Set off into SA’s rugged red wilderness in search of adventure, swap bitumen for sand on the Sunshine Coast and toast to the freedom of the open road in Victoria’s High Country.
Australia is made for road trips, with endless open roads leading to breathtaking landscapes, quirky attractions and unforgettable experiences. From coastal drives to rugged outback adventures, these 10 road trip wonders showcase the best of the country and offer inspiration for your next journey on the open road.
1. Adelaide to Birdsville (and beyond)
Travelling with: Steve Madgwick
South Australia has some of the country’s most accessible outback but also some of its most fabled. This choose-your-own-adventure, 4WD-only journey begins in earnest in the southern Flinders Ranges. Your options are as wide as your time and budget.
Stop at Ikara/Wilpena Pound for big-payoff hikes. Check out fossils of earliest-known life at Nilpena Ediacara National Park. Side-trip to Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary for a ridgetop sleepout and yellow-footed rock-wallaby spotting. Appreciate the ancient and modern cultures of the Adnyamathanha on an Elder-led tour at Nepabunna .
If you’re truly prepped for the outback, you can explore either the Birdsville or Strzelecki (via Innamincka) tracks northwards, all the way to that mythical outback pub (and beyond).
2. Great Ocean Road, Vic
Travelling with: Megan Arkinstall
As far as road trips go, Victoria’s Great Ocean Road has earned its icon status. The 240-kilometre stretch that follows the windswept Southern Ocean was built as a utilitarian memorial to First World War servicemen.
Start your road trip in world-renowned surfing mecca Bells Beach, so the ocean is to your left for the best views. Take your time with stops in quaint towns such as Lorne and Apollo Bay. Add in detours to see the lush rainforest and waterfalls of the Otways, before reaching the star attraction, the 12 Apostles.
But don’t stop there: the charming fishing village of Port Fairy and historic Warrnambool on the western Shipwreck Coast are worth the extra kilometres.
3. Waterfall Way, NSW
Travelling with: Carla Grossetti
Waterfall Way provides nature-lovers with a multitude of reasons to celebrate NSW’s Mid North Coast wilderness. The 185-kilometre-long road trip stretches from the New England highlands all the way to the Coffs Coast through rolling farmland and five national parks.
You’ll find nature doing her thing everywhere from the well-known Wollomombi Falls, the highest in NSW, to scenic Ebor Falls, which cascades over tiered columns of granite into a rugged gorge.
The more secluded Tristania Falls in Dorrigo National Park is another waterfall worth chasing.
4. Silo Art Trail, Vic
Travelling with: Carla Grossetti
Australia’s largest outdoor gallery bounces between silo towers in Brim all the way to Horsham in the Grampians/Gariwerd (itself prime road trip country). The scale of the structures alone makes the Silo Art Trail one of Victoria’s iconic attractions.
The murals provide visitors with a window into the Wimmera Mallee region. Driving from Melbourne, the trail starts in Rupanyup where Russian mural artist Julia Volchkova depicts youth culture in rural Victoria in a stunning artwork that wraps around the curved walls of concrete.
5. Great Beach Drive, Qld
Travelling with: Steve Madgwick
The Great Beach Drive is the Promised Sand for 4WDers, from novices to know-it-alls. The 380-kilometre (off)road trip starts north of Noosa on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
Deflate your tyres and hum along 60km/h sections of Teewah Beach’s hard sand. Count the hues of hyper-coloured sand cliffs near Rainbow Beach. Stay a day or two to drink in Rainbow’s small-town lack-of-attitude and check out Carlo Sandblow. Summon all your 4WDing aptitude to negotiate Inskip Point’s narrow finger of land while boarding the K’gari-bound ferry.
Then explore this extraordinary island for as long as your annual leave allows, before ferrying over to Hervey Bay (two hours tarmac drive back to Noosa). Check tides, ferry times and permits at the Great Sandy Information Centre in Tewantin.
6. Prosecco Road, Vic
Travelling with: Jo Stewart
Fans of drinking Australian fizz would be familiar with the King Valley, the country’s home of prosecco.
Many of the nation’s most renowned and productive prosecco producers – including Brown Brothers , Dal Zotto and Pizzini Wines – are linked by a picturesque stretch known as ‘Prosecco Road’.
Use your car or hire an e-bike to experience tastings, pairing masterclasses, long lunches or even yoga in the vines in this welcoming corner of Victoria’s High Country, where you’ll be bowled over by cracking-good sparkling wines and old-fashioned Australian hospitality.
7. Cairns to Cape York, Qld
Travelling with: Katie Carlin
Bounce along red-dirt tracks to meet creek crossings guarded by waiting crocodiles. Spot termite mounds the size of trees. Swim under thundering waterfalls. Tuck into a meal at a roadhouse. Embrace a station stay. And experience the merging of two First Nations cultures on Country en route to the northernmost point of the Australian continent – Pajinka.
The route is more than 1400 kilometres from Cairns to Cape York via Cooktown, but the journey is unlike anything else in Australia.
8. Tassie’s Tasting Trail
Travelling with: Carla Grossetti
The North East and North West regions of Tasmania are gearing up to be some of Australia’s top gourmet destinations. Tailor an itinerary to your taste using the interactive maps and itineraries for the area’s self-guided Tasting Trail, which starts outside Launceston and stops in Smithton.
All up, there are more than 50 makers dotted along the trail producing everything from artisan cheeses to chocolate, olives, honey, beer, wine and cider.
9. Savannah Way
Travelling with: Kassia Byrnes
Scrubby trees give way to Australia’s iconic red soil, signalling a change from the dense bushland of coastal north Queensland to the rolling hills and dramatic gorges of the outback.
This is the Savannah Way , a 3700-kilometre stretch of road from Cairns to Broome. While not as well known as other iconic Aussie road trips, it boasts more stops of natural beauty and significance than most.
See the world’s longest lava tube system, paddle Cobbold Gorge, enjoy incredible views of Nitmiluk Gorge, stargaze in Burketown and end your trip watching the sky change colour at sunset over Broome’s Cable Beach.
10. Gibb River Road, WA
Travelling with: Carla Grossetti
Far from the humdrum of the highway, the 660-kilometre Gibb River Road beckons as one of Australia’s great four-wheel-drive routes.
Start creating your #roadtripping playlist, as joining the dots between Derby and Kununurra through the captivating Kimberley wilderness can take up to three weeks to complete.
The ragged ribbon of mostly unsealed road is one small section of the Savannah Way, which crosses the country from the north of WA to Queensland.
Time your outback odyssey with wildflower season when bursts of colour are knitted to the earth.
