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

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

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

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.

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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 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.

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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.

From ancient aquaculture systems to sacred rock art shelters, Victoria’s First Peoples cultural experiences offer a powerful connection to one of the world’s oldest living cultures – where every site, story and smoking ceremony invites a deeper understanding of the land beneath your feet.

Victoria’s sweeping landscapes hold stories far older than any road map can trace – stories etched into stone, sung through generations and woven into every bend of river and rise of hill. From the lava flows of Budj Bim to the ancient middens of Moyjil/Point Ritchie and the volcanic crater of Tower Hill, the state is home to some of the most significant First Peoples cultural sites in Australia. These places, along with other immersive experiences, offer not only a window into a 60,000-year legacy, but a profound way of understanding Country itself. As more travellers seek connection over checklists, guided tours by Traditional Owners offer respectful, unforgettable insights into a living culture that continues to shape the land and the people who walk it.

Budj Bim cultural landscape

Venture beyond the surf and sand of the Great Ocean Road to discover a deeper story etched into the volcanic landscape. At Budj Bim, ancient aquaculture channels built by the Gunditjmara people to trap, store and harvest kooyang (short-finned eel) reveal one of the world’s oldest living cultures. While you’re in the area, head over to the state-of-the-art Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre, where you can observe the eels in a special tank, wander the shores of Tae Rak (Lake Condah), and enjoy a bite at the Bush Tucker Cafe. Also nearby is Tower Hill, a dormant volcano reborn as a wildlife reserve, offering trails through bushland teeming with emus and koalas.

eel tank — The kooyang (eel) tank at Tae Rak. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Dumawul Kooyoora Walking Tour

Dumawul walkingtour — Guests are guided through Kooyoora State Park on the Dumawul walking tour. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Step into a timeless landscape with Dumawul’s guided tour through Kooyoora State Park, around an hour’s drive west of Bendigo in north-central Victoria. Led by Djaara guides, this immersive half-day journey breathes life into Country, weaving together stories, bush tucker and ancient rock art. Known to the Dja Dja Wurrung people as Guyura – the ‘mountain of light’ – this dramatic granite range is rich with cultural and spiritual significance. The adventure begins with a meet-up at the Bridgewater Hotel on the banks of the Loddon River, before guests are welcomed onto Country with a traditional Smoking Ceremony – a powerful ritual that honours ancestors and cleanses those who walk the land. From there, it’s a gentle wander through rugged outcrops and open bushland, with sweeping vistas unfolding at every turn. Along the way, guides share their knowledge of how the Dja Dja Wurrung peoples have cared for and adapted with this land for generations, offering a rare and moving window into an ancient way of life that continues to thrive today.

Kooyoora walking tour — Knowledge of the Dja Dja Wurrung is shared on the trail. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Kingfisher Cruises

Glide quietly through the Barmah-Millewa forest – the nation’s largest river red gum ecosystem – on a scenic journey along the Murray River and into the Barmah Lakes with Kingfisher Cruises. Led by passionate guides who share stories of the cultural significance of this ancient landscape, these cruises reveal the stories, totems and traditional knowledge of the Yorta Yorta people. As you navigate narrow waterways and spot native birds, you’ll gain a richer understanding of how First Peoples have lived in harmony with this floodplain for tens of thousands of years. It’s a gentle, immersive experience that leaves a lasting impression – one where every bend in the river carries echoes of culture, connection and Country.

wawa biik

Exploring Nagambie with Taungurung leaders. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Translating to ‘hello, Country’ in the language of the First Nations People and Custodians of the rivers and mountains of Taungurung Country in Central Victoria, wawa biik guides a range of authentic and deeply immersive experiences. Leaving from either Nagambie or Euroa, the tours are woven with ancient stories of the Taungurung, telling how a sustained connection and responsibility ensures the continued health of biik – benefitting the people, animals and plants that live in and around the Goulburn River. During the wawa Nagambie experience, guests participate in a Welcome Smoking Ceremony, and enjoy lunch and conversation with two Taungurung leaders as they cruise through the wetlands of tabilk-tabilk (place of many waterholes). The 4.5-hour tour begins at Tahbilk Winery, which is set in the wetlands of Nagambie on Taungurung Country and collaborates with Taungurung Elders to share knowledge of biik.

Bataluk Cultural Trail

Cape Conran on the Bataluk Trail. (Image: Visit Victoria)

The Bataluk Cultural Trail winds through East Gippsland like a thread stitching past to present, tracing the deep connection between the Gunaikurnai people and their land. Starting at the Knob Reserve in Stratford, visitors walk among scarred trees and ancient stone tools once used for survival and ceremony. At the Den of Nargun near Mitchell River, the earth holds stories of women’s sacred spaces, cloaked in myth and legend. Further along, Legend Rock at Metung tells of greed and consequence, its surface etched with ancient lore. At Cape Conran, shell middens lie scattered like breadcrumbs of history – 10,000 years of gatherings, stories and saltwater songs still echoing in the wind.

Healesville Sanctuary

Set on the historic grounds of Coranderrk Aboriginal Station, Healesville Sanctuary honours the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation through immersive storytelling and connection to Country. Along Wurundjeri Walk, visitors are invited to reflect on the land’s rich First Peoples history, with native plants revealing their traditional uses. Wurundjeri Elder and educator Murrundindi shares culture in-person with the Wominjeka Aboriginal Cultural Experience every Sunday, and most days during Victorian school holidays. Murrundindi’s smoking ceremonies, storytelling and bush tucker knowledge reveal the sacred relationship between people, animals and the environment. Bird-lovers can’t miss the incredible Spirits of the Sky show featuring native birds daily at 12pm and 3pm.

The Grampians

Known as Gariwerd to Traditional Owners, the Grampians is a place of immense cultural and spiritual significance. This rugged landscape holds more than 80 per cent of Victoria’s known First Peoples rock art, offering a powerful window into the region’s deep heritage. Visitors can respectfully explore five remarkable rock art sites: Billimina and Ngamadjidj in the Wartook Valley, Manja Shelter near Hamilton, Gulgurn Manja shelter near Laharum, and the Bunjil Shelter near Stawell, where the creator spirit is depicted. Each site tells a unique story of connection to Country, shared through ancient handprints, dancing figures and Dreaming narratives etched into stone.

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

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

Why nostalgia travel is resonating with Australians