Take me on a road trip!
The best routes to take a road trip on across Australia - in no particular order:
Kuranda, Queensland
Take off from the tropical beaches of Cairns and before too long you'll be experiencing the cool World Heritage-listed rainforest air around the mountain retreat of Kuranda. Wind down your window along the route and you'll be hit by a piercing wall of sound - the humming of millions of cicadas from among huge buttress tree trunks. Source
Alpine Way, Kosciuszko National Park, NSW
By road, think of the Snowy Mountains as a great big wave. From the north, or Sydney-side, it's a smooth and gentle climb along the back of the wave. Head in from the southern, or Victorian-side and you're climbing straight up the face of that wave. The 75km drive from Khancoban to Thredbo runs through soaring forests of alpine ash, over rushing rivers and mountain streams, past the remote Tom Groggin Station and then up through the snow gums and over Dead Horse Gap to Thredbo. Little wonder authors like Banjo Patterson and Elyne Mitchell found this stretch of the country so inspiring. Source
Mount Buffalo National Park, Victoria
It seems a modest mountain compared with nearby peaks like Bogong and Feathertop, but Mount Buffalo and its plateau are a treasure chest for anyone who likes life above 1000 meters. Buffalo was once at the heart of Victoria's alpine tourism, and while that mantle has long been lost, its plunging gorges, rock peaks, mossy plains, and diverse walking tracks have lost none of their appeals. The road from Bright to the Horn Picnic Area, the highest road-accessed point on the plateau, covers just under 50km. There's no longer lift-accessed skiing at Buffalo, but with snow, it's ideal for tobogganing and cross-country skiing. Source
Great Ocean Road, Victoria
It's heavily marketed as one of the greatest drives in Australia, and the Great Ocean Road certainly lives up to the hype as a top class coastal scenic route. not only do you get to see the dramatic rock sculptures called the 12 Apostles, which stick out from the coast like giant stalagmites, but there are some wonderful beaches, lots of wildlife, good eateries, and magnificent rainforest walks. With a long history of shipwrecks, it's probably safer to explore by car rather than by boat. Source
The Nullabor Plain, Western Australia
If you have a handful of days to spare then set off from Ceduna in South Australia and head west for some 2000km to Perth, across the wide, almost treeless expanse of the Nullabor. It might be dry and have a reputation for being a harsh environment, but it's certainly not a desert. Wooded hills flatten out to plateaus studded with bluebush. Mobs of roos line the road and giant wedge-tailed eagles patrol the skies. You'll need a four-wheel-drive if you plan to leave the highway, but otherwise, it's easy driving on a powerful scale. Source
Uluru to Kings Canyon, Northern Territory
Fancy some real red earth country and skies bigger than you could ever think possible? Then take off on this three-hour drive along the Lasseter Highway from the big red rock to the breathtaking Kings Canyon. Look out for wild camels along the route. To extend your outback journey, start off at Alice Springs and take on the Red Centre Way. You'll need about five days, with stops at historic towns and ancient Aboriginal rock art sites. Source
Kangaroo Island, South Australia
Hire a car on the island itself or take your own on the SeaLink ferry from Adelaide. There are some 1600km of roads here, and several driving itineraries are on offer. Don't miss the wind-sculptured rock formations and a stroll through a colony of fur seals. Just outside Flinders Chase National Park, you can spot dozens of koalas hanging in the trees, while near the town of Penneshaw you can see little penguins returning to their nighttime burrows beside the beach. Source
Please note: this blog post was compiled from different articles, linked at the end of each location.
