Best road trips in Australia

Australia rewards a single region driven slowly, not a coast-to-coast mission. The five drives below cover the classic first-trip options: a two-to-four-day coastal run from Melbourne, a week-long island loop, a desert run between Alice Springs and Uluru, a reef-and-rainforest run from Cairns, and a long western run south of Perth.

The trips that fail are the ones that treat the map as a plan. Sydney to Cairns is roughly 2,400 km of highway; done in a fortnight it is six hours a day in the car with the good stops cut short. Fly the long legs and drive the loop at one end instead.

If you have two weeks, the parent Australia guide's shape still holds: two city bases plus one driving loop of three to four nights. Add a second loop only if you have three weeks or more.

Great Ocean Road, Victoria. Melbourne to the Twelve Apostles and back through the inland towns is about 550 km return; three days lets you stop at the surf towns, walk the Otway rainforest and see the limestone stacks at sunset without rushing. Two days is possible if you skip the Otways. This is the easiest first road trip in the country: sealed, signposted, and busy enough that you never feel remote.

Tasmania loop. Hobart to Cradle Mountain to Launceston and back down the east coast is roughly 1,000 km; seven days is comfortable, five is tight. The east coast beaches and the highland roads are the highlights, and the island's small scale means short driving days. Snow is possible in the highlands in any month, so carry a layer even in summer.

Red Centre, Northern Territory. Alice Springs to Uluru via Kings Canyon is about 1,200 km one way if you take the loop through the canyon; five to seven days covers it. Winter days are clear and around 20 °C with nights near freezing; in summer some walks close from 11:00 and the heat is dangerous. Fuel and water planning matters here more than anywhere else on this list.

Cairns and the tropical north, Queensland. Cairns to Port Douglas and the Daintree is a short 100–150 km run, best stretched over three or four days with a reef day in the middle. The dry season May–October is the window: roads open, waterfalls still flowing early in the season, and no stingers for most of it. November–April brings humidity, monsoon flooding and box jellyfish.

South-west, Western Australia. Perth to Margaret River and the tall forests is about 600 km return; four days is right. Dry, hot summers with an afternoon sea breeze, and wildflowers north of Perth from August to October. Distances between towns are longer than the east coast, so plan fuel stops.

This applies to any traveller planning to drive in Australia: licence holders from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland can generally drive on their home licence for a short visit, but rules differ by state and territory and some require an international driving permit or an English translation if your licence is not in English (check).

It also depends on where you are starting. If you land in Sydney, the easiest loop is a New South Wales coastal run; if you land in Melbourne, the Great Ocean Road is the obvious first drive. Flying into one city and out of another is usually cheaper than a one-way drive between them.

It does not apply to travellers who plan to stay in cities only. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are walkable and have good public transport; a car is a cost and a parking problem there.

Step 1: choose the region by season, not by wish list. The south is best October–April; the tropical north and the Red Centre are best May–October. A trip that mixes both works best in April–May or September–October. Check the month-by-month verdicts before you book anything.

Step 2: cap the daily distance. On sealed roads, 300–400 km a day is a full day once you add stops; on unsealed roads, 200 km or less. Anything more and you are driving past the reason you came.

Step 3: book the car and the first two nights. Automatic cars are the first to sell out in summer school holidays (mid-December to late January) and around public holidays. Campgrounds and motels in small towns fill early in peak season.

Step 4: plan fuel and water. On remote routes, fill at every town even if the tank is half full, and carry more water than you think you need. Some Outback stretches run 200 km or more between fuel (check).

Step 5: drive daylight only. Wildlife is active from dusk to dawn and animal strikes are a real risk outside cities. If a leg cannot be finished before dark, split it.

Step 6: check conditions the morning you leave. Bushfire risk peaks in the southern summer, and flooding closes northern roads in the wet season. State road authorities publish live closures (check).

2026 estimate: a compact automatic car runs about A$50–90 a day, a campervan A$120–250, before fuel. Fuel is the big variable: figure on A$1.70–2.20 a litre in most places, and noticeably more at remote stations (check). A 1,000 km loop in a small car is roughly A$150–250 in fuel.

Accommodation adds the rest. Motels and pub rooms in country towns are commonly A$120–220 a night; powered campsites A$40–70 for two people; unpowered sites less. In peak summer holidays, coastal towns can double.

Time: three days is the minimum for a satisfying loop, five to seven is comfortable, and anything under three days is a day trip with luggage. Add one rest day per four driving days.

One-way rentals. Picking up in one city and dropping in another usually carries a fee, and some companies restrict or ban cross-state one-way hires entirely. Ask before you book, not at the counter (check).

Unsealed roads. Many rental agreements void insurance if you take the car on unsealed roads, and some Outback routes require a 4WD. Check the contract and the road surface before committing to a shortcut.

Remote fuel and coverage. Fuel gaps of 200 km or more exist on Outback routes, and phone coverage drops outside towns. Carry water, a spare tyre and a paper map (check).

Seasonal closures. Northern roads flood in the wet season (roughly November–April), and southern bushfire risk peaks in summer. Some Red Centre walks close from 11:00 in summer heat.

Wildlife. Kangaroos, wombats, emus and cattle are on the road from dusk to dawn. This is the single most common way a road trip ends early.

The table below puts the five drives side by side on the things that decide a trip: how long they take, how much driving a day they demand, and what season they need.