Top five Australian road trips you should do before going overseas

With international borders finally open again, everyone is itching to get overseas. But you shouldn’t get on a plane before doing these iconic roadtrips first.

With international borders finally open again, after an agonising two year wait, it’s understandable millions of Aussies are itching to get overseas again.

But before foreign tourists come back on February 21, and our tourism hotspots are overrun again, there’s a handful of iconic Aussie roadtrips you should tick off your bucket list first.

Travel expert Lonely Planet recently launched its third edition of Australia’s Best Trips and while the book doesn’t rank our nation’s best roadtrips - something that would surely kick off a civil war - it does list some of the must-do’s before you think about doing anything else.

1. Sydney to Melbourne

You could speed down the Hume Highway from Sydney to Melbourne in less than nine hours, but if you stick to the coast, you’ll be able to visit some of Australia’s most beautiful beaches and national parks.

Take at least five to seven days for this 1100km trip where you will hit everything from the Royal National Park to Jervis Bay to Milton, Mollymook and Ulladalla.

After visiting those coastal gems, carry on down to historical Mogo and Narooma before heading west and visiting Tilba.

You’ll hit Merimbula and Eden, and maybe see a whale or two, before passing the NSW-Victoria border.

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Some of Australia’s best beaches are on the drive between Sydney and Melbourne. Picture: iStock

Your first stop in Victoria will be Mallacoota, the state’s most easterly town and one whose strength was shown during the black summer bushfires back in December 2019 and January 2020.

Continue on to Marlo, Orbost and Lakes Entrance before hitting Paynesville and cruising your way towards Melbourne.

Lonely Planet writer Anita Isalska describes the Sydney to Melbourne trip as “heartbreakingly beautiful”.

“It’s hard to imagine a more crowd-pleasing road trip than the coastal route between Melbourne and Sydney,” she said.

“There are surf beaches and pioneer towns, huffing whales, gliding seals and somersaulting dolphins, water sports and 37 hiking trails that rove into Aboriginal history. My detours always increase on the home stretch – I’ll take any excuse to prolong a journey this heartbreakingly beautiful.”

2. Cross the Nullabor

Another of Australia’s most iconic roadtrips includes our nation’s longest straight road - at a whopping 146.6km.

Take five to seven days to complete this 2493km trip from Port Augusta in South Australia all the way across to Perth in Western Australia - just make sure borders are open first.

The Nullabor is a seemingly never-ending desert located on the Great Australian Bight coast.

Start your trip in charming Port Augusta before making your way west to Ceduna, an oyster haven.

Make sure you visit the viewing platform at Head of Bight, where you might catch a glimpse of migrating whales

Continue on to Penong and then tackle the Nullabor. When you hit Eucla, you’ve made it into Western Australia.

The Nullabor is Australia’s longest straight road. Picture: iStock

Drive the extra seven hours to Norseman, where you’ll hit a fork in the road where you can decide if you want to trace Western Australia’s iconic south coast or head north up to the hardy mining town of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

Lonely Planet writer Anna Kaminski said the Nullabor is an Australian classic because it gives you a sense of accomplishment.

“There’s an almost meditative quality to traversing the endless red plain. You get excited about the little things – a cold shower, a rough-and-ready roadhouse in the middle of nowhere,” she said.

“It’s the whales frolicking offshore at Head of Bight, it’s driving the straightest road on the planet, it’s Wave Rock. By the time you reach Kalgoorlie- Boulder, you’ve crossed the Nullarbor, and feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment.”

3. Alice Springs to Adelaide

Few Australian roadtrips are as rugged as the 1500km drive from Alice Springs to Adelaide.

Most of your trip will be in the desert along the Stuart Highway, with travellers encouraged to be well-prepared for the heat and unforgiving landscape.

There are a couple of incredible Northern Territory landmarks to enjoy before the long, long road down through the South Australian heartland which takes you through Coober Pedy and eventually onto the coast.

On the journey, stop at Henbury Meteorite Craters - a giant hole created when a meteorite hit Earth 4700 years ago and the town of Marla and an important hub for truck and freight drivers.

You’ll also see Lake Eyre, the sixth largest lake in the world and the iconic Coober Pedy, Australia’s top opal destination.

Coober Pedy is one of the stops. Picture: iStock

And, if you’re feeling up to it, detour out to Uluru and see the largest monolith in the world.

Lonely Planet writer Anthony Ham said the trip was iconic because of how much of Australia you get to see.

“This trip takes you halfway across the continent,” he said.

“Alice Springs is a fascinating place – I’ve always loved its Indigenous art galleries and bush-tucker restaurants. Then it’s a long road home, from the Indigenous heartland around Uluru to the cultural riches of Adelaide.

“En route, you’ll pass through remote outback homesteads, the partly underground opal-mining town of Coober Pedy, and lively Port Augusta, not to mention seemingly endless red-earthed desert miles.”

4. Kimberley Crossing

Bright red earth, cloudless skies and endless desert make up the Kimberley Crossing, one of Australia’s most remote roadtrips.

Take 14 days to enjoy the 1920km of adventures - but avoid going in November to March, with wild weather often bringing flooding, road closures and cyclones.

Lonely Planet describes this trip as “not for the faint hearted”, with the journey starting in the Northern Territory’s Katherine and stretching to Broome in Western Australia.

Visit the iconic Lake Argyle, Australia’s second largest reservoir, and carry on to Kununnura, one of our nation’s farming heartlands.

If you’re in a 4WD, continue on the infamous Gibb River Road, stretching some 660km across barren desert, with waterfalls and secret water holes hidden just off the road.

A 4WD travelling through the Cockburn Ranges on the Gibb River Road. Picture: Tourism WA

Make sure you also visit the Bungle Bungles, the beautiful but bizarre black and red striped “beehives”.

Lonely Planet writer Steve Waters picked the Kimberley Crossing as an iconic trip because it is “once-in-a-lifetime”.

‘You’re way beyond tripping on this epic journey across Australia’s last frontier,” he said.

“ I love the feeling of serious remoteness crossing the vast, boab-studded savannah of the ancient Kimberley where Indigenous culture shines brightly.

“It’s the spaces between the sporadic towns – the incredible Bungle Bungles, hidden swimming holes, fern- fringed gorges, the brilliant Milky Way and the sparkling turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean – that define this once-in-a-lifetime trip.”

5. Sydney to Byron Bay

It’s one of Australia’s most well-trodden roadtrips, but it’s also one of the best.

Leave the charms of Sydney and make your way north, taking your first detour into Port Stephens.

The laidback coastal region has some of the best whale and dolphin watching tours and family-friendly beaches.

Another detour you can take, if you’re a wine lover, is to the west - in the Hunter Valley. The region has some of Australia’s oldest vineyards and biggest names in wine.

Myall Lakes National Park is another must-do, with the sprawling nature reserve encompassing Mungo Brush, Seal Rocks and Sugarloaf Bay.

Continue on to Port Macquarie, a lively coastal hamlet, before making your way up to Bellingen and starting Waterfall Way, widely regarded as the state’s most picturesque drives.

View from Tomaree Head Lookout in Port Stephens. Picture: Istock

The 190km stretch will end once you hit Armidale, where you can continue on to Coffs Harbour and see the iconic big banana.

After that you’ll hit Yamba, which has fast become a rival to Byron’s relaxed coastal scene, one that’s yet to be ruined by tourism.

Just before you hit Byron Bay, make a final detour to Bangalow and Nimbin, two of Australia’s most arty and alternative towns.

Lonely Planet writer Andy Symington described the roadtrip as a “rite of passage” for all Aussies.

“The trip to Byron is a rite of passage for Australians of all ages, a legendary road trip along a majestic coast of endless beaches, proud Indigenous heritage, picturesque inlets, unspoiled national parks and leaping dolphins,” he said.

“For me and other Sydneysiders, heading north symbolises throwing off the stress and shackles of city life and embracing the summer, the sand and the great outdoors.”