Eleven drives that turn the distance between places into the point of the trip — coast roads, alpine passes and red-dirt epics.
Australia was built for the road trip. It's vast, the distances are honest, and the payoff for putting in the kilometres is a country that changes completely every few hours — rainforest to reef, vineyard to desert, surf coast to snow.
We've spread these across the continent and across difficulty, from sealed coastal cruises anyone can do in a hire car to remote outback routes that need planning, fuel range and the right vehicle. Each notes the rough distance and the season that suits it. Check road conditions and fuel stops before you set out, especially anywhere inland.
The most famous drive in the country: a winding coast road past the Twelve Apostles, surf breaks, rainforest detours and koala-filled gums between Torquay and Allansford. Built by returned WWI soldiers, it's also the world's largest war memorial.
Allow at least two days rather than rushing it in one. Best in the milder shoulder seasons to dodge the summer crowds.
The classic east-coast run from our home city of Brisbane up to Cairns, stringing together the Sunshine Coast, Fraser Coast, Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef — beaches, islands and rainforest the whole way.
Give it two to three weeks to do properly. Our Queensland guides break the route into regional stops; the dry season (May–October) is ideal up north.
A loop out of Alice Springs taking in Uluru, Kata Tjuta and the gorges and waterholes of the West MacDonnell Ranges (Tjoritja). The desert light alone is worth the trip.
Parts (Mereenie Loop) are unsealed and need a permit and suitable vehicle. Drive it in the cooler months, April to September.
South from Sydney across the dramatic Sea Cliff Bridge — which curves out over the ocean off the escarpment — through Wollongong to Jervis Bay's white-sand beaches. A spectacular short escape from the city.
Doable as a long day, better as a weekend. Good year-round.
Australia's highest year-round sealed road, climbing from the Gippsland Lakes through alpine country and ski towns to the gourmet valleys of Bright and the Ovens Valley wineries.
Snow up high in winter; wildflowers and clear views in the warmer months.
From Hobart up the east coast through Freycinet and Wineglass Bay to the Bay of Fires, where orange-lichened boulders meet white sand and turquoise sea. Short distances, big rewards.
Add the oysters and the cool-climate wineries. Lovely spring through autumn.
A legendary outback 4WD route through the heart of the Kimberley, linking gorges, waterfalls and remote cattle-station stays between Derby and Kununurra. Corrugated, river-crossed and utterly wild.
High-clearance 4WD, spare tyres, fuel and water essential. Dry season only (roughly May–September), when it's even open.
The great east–west crossing over the treeless Nullarbor Plain, including Australia's longest dead-straight stretch of road. Whale-watching cliffs at the Head of Bight and vast, empty horizons.
Plan fuel carefully — stops are far apart. Cooler months are kinder; carry water always.
The continent top-to-bottom up the Stuart Highway, from Adelaide through the Flinders Ranges, Coober Pedy's underground town, the Red Centre and on to the tropical Top End.
Sealed the whole way but immense — allow a couple of weeks. Best April to September.
Coast to coast across the tropical north from Cairns to Broome, through gorges, lava tubes, outback pubs and Gulf savannah. Some sections sealed, others serious 4WD.
A dry-season expedition for well-prepared travellers.
The east-coast run up from Sydney through Port Stephens, the Coffs Coast, Byron Bay and the Northern Rivers into Brisbane — a string of surf towns, headlands and hinterland detours.
A relaxed week, longer if you linger. Good most of the year; summer is peak.
Cooee Tours runs guided coach touring along Queensland's coast and beyond — you take in the view while we handle the kilometres, the timing and the stops.
See Queensland touring routesThe Great Ocean Road in Victoria is the most famous and the easiest to do in a standard car, but for sheer variety the Pacific Coast Way from Brisbane to Cairns is hard to beat. The best one depends on how much time you have and whether you want coast or outback.
You can drive the core stretch in a day, but two days lets you slow down for the Twelve Apostles, the rainforest detours and the koalas at Kennett River without rushing.
The Gibb River Road, the Savannah Way's rougher sections, the Mereenie Loop on the Red Centre Way and most outback tracks require a high-clearance 4WD, spare tyres and proper preparation. Coastal drives like the Great Ocean Road and Grand Pacific Drive are fine in a regular car.
The cooler, drier months — roughly April to September — for central and northern Australia. Summer in the outback and Top End brings extreme heat and, up north, wet-season road closures.
Head north on the Pacific Coast Way through the Sunshine Coast and Fraser Coast, or south on the Legendary Pacific Coast toward Byron Bay. See our Queensland regional guides for stop-by-stop suggestions.
Cooee Tours acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and recognise that the places described here hold deep cultural significance for the First Peoples who have cared for them for tens of thousands of years.