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Retro revival: Why nostalgia is powering a new kind of travel

Emily MurphyBy Emily Murphy
Australians are choosing to slow things down and bring the joy back to holidaying. 

There’s a reason your dream holiday suddenly looks like a pastel motel, a vinyl bar or a road trip your parents took in the ’80s. Travel is in the middle of a full-blown retro revival, and nostalgia has become one of the most powerful forces shaping where and how we go on holiday. 

Somewhere between the burnout, the endless scrolling and the pressure to see and do everything, Australian travellers have started craving something different. Not newer. Not faster. Just… simpler. 

Welcome to retro revival travel, where the goal is not chasing the next big thing but reconnecting with places and experiences that feel familiar, comforting and timeless. From retro motels and old school road trips to heritage hotels, vinyl bars and analogue experiences, Australians are embracing nostalgia as a powerful way to travel. 

It is not about novelty or dressing up for the sake of it. This is travel rooted in memory, emotion and a desire to slow down. And it is shaping where Australians are going and how they want to experience it. 

Why nostalgia travel is resonating with Australians

nostalgic road trips
More Australians are embarking on nostalgic road trips. (Image: Jordan McArthur, Mattea Carson)

Australian travellers are exhausted. Rising costs, packed itineraries, and an always-on digital life have changed how we think about holidays. More than ever, people want trips that feel grounding rather than overwhelming. 

Nostalgia delivers that. Psychologists call it rosy retrospection . When life feels uncertain, we look back to moments that felt safe, joyful and uncomplicated. Travel is becoming a way to recreate that feeling, whether it is revisiting childhood holiday towns or choosing stays that feel like they belong to another era. 

Millennials are driving much of the trend, fuelled by memories of caravan parks, coastal motels and long summer drives. Gen Z is following close behind, discovering retro aesthetics through film, fashion and social media and then seeking them out in real life. The result is a collective shift away from high-stress travel and toward experiences that feel slower and more personal.

The many ways retro revival travel shows up 

Retro revival is not one thing. It is a collection of travel styles that share the same emotional core. 

The great Australian road trip comeback 

Great Ocean Road
Nothing beats a trip to the Great Ocean Road. (Image: We Are Explorers)

Few experiences tap into nostalgia like an Australian road trip. Long coastal drives, inland highways and regional loops are back in favour, not as fast point-to-point journeys, but as the holiday itself. 

Travellers are seeking out classic routes dotted with country bakeries, servo stops, roadside attractions, Big Things and pubs that look much the same as they did decades ago. Think the Great Ocean Road done slowly, the South Coast of NSW with motel stops, or a Queensland coastal drive punctuated by old school holiday towns.

Australia’s retro motel renaissance 

retro hotel
Retro-themed motels combine nostalgia with modern comfort. (Image: Kyneton Springs Motel)

Once dismissed as tired, motels are now one of the most exciting accommodation categories in Australia. Across NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, mid-century motels are being thoughtfully revived rather than replaced. 

These stays celebrate their original bones. Curved brickwork, pastel tiles, neon signage and poolside rooms are paired with modern comforts and local food and drink. They feel nostalgic without being kitsch. 

Motels like these are particularly appealing because they feel approachable. They remind Australians of childhood holidays while still offering a stylish, grown-up experience. 

Heritage hotels and old school stays 

Hyatt Canberra Hotel
Hyatt Canberra Hotel is one of the heritage hotels known for its Art Deco style.

Alongside motels, heritage hotels are seeing renewed interest, especially those that lean into their history. From grand country pubs to art deco city hotels and coastal guesthouses, Australians are choosing accommodation that feels lived in. 

These stays offer something many modern hotels do not. A sense of place. Original details. Stories embedded in the walls. For travellers seeking nostalgia, it is not about luxury in the traditional sense. It is about atmosphere. 

Vintage food, drink and nightlife 

Birdsville Hotel at sunset
Classic pubs always stay relevant. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Retro revival extends well beyond where Australians sleep. It shapes where they eat and drink, too. 

Old school milk bars, classic pubs, Italian-style cafes, vinyl listening bars and throwback cocktail lounges are becoming destination experiences in their own right. These venues feel familiar, unpretentious and rooted in community. 

Analogue experiences and slower travel 

analog photography
Analogue photography is loved for its slower, more intentional experience. (Image: Getty Images/Maria Casinos)

One of the strongest signals of nostalgic travel is the return to analogue moments. Travellers are deliberately unplugging and choosing experiences that encourage presence. 

Scenic rail journeys, heritage trams, ferry rides and historic walking trails are all seeing renewed interest. So too are hobbies that slow things down. Film photography, journaling, record shopping and sending postcards. 

“I left my smartwatch at home," says Brisbane traveller Laura Finch after a recent trip through Tasmania. “I didn’t want to track steps or time. I just wanted to be there." 

Why retro revival is not going anywhere 

Retro revival travel is more than an aesthetic trend. It reflects a deeper shift in how Australians value holidays. 

As travel becomes more accessible and more commercial, meaning has become the new luxury. Travellers want experiences that feel human, personal and emotionally resonant. 

Nostalgia travel offers exactly that. A sense of belonging. A reminder of who we were. And a slower, gentler way to explore Australia. 

In a world that keeps speeding up, travelling back in time might just be the most modern choice of all. 

Emily Murphy
Emily Murphy is Australian Traveller's Email & Social Editor, and in her time at the company she has been instrumental in shaping its social media and email presence, and crafting compelling narratives that inspire others to explore Australia's vast landscapes. Her previous role was a journalist at Prime Creative Media and before that she was freelancing in publishing, content creation and digital marketing. When she's not creating scroll-stopping travel content, Em is a devoted 'bun mum' and enjoys spending her spare time by the sea, reading, binge-watching a good TV show and exploring Sydney's vibrant dining scene. Next on her Aussie travel wish list? Tasmania and The Kimberley.
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This luxe trawler tour is redefining Victoria’s seafood experience

    Chloe CannBy Chloe Cann
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    Victoria’s ‘mussel capital’ is the source of exceptional shellfish used by top chefs far and wide. Step aboard a beautifully refurbished trawler to see how these plump and juicy bivalves are sustainably cultivated.

    A curtain is slowly winched from the placid, teal waters just off Portarlington , like a floating garland beside our boat. The ropes heave with blue mussels, the star attraction of our tour. But as we reach to pluck our own, it’s quickly clear they’re not alone; a mass of weird and wonderful creatures has colonised the ropes, turning them into a living tapestry. ‘Fairy’ oysters, jelly-like sea squirts, and tiny, wriggling skeleton shrimp all inhabit this underwater ecosystem.

    We prize our bivalve bounty from the ropes, and minutes later the mussels arrive split on a platter. The plump orange morsels are served raw, ready to be spritzed with wedges of lemon and a lick of chilli as we gaze out over the bay. They’re briny, tender and faintly sweet. “This wasn’t originally part of the tour,” explains Connie Trathen, who doubles as the boat’s cook, deckhand and guide. “But a chef [who came onboard] wanted to taste the mussels raw first, and it’s now become one of the key features.”

    A humble trawler turned Hamptons-style dreamboat

    inspecting bivalve bounty from the ropes
    Inspecting the bounty. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

    It’s a crisp, calm winter’s day, and the sun is pouring down upon Valerie, a restored Huon pine workhorse that was first launched in January 1980. In a previous life she trawled the turbulent Bass Strait. These days she takes jaunts into Port Phillip Bay under the helm of Lance Wiffen, a fourth-generation Bellarine farmer, and the owner of Portarlington Mussel Tours . While Lance has been involved in the fishing industry for 30-plus years, the company’s tour boat only debuted in 2023.

    holding Portarlington mussels
    See how these plump and juicy bivalves are sustainably cultivated.

    It took more than three years to transform the former shark trawler into a dreamy, Hamptons-esque vessel, with little expense spared. Think muted green suede banquettes, white-washed walls, Breton-striped bench cushions, hardwood tables, bouquets of homegrown dahlias, and woollen blankets sourced from Waverley Mills, Australia’s oldest working textile mill. It’s intimate, too, welcoming 12 guests at most. And yet there’s nothing pretentious about the experience – just warm, down-to-earth Aussie hospitality.

    As we cruise out, we crack open a bottle of local bubbles and nibble on the most beautifully curated cheese platter, adorned with seashells and grey saltbush picked from the water’s edge that very morning. Australasian gannets soar overhead, and I’m told it’s not uncommon for guests to spot the odd seal, pod of dolphins, or even the occasional little penguin.

    The sustainable secret behind Victoria’s best mussels

    blue mussels off Portarlington
    Blue mussels sourced just off Portarlington.

    Connie and Lance both extol the virtues of mussels. They’re delicious. A lean source of protein and packed with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, iron, selenium, and zinc. They’re cooked in a flash (Connie steams our fresh harvest with cider and onion jam). And they’re also widely regarded as one of the most sustainable foods in the world.

    Portarlington mussels with lemon and chilli
    Mussels served with lemon and chilli.

    “Aquaculture is [often] seen as destructive, so a lot of our guests are really surprised about how environmentally friendly and sustainable our industry is,” Lance says. “[Our mussels] would filter 1.4 billion litres of water a day,” he adds, explaining how mussels remove excess nitrogen and phosphorus from the water. “And through biomineralisation, we lock carbon into mussel shells.”

    a hand holding a Portarlington mussel
    Mussels are a sustainable food.

    Despite their glowing list of accolades, these molluscs have long been seen as the oysters’ poorer cousins. “It was a really slow start,” explains Lance, who says that in the early days of his career, “you could not sell mussels in Victoria”.

    But word has slowly caught on. Chefs as globally acclaimed as Attica’s Ben Shewry and even René Redzepi of Noma, Denmark, have travelled to these very waters just to try the shellfish at the source, sharing only the highest praise, and using Lance’s mussels in their restaurants.

    guests sampling Portarlington mussels onboard
    Sampling the goods onboard. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

    According to Lance there’s one obvious reason why the cool depths of Portarlington outshine other locations for mussel farming. “The water quality is second to none,” he says, noting how other regions are frequently rocked by harvest closures due to poor water quality. “We grow, without a doubt, some of the best shellfish in the world.” And with Lance’s bold claims backed up by some of the industry’s greatest names, perhaps it won’t be much longer until more Aussies uncover the appeal of Portarlington’s mussels.