and wine destination. St Anne’s Winery at the historic Port of Echuca precinct has an incredibly photogenic cellar door, set inside an old carriage builders’ workshop on the wharf and filled with huge, 3000-litre port barrels. The Mill, meanwhile, is a cosy winter spot to sample regional produce as an open fire warms the red-brick walls of this former flour mill.

Stop two: Barmah National Park

Just half-an-hour upstream, Barmah National Park is flourishing, its river red gum landscape (the largest in the world) rebounding magnificently after the recent removal of more than 700 feral horses. The internationally significant Ramsar-listed wetland sits in the heart of Yorta Yorta Country, with Traditional Owners managing the environment in close partnership with Parks Victoria. Walkways weave through the forest, crossing creeks lined with rare or threatened plants, passing remnants of Yorta Yorta oven mounds and numerous scar trees, where the bark was removed to build canoes, containers or shields.

The Dharnya Centre (open weekdays until 3pm) is the cultural hub for the Yorta Yorta. Visitors can learn about the ecological significance of the Barmah Lakes on a 90-minute river cruise, led by a First Nations guide, or take a one-hour, guided cultural walking tour along the Yamyabuc Trail.

Stop three: Cobram

Continue east to Cobram to find the southern hemisphere’s largest inland beach. Swarming with sun-seekers in summer, the white sand of Thompson’s Beach is shaded by majestic river red gums and dotted with hundreds of beach umbrellas, as beachgoers launch all manner of water craft and set up stumps for beach cricket. But the beach is at its most captivating at sunset, when the crowds thin out, the glassy river mirrors the purple sky, and the canopies of the gum trees glow fiery orange.

The region is also home to some fine resorts and indulgent retreats. Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort has two riverside championship golf courses, luxury apartments and self-contained villas. While not strictly on the Murray, the historic wine town of Rutherglen is rife with boutique (and unique) accommodation, including an exquisitely renovated red-brick tower in a French provincial-style castle at Mount Ophir Estate. Fans of fortified wines can unravel the mystery of Rutherglen’s ‘Muscat Mile’, meeting the vignerons and master-blenders whose artistry has put the town on the global map for this rich and complex wine style.

Stop four: Albury-Wodonga

First Nations YindyamarraSculpture Walk — First Nations Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk is part of the Wagirra Trail. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

Follow the river far enough upstream and you’ll arrive at the twin border cities of Albury-Wodonga. The Hume Highway thunders through, but serenity can be found along the five-kilometre Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk – part of the Wagirra Trail that meanders through river wetlands just west of Albury in Wiradjuri country. Fifteen sculptures by local First Nations artists line the trail, conveying stories of reconciliation, enduring connection to culture, local Milawa lore and traditional practices. It feels a long way from Mildura, and it is, but the pelicans and kookaburras remind us that it’s the same river, the great conduit that connects our country.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

New Mildura motel Kar-rama. (Image: Iain Bond Photo)

Kar-Rama is a brand-new boutique, retro-styled motel in Mildura, with a butterfly-shaped pool and a tropical, Palm Springs vibe. Echuca Holiday Homes has a range of high-end accommodation options, both on the riverfront and in town.

Playing there

BruceMunro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura — Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura. (Image: Imogen Eveson)

Artist Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights installation, comprising more than 12,000 illuminated ‘fireflies’, is currently lighting up Mildura’s Lock Island in the middle of the Murray. Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) is a hub for contemporary art, with a rotating roster of exhibitions, and is a major outlet for young and First Nations artists.

Eating there

Mildura’s diverse demographic means it’s a fantastic place to eat. Andy’s Kitchen is a local favourite, serving up delicious pan-Asian dishes and creative cocktails in a Balinese-style garden setting. Call in to Spoons Riverside in Swan Hill to enjoy locally sourced, seasonal produce in a tranquil setting overlooking the river.

The best two-wheeler trips in Australia

Not all road trips require four wheels. Sometimes riding freely atop your two-wheeler can be just as exhilarating, especially in Australia.

Two-wheel drives

95. New England High Country, NSW

Distance:

96. Cairns to Cape York by motorcycle, Qld

Distance:

97. Great Southern Rail Trail, Vic

Distance:

98. Lakes Highway, Tas

Distance:

99. Cycling the Clare Valley, SA

Distance:

Stay:

100. Canberra’s cold climate wine region, ACT

Distance:

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

12 summer weekends away across Australia to plan now

26 incredible ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve

Friday’s Cold Moon is your last chance to see a supermoon in 2025

Australia’s most iconic train journey is changing in 2027

Explore historic wine towns and sculpture trails on a 3-day self-guided Murray River cruise

Slow down and find your rhythm on a Murray River journey through time and place.

Setting sail from Mildura

Stop one: Echuca

Stop two: Barmah National Park

Stop three: Cobram

Stop four: Albury-Wodonga

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

Playing there

Eating there