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The great Australian road trip: 62 days, 15,000 km
From Melbourne to Sydney the long way round — the Great Ocean Road, the red centre, the tropical north and the whole east coast, in a campervan.
Duration
62 days
Distance
15,327 km
across 5 states
Vehicle
Campervan
Route
Melbourne → Sydney
I travelled
2015
Two friends, one campervan and no fixed plan: we only decided how long we had and where we had to finish. Sixty-two days and 15,327 kilometres later, we had crossed five states, from the cliffs of the Great Ocean Road to the red heart of the Outback and the reef and rainforest of Queensland.
This is our route, the stops that were worth every kilometre, and everything you need to know to do it yourself on a budget.
The route at a glance
Melbourne to Sydney, the long way round
Tap a stop on the map to jump to that part of the trip
Great Ocean Road
A few days
Adelaide
2 days
Uluru
1 week
Darwin
4 days
Cairns
10 days
Whitsundays
5 days
Sydney
4 days
Stage by stage
The road trip
Start · Victoria
Melbourne & the Great Ocean Road
One of the world’s most scenic coastal drives: 400 km of surf beaches, waterfalls and the Twelve Apostles rising out of the ocean.
South Australia
Mount Gambier, Adelaide & Coober Pedy
See the Blue Lake at Mount Gambier, spend a couple of relaxed days in Adelaide, then head into the desert to Coober Pedy, the quirky opal-mining town where people live underground.
Northern Territory · 1 week
Uluru & Kata Tjuta
A whole week in the red centre: hiking around Uluru and Kata Tjuta, swimming in natural pools and watching the rock glow at sunset.
The Top End · 4 days in Darwin
Kakadu, Litchfield & Darwin
2,000 km north: waterfalls and hikes in Kakadu and Litchfield, the Mataranka hot springs, jumping crocodiles on the Adelaide River and four days in Darwin.
Queensland · 10 days
Cairns & the tropical north
Another 2,500 km of desert, villages and farms to reach Cairns. Bungy jumping, skydiving from 14,000 ft, Palm Cove, Port Douglas, Cape Tribulation — and cassowaries in the rainforest.
East coast · 5 days
Airlie Beach & the Whitsundays
Five days sailing and swimming between the Whitsunday Islands, then south via Hervey Bay, Fraser Island, Noosa and the Sunshine Coast.
Final stretch · 4 days in Sydney
Brisbane, Gold Coast, Byron Bay & Sydney
Brisbane, the theme parks and nightlife of the Gold Coast, the laid-back beaches of Byron Bay — and finally Sydney, where the road trip ended.
When to go
When to do the road trip
The Top End and the tropical north are best in the dry season, roughly May to October; the red centre is most comfortable from April to September.
Best Good Hot & wet in the north
Before you go
My top 3 tips for an Australian road trip
01
Rent a campervan
The most comfortable and cheapest way to explore. Look at Apollo/Hippie Camper, Wicked, Spaceship and Jucy.
02
Camp for free
Use the WikiCamps and Camps Australia Wide apps — we slept free 80% of the time. Paid sites cost about $15–50 a night.
03
Fuel up and stock up
Fill the tank (and spare cans) at every Outback station, shop at Woolworths or Coles before the desert, and get a Telstra SIM for coverage.
Tailor-made
Want this trip, made for you?
I’ll design your Australian road trip — the right campervan, the route, the must-see stops and the time you need.
Photo gallery
Australia through my lens
