Australia’s 10 best road trips
We are blessed with magical stretches of tarmac as well as luxury accommodation to enjoy at the end of the road. Here are the best places to get behind the wheel.
This country is blessed with magical stretches of tarmac for driving enthusiasts as well as delightful luxury accommodation to enjoy at the end of the road. Where is the best road trip in Australia? We have found the best drives in Australia from the Northern Territory down to Tasmania.
Great Ocean Road, Victoria
Failing to drive the Great Ocean Road should be seen as an omission on a par with not ogling Sydney’s Harbour Bridge, or not knowing most of the words to the first verse of our national anthem. It is arguably the most famous road trip in Australia.
Built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932, this legendary road is not just an engineering marvel but one created with bounteous sweat and toil. It’s also entirely worthy of its name, and arguably our greatest road of all, but to appreciate it properly you need to head out early.
This spectacular, edgy ride along the roiling mass of the Southern Ocean is popular with two opposing kinds of drivers – enthusiasts who love its bends, switchbacks and challenges, and rubber-neckers and caravaners who traverse its 243km length at speeds that suggest it would have been faster if they’d walked. The views are superlative, even more so at dawn, but you’ll want to do some sections twice, if possible; once as a driver to feel it (particularly the section from Lorne to Apollo Bay) and again as a passenger to see it all.
STAY: Drift House, Port Fairy
This hotel combines hip with heritage, featuring a beautiful salon of recycled timber and sandstone, a heated plunge pool and a fire pit; from $545 a night, twin-share.
Arthurs Seat, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Even on a day when Melbourne’s traffic is baring its grinding teeth, the journey to the Mornington Peninsula is worth it for the seaside scenery and the twisting temptations of the drive up to Arthurs Seat.
Once you’ve escaped the Mornington Peninsula Freeway and your impotent rage has passed, you’ll exit at Dromana and head up Arthurs Seat Rd, a wondrous section of open bends and tight hairpins that delivers you to a lovely lookout.
Yes, you could ride in the Eagle gondola instead, but it’s not nearly as much fun as going up in a car (or even up and down a few times). From the summit, continue on the same road away from the coast and through lush farmlands to Red Hill South, then on to the wonders of Jackalope hotel.
STAY: Jackalope
This place feels like an art gallery that has morphed into a trendy hotel where you will be spoiled rotten, particularly at its destination restaurant Doot Doot Doot. The massages at the spa are also excellent, as is the infinity pool with views over vineyards; from $625 a night, twin-share.
Thunderbolts Way, NSW
Rumour has it that Thunderbolts Way will one day be closed to general traffic and opened up to daredevils, with no speed limits nor holds barred, creating the kind of wide-open-road event the Isle of Man has made famous with its Tourist Trophy races.
Or that’s what the hopeful locals in Walcha will tell you. It is one of the many small towns along the route’s sweeping 290km length, which stretches from Inverell on the western plains of New England to Gloucester in the mid-north coast.
There seem to be a lot of car and motorbike enthusiasts living out this way, which makes sense given the spectacular nature of the road (it’s named after notorious bushranger Captain Thunderbolt, not inclement weather).
There are fabulous corners of all kinds as the tarmac weaves through farmland that could have been ripped from a Fred McCubbin painting, and rises more than 1000m to breast the Great Dividing Range. It would make a hell of a racetrack, and in some ways it already is.
STAY: The Ridge Gloucester
This property offers sweeping vistas of Gloucester and the Barrington Valley and you’ll be soothingly accommodated at the end of a high-octane day in a contemporary five-bedroom, two-pavilion house, or one of two eco cabins (in case you’re feeling bad about all the CO2 you’ve produced); from $350 a night, twin-share, two-night minimum.
St Helens to Coles Bay, Tasmania
If you enjoy driving for the physical act of interacting with a road via a beautifully balanced machine, then Tasmania is nirvana, because there is no place in our vast country that is as much fun to drive as the Apple Isle. For decades, enthusiasts have flocked here each year to drive legendary routes – the 99 Bends out of Queenstown, the wild and woolly St Mary’s Pass – as part of the Targa Tasmania event. But you don’t need a race car or a competition to enjoy Tasmania’s roads because they are mostly dazzling and almost unfeasibly empty, with the exception of abundant wildlife, so take care. You can also cover a lot of ground in a day. The drive from Bay of Fires near St Helens to Coles Bay is just 111km but takes in some of the most beautiful scenery on Tasmania’s east coast, delivering you to a first-class destination.
STAY: Saffire Freycinet
One of Australia’s most luxurious lodges, Saffire Freycinet looks across Great Oyster Bay to the jagged Hazards range. It’s almost as famous for its food as its setting, with fresh seafood sourced from the bay, including arguably the world’s greatest oysters; from $2700 a night, twin-share.
K’gari/Fraser Island, Queensland
Driving on sand sounds tricky and looks difficult, and you might assume you need at least one set of overalls in the wardrobe, a pocket-knife on your belt and a gimlet eye to attempt something as daring as traversing the world’s largest sand island in a car. Fortunately, modern SUVs and utes (and we’re talking proper, 4WD vehicles; 2WD vehicles are not allowed) are fiendishly clever and easy to drive, and the island’s vast, runway-like 75 Mile Beach (planes do actually land on it) is simple to navigate. It takes only about 30 minutes of training, and heeding the advice about lowering tyre pressure, and you can be zipping along the water’s edge at 80km/h with the salty wind in your hair. K’gari is several variations of paradise – rainforest, freshwater lakes, coloured sands and whale-watching – squeezed into a small space. With a suitable machine beneath you, it can be explored in a day or two. And sand driving is great fun.
STAY: Kingfisher Bay Resort
While some purists believe camping on the beach is the only option, you’ll also encounter fewer curious dingoes at this award-winning resort, which blends seamlessly into the environment; from $199 a night, twin-share.
Brisbane to Mt Glorious, Queensland
Given their state’s reputation for being beautiful one day and perfect the next, Queenslanders are spoiled rotten, especially driving fans who live in Brisbane. Looming over the edge of Australia’s fastest-growing city is the gloriously good road to Mt Glorious. From the CBD it’s just a 39km drive up Mt Nebo Rd, but as you pass through the leafy suburb of The Gap and start heading steeply upwards it feels like you’re miles away, in rainforest-rich northern Queensland. The road is riotously wriggly and a joy to drive, and it doubles down on the fun because once you get to the top you can head back into the city via a different but no less enjoyable way – Mount Glorious Rd and the Samford Valley.
STAY: The Calile Hotel, Brisbane
This resort-style hotel in the heart of Fortitude Valley was the only Australian luxury property to make the inaugural list of the World’s 50 Best Hotels last year. That’s high praise but well deserved because it’s a fabulous place, with an epic pool, and importantly, valet parking; $431 a night.
Exmouth to Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia
Driving in Western Australia is almost all about the journey, not the destination, the latter usually being some far-off pinprick on a wide, rusty-brown landscape. Exmouth is a case in point, a small town (population 3000) roughly a 13-hour drive from Perth. Just north of the town, which is known as the gateway to Ningaloo Reef, the 77km Yardie Creek Rd skirts the impossibly blue waters of the North West Cape on the right, and the deep-red rocks of the Cape Range National Park on the left. Here, the destination suddenly becomes equally as important as the journey. UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef is home to migrating whale sharks and whales, orcas, manta rays and a kaleidoscope of colourful fish, not to mention 300 recorded species of coral. Each year, about 10,000 marine turtles crawl from the waves to create their nests in the sand. This is one remarkable and very long road trip with many rich rewards.
STAY: Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef
This resort borrows from luxury safari camp experiences in Africa to create a special glamping experience just footsteps from Ningaloo Reef. It’s an all-inclusive and exclusive property, with just 16 supremely comfortable tents nestled among the sand dunes; from $1790 a night, twin-share.
Byron Bay to Mullumbimby, NSW
Byron might get all the gushing reviews and visitors, but there’s something special about the town’s luscious green hinterland. Sightseers could take the well-known and picturesque Coolamon Scenic Drive to reach colourful Mullumbimby, but a fine detour is to swing on to Possum Shoot Rd, then left onto Myocum Rd and head up into the plush hills. Further west, Tuntable Falls Rd is also worth exploring, all the way to the famous idyll of Nimbin.
STAY: Elements of Byron
There are many reasons to stay at Elements of Byron, the location being one of them; it’s virtually beachfront, and close enough to town for easy access but away from the crowds. The panoramic yoga platform is a stunner too. But my No. 1 pick is the adults-only pool with swim-up bar. Genius; from $488 a night, twin-share.
Adelaide Hills, South Australia
There’s wine, wine everywhere but not a drop to drink, at least until you’ve finished driving the sweeping curves of the roads around the Adelaide Hills. The various arteries of the district are of such an exciting standard they’re often used in the Adelaide Rally (November 28-December 1 this year). Take Greenhill Rd from the eastern city suburb of Burnside all the way into the hills to the perfectly named Deviation Rd, just after Carey Gully. This leads to Lobethal, which has an excellent bierhaus, before circling back through Oakbank and Hahndorf. You’ll be tempted by wineries on all sides, but also thrilled by how engaging, and perfectly surfaced, the roads are.
STAY: Sequoia Lodge
Sitting atop Mt Lofty is the spectacular $18m Sequoia Lodge (opened in 2021), which looks out over Piccadilly Valley. This adults-only property has just 14 suites, plus a day spa and decadent pools fed by hot springs; from $1599 a night, twin-share.
Darwin to Jabiru, Northern Territory
Driving in the Northern Territory is a unique experience, not only because of the array of wildlife encountered, including jogging emus and muscle-bound red kangaroos, nor even the vast red expanse in all directions. It’s unique because large sections of its roads have a speed limit considered sensible in other parts of the world – 130km/h. Driving here used to be simply about going flat out; NT highways had no speed restrictions and car companies would conduct high-speed, hot-weather testing. Since 2016, the 130km/h limit has been imposed on all unregulated roads. That’s still fast enough to enjoy the thrills of the epic Arnhem Highway to Jabiru, gateway to Kakadu National Park.
STAY: Cooinda Lodge
This property’s Yellow Water Villas take glamping to another level – above the ground. The fully airconditioned ensuite safari-style tents have been built on stilts to minimise environmental impact; from $795 a night, twin-share.
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