Road Trips from Sydney

The east coast of Australia is jam-packed with gorgeous coastlines, interesting towns, tourist attractions, vibrant cities and world famous national parks. Here are some road trips you should include on your visit to Australia, or add to your bucket list. 

2-4 Day road trips
- Blue Mountains, Wollemi National Park and Hunter Valley
- Central Coast and Hunter Valley

1-2 week road trips
- Sydney to Gold Coast
- Sydney to Melbourne
- Sydney to Adelaide Outback

Epic 2+ week road trips
- Sydney to Adelaide via the coast
- Sydney to Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays
- Sydney to Cairns 

2 - 4 Day Road Trips

Sydney - Blue Mountains - Hunter Valley

The Blue Mountains and Wollemi National Park are a heady mix of stunning bush walks, waterfalls, kayaking, Aboriginal culture, autumn colors, spring flowers, public gardens, local art, history, Devonshire teas and charming pubs. The Hunter Valley is famous for wineries.

Sydney - Central Coast - Hunter Valley

On the coastal drive between Sydney and the Hunter Valley wine region three national parks - Brisbane Water,  Ku-ring-gai Chase and Box Head  - offer great walks, swimming, and Aboriginal culture. The Central Coast is a mecca for surfers with lots of fun for families too.

1 - 2 Week Road Trips

Sydney – Gold Coast 

The 900 km Sydney to Gold Coast drive is one of white sand beaches, sapphire seas, a myriad of lakes, subtropical rainforest and prolific wildlife and bird life. Much of it has been protected within national parks. The further north you go, the more tropical and laid-back it becomes. Highlights include famous Byron Bay, the rainbow colored town of Nimbin, Dorrigo National Park, Myall Lakes, coastal Murramarang National Park and Yuraygir National Park with great beach camping and plenty of kangaroos, and a summit climb to Mt Warning.

Sydney – Melbourne 

This 1,500 km drive hugs the coast passing along sweeping beaches and plenty of beach-camping opportunities. Highlights include the Nan Tien Temple (largest buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere), the Sea Cliff Bridge, the many beautiful south coast beaches, beach camping with the friendly wildlife at Booderee National Park, a summit climb of Pigeon House Mountain, coastal Ben Boyd National Park, massive sand dunes of Croajingalong Naitonal Park, messing about in boats on the Gippsland Lakes, and the many stunning walks and wildlife at Wilsons Promontory and Phillip Island. At every turn the view will take your breath away. 

Sydney - Adelaide Outback

This 2,200 km drive  is a quintessential Australian road trip incomparable to anywhere else on earth. You'll pass through the Blue Mountains National Park and a lot of wide open spaces to get to Broken Hill in the outback, Mungo National Park, Kinchega National Park (also known as Lake Menindee) and the famous Barossa Valley and Clare Valley wine regions to arrive in Adelaide, South Australia. 

Epic Road Trips of 2 weeks or more

Sydney to Adelaide Coastal Drive
Sydney - Melbourne | Melbourne – Adelaide

2,200 km drive along the beautiful south coast, the famous Great Ocean Road, the ancient rainforest of the Otways, the Twelve Apostles, the beautiful and sophisticated Mornington Peninsula, the penguin and wildlife havens of Phillip Island,  Wilsons Promontory and Kangaroo Island, and the Limestone Coast wine region before arriving in Adelaide.

Sydney to Airlie Beach
Sydney – Gold Coast | Brisbane – Airlie Beach 

2,000 km from sub tropical Sydney to tropical Airlie Beach, the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsunday Islands passing through the ancient rainforests of Dorrigo National Park, famous Byron Bay, hippie Nimbin, and a diverse array of landscapes, waterfalls, forests and wildlife in the many national parks dotted along your drive, arriving in one of Australia's surf capitals, the Gold Coast.

Sydney to Cairns
Sydney – Gold Coast | Brisbane – Airlie Beach | Airlie Beach – Townsville | Townsville – Cairns

2,600 km from sub tropical Sydney, this road trip continues from Airlie Beach to Townsville and Magnetic Island where there is a good chance you'll see koalas in the wild, Hinchinbrook Island for a day walk in pristine World Heritage listed landscapes, Paluma Range National Park and Wooroonooran National Park for rainforest hikes, waterfalls, summit climbs and cheap camping, to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef where you can spend weeks day-tripping the region.