Find all 100 Amazing Road Trips here

Discover Australia’s top 100 Amazing Road Trips in one quick reference guide.

Start planning your next road trip by reading our 100 Amazing Road Trips by experience below.

Coastal road trips

Even a road trip well-travelled can reveal plenty of surprises if you take the time to slow down. Here are 11 of Australia’s best coastal road trips to inspire you.

Sydney to the Gold Coast
Sydney to Ulladulla, NSW
Broome to Cape Leveque, WA
The Capricorn Coast, Qld
The Great Green Way, Qld
East Coast Tasmania
Fleurieu Peninsula, SA
Sydney to Port Macquarie, NSW
Eyre Peninsula, SA
Central Coast, NSW
Yorke Peninsula, SA

Iconic road trips

Journeys of epic proportions through wilderness that will shift your perceptions and stay with you forever. Here are 11 of Australia’s iconic road trips to inspire you.

Gibb River Road, WA
Sydney to Melbourne
Darwin to Kakadu, NT
Kosciuszko Alpine Way, NSW
Hobart to Cradle Mountain, Tas
The Nullarbor
Murray River Drive
Great Barrier Reef Drive, Qld
Adelaide to Ikara/Flinders Ranges National Park, SA
Great Ocean Road, Vic
The Big Lap

Don’t miss our beautifully illustrated wall map of the Great Ocean Road and Geelong in our 100 Amazing Road Trips edition or you can download the PDF version.

Illustration: Mike Rossi @micro.grafik

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.

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

Regional road trips

It’s not just good things that come in small packages, but road trips too. Here are 13 of Australia’s best regional road trips to inspire you.

Huon Valley, Tas
Victoria’s Silo Art Trail
Dubbo, NSW
Mudgee, NSW
Brisbane to Charleville, Qld
Bushranger Country, Vic
Hobart to Launceston, Tas
Scenic Rim, Qld
Northern Rivers, NSW
Great Alpine Road, Vic
Limestone Coast, SA
Bathurst, NSW
Albany to Margaret River, WA

Weekend road trips

Even a short weekend road trip can leave you feeling refreshed for the months ahead. Here are 12 of Australia’s best weekend road trip destinations to inspire you.

Sydney to Wolgan Valley, NSW
The Grampians, Vic
Kangaroo Island, SA
Phillip Island, Vic
Darwin to Katherine, NT
Sunshine Coast, Qld
West Coast, Tas
Daylesford & Macedon Ranges, Vic
Southern Highlands, NSW
Canberra museum road trip, ACT
Lithgow round trip, NSW
Canberra to Sapphire Coast

Day trip drives

While the next long weekend is still months away, one can still explore by taking easy day trips from the city. Here, find the best day trip drives to inspire you.

Wildflowers road trip, WA
Litchfield Loop, NT
Swan Valley, WA
Great Beach Drive, Qld
Mary River Valley, Qld
Kenilworth, Qld
Adelaide Hills, SA
Tasman Peninsula, Tas
Melbourne to Marysville, Vic
Sydney’s Northern Beaches, NSW
Royal National Park, NSW
Mornington Peninsula, Vic

No drive road trips

Kick back, relax, and let someone else take the wheel. Here are 8 of Australia’s best no drive road trips to inspire you.

That Pink Merc, NSW
Globus Gems of the Red Centre, NT
Outback Spirit Binns Track, NT
Melbourne urban tram trip, Vic
Kiff & Culture Brisbane to Byron food trail
AAT Kings Outback Adventure
Overland Adventure Aboard the Ghan
Inspiring Journeys Dark Mofo, Tas

Off-the-beaten-track road trips

Give way to spontaneity and discover some hidden gems along the road less-travelled. Here are 9 of Australia’s best off-the-beaten-track road trips to inspire you.

Atherton Tablelands, Qld
Darling River Run, NSW
Oodnadatta Track, SA
Tassie’s interior
Arnhem Way, NT
Launceston to Penguin/Stanley/Tarkine, Tas
Sydney to Birdsville (and back)
Cocos Keeling West Island Tour
Port Douglas to Coolangatta, Qld

Food and wine road trips

Some road trips lead to the most memorable food and wine experiences in Australia. Foodies, take note: here are 11 of Australia’s best food-and-wine-focused road trips to inspire you.

Hunter Valley winery trail, NSW
Noosa Country Drive, Qld
The Tasmanian Whisky & Spirits Trail
Melbourne to Macedon Ranges, Vic
Melbourne to Gippsland, Vic
Adelaide to Barossa Valley, SA
Orange winery trail, NSW
Adelaide to McLaren Vale, SA
Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast
Sydney to Canberra via Yass
Margaret River region, WA

Two-wheel drives

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.

New England High Country, NSW
Cairns to Cape York by motorbike, Qld
Great Southern Rail Trail, Vic
Lakes Highway, Tas
Cycling the Clare Valley, SA
Canberra’s cold climate wine region, ACT

From cabins to canvas, craft distillers to destination dining, Heathcote locals reveal their eco-savvy passions in ways that resonate with those seeking to travel lightly.

Heathcote , on traditional Taungurung Country in Central Victoria, is synonymous with its garnet-hued shiraz, but wine isn’t the only string to its bow. The town itself is sprinkled with heritage buildings from the gold rush era, and beyond that a growing collection of sustainable gastronomy and eco-friendly escapes. Nearby Bendigo, one of only 65 cities in the world recognised as a UNESCO Creative City and Region of Gastronomy, plates up an astonishing calibre of produce, wine and food for its size. Increasingly the entire region is taking up the challenge, though Heathcote in particular shines with its focus on sustainability.

Pink Cliffs GeologicalReserve — The dramatic landscape of Heathcote’s Pink Cliffs Geological Reserve. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Goodfrey)

The eco-stays bringing sustainability to Heathcote

Yellow BoxWood’s safari-style tents — Yellow Box Wood’s safari-style tents are nestled on 40 hectares of bushland. (Image: Emily Goodfrey)

Andee and Lisa Davidson spent years working in southern Africa before settling in Heathcote. “We had a vision of how this could be,” explains Andee. “We wanted a retreat, but one that was off-grid and environmentally sustainable.” Now, at Yellow Box Wood , two luxury safari-style tents are at the heart of 40 hectares of rolling hills and native bush, with kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, goanna and birdlife aplenty. It’s all solar-powered, wood for the fire is mainly fallen timber, and water is collected on the carport roof. No lack of creature comforts though – en suite with rain shower, espresso coffee maker, comfy seating, wood-burning fire all set to go. There’s also a solar-heated, mineral salt pool in a bush setting, walking tracks, and even a mini bush golf course. On my visit, I put the vision to the test. Cocooned in the plush four-poster bed I can glimpse the stars, while the heater casts a golden glow on the canvas. In the morning, I wake to a blush-pink sunrise, kangaroos feeding and a soundtrack of magpies.

If a tent is not your style, Stephen and Cally Trompp’s carbon-neutral Mt Ida Eco Cabin might entice with its generous deck and farmland views. Inside the cabin, corrugated iron walls as rusty as a shearing shed, gleaming (recycled) floorboards, timber truss ceiling (crafted by Stephen), wood-fired heater and an old-school turntable with a pile of vinyls to spin. It’s fun, and a little boho. “Everything is recycled. The cabin takes maximum advantage of the sun in winter. It’s all solar-powered. Don’t panic, though,” says Stephen, “you can still charge your phone and get 4G reception!” Settle into an Adirondack chair on the deck or pedal off on a mountain bike to suss out the wineries.

A taste of Spain in Central Victoria

Another person with a vision is Evan Pritchard at his Three Dams Estate where the wines reflect his deep love of Spain and of Spanish-style grapes, such as tempranillo. Afternoons in the ‘wine shed’ or cantina are matched with music (flamenco is a favourite), Spanish bites from tapas to paella (with Evan on the pans!) and views to Mount Alexander. Sustainability is also a passion. “You don’t need to buy anything. We decided to be off-grid from the start, but it is a lifestyle change,” he says. “You need to think about it and be careful.” Everything here is recycled, reassembled, refurbished. Evan has an electric car (with solar-powered charger), solar-power for the winery, and even a jaunty little electric tractor/forklift. “I love the idea of all the things you can do using the sun.” Sipping a crisp rosado (a Spanish rosé) with Evan in the sunshine, I couldn’t agree more.

The vineyard redefining sustainable winemaking

Silver Spoon winery — The Silverspoon Estate winery is completely off-grid. (Image: Graham Hosking)

On the other side of Heathcote, Silver Spoon Estate demonstrates sustainability on a more extensive scale. Tracie and Peter Young’s winery, cellar door, award-winning restaurant and their own house are all solar-powered and off the grid. Sustainability is intrinsic to everything they do. The property sprawls across 100 hectares, with 20 hectares under vine – shiraz, viognier, grenache, tempranillo. As the climate has changed, so too has the approach. These are dry-grown vineyards. “We prune for drought. That means lower yields but more intense flavours,” says Peter. The fine-dining restaurant offers sweeping views, a wood-burning fire and a deck for languid lunches. Head chef Ben Hong sources regional, sustainable ingredients and weaves estate wines into the menu – think crispy wild mushroom arancini, viognier-infused chicken breast.

Silver Spoon’s award-winning restaurant.

Heathcote’s other hidden gems

Not all local wineries have a cellar door, but I find local treasures at the Heathcote Wine Hub , a petite 1855 timber church in the main street, lovingly returned to life by Karen Robertson and Carey Moncrieff. “Carey is a scrounger,” says Karen. “He doesn’t throw a single thing away.” He does, however, craft things into something quite special. Heritage floors, light-filtering lancet windows and shelves of regional wines create the perfect ambience for wine tasting. Or order a glass and linger over a cheese platter.

Heathcote is not all wine, of course. Nathan Wheat and partner Vanessa Curtis run Envy Distilling with a committed sustainable ethic – and a serious love of gin. Their small-batch distillery produces grape-based gin, and soon brandy. Distilled water is reused in an ingenious cooling system. All waste is treated on site. They buy excess wine from winemakers to distil and buy recycled barrels. “Distilling with the sun,” as Nathan says. Each Envy gin has its own story. Spicy, award-winning The Dry, is designed to capture the region’s dry, rugged nature. Pull up a stool at the bar (reclaimed timbers and tiles, of course), order a Gin Flight, or kick back with a cocktail and let Nathan share his eco journey.

Envy gins — Sample gins at small-batch distillery Envy.

A traveller’s checklist

Getting there

It’s less than two hours’ drive from Melbourne. The scenic route we take goes past Sunbury, then along a splendid country road through Romsey and the magic, boulder-strewn landscape of Lancefield. Watch for kangaroos on the road!

Staying there

Go off-grid in style at Yellow Box Wood for glamping or try Mt Ida Eco Cabin for a couple’s weekend hideaway.

Eating there

French dishes at Chauncy — Award-winning French restaurant Chauncy.

At award-winning Chauncy , French chef Louis Naepels and sommelier wife Tess Murray have created a tiny, elegant pocket of rural France. Meticulously restored 1850s sandstone building, sun-drenched dining room, impeccable service, a menu suffused with local flavours and thoughtful wine pairings.

Fodder is both cafe and social hub. Chef Mo Pun and sister Lalita serve classic Aussie breakfast-to-lunch fare, though their Nepalese heritage sneaks through.

Playing there

Sanguine Estate ’s cellar door and terrace overlook bucolic vineyards. Its award-winning, dry-grown wines include the distinctive D’Orsa Blanc dessert wine, reflecting the family’s Swiss-Italian heritage. Order a charcuterie board and stay a while. Keep it carbon neutral by cycling some (or all) of the 50-kilometre O’Keefe Rail Trail to Bendigo.

At Bridgeward Grove , learn about the property’s Old Mission Grove heritage olive trees, do a sommelier olive oil tasting, and stock up on sustainably grown olives and oil. Explore the unique landscape, wildflowers and wildlife of pink cliffs geological reserve.