Australian road trips, sorted by how long they actually take
Every route we document, grouped by duration rather than by region — because the number of days you have is what decides the trip, and almost every planning mistake starts with underestimating a distance.
How far you can actually drive in a day
The single figure that governs an Australian road trip is the daily distance you are willing to cover, and it varies more by road type than most people expect. On a sealed highway with long gaps between towns — the Stuart, the Eyre, the Barrier — 500 to 600 km is a long but manageable day, and experienced travellers do more. On the Bruce Highway, with its towns, roadworks and two-lane sections, 400 km feels like the same amount of effort.
On winding coastal or alpine roads the figure collapses. The Great Ocean Road, the Great Alpine Road, the Tasmanian west coast and the ranges behind Cairns all average well under highway speed once you include the stopping you will inevitably do. Two hundred and fifty to three hundred kilometres is a full day on those roads, and trying to force more produces a day of driving past the things you came to see.
On unsealed road, plan on 200 to 300 km. Corrugations set the pace, not the speed limit: going faster to smooth the ride out damages the vehicle and is the most common cause of tyre failure on the Gibb River Road and the Oodnadatta Track. Add a puncture or a slow river crossing and a 250 km day becomes a full one. If you are towing, reduce every one of these figures by around twenty per cent, and more on anything with hills.
The other rule that applies almost everywhere outside the cities: do not drive at dawn, dusk or after dark. Kangaroos, wombats, cattle and, in the north, feral animals are on the road at those times, and a collision at highway speed in a place with no phone coverage is the single largest avoidable risk on any of these routes. Plan legs that end mid-afternoon.
Weekend trips — one to two days
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NSW · 2 DAYS · 140 KM
SEALEDGrand Pacific Drive, Sydney to Kiama
Royal National Park, the Sea Cliff Bridge and the Illawarra escarpment. Under two hours of driving spread across a weekend.
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VIC · 2 DAYS · 180 KM
SEALEDYarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges
Mountain ash forest and ridge roads inside 90 minutes of Melbourne. Autumn colour peaks in late April.
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TAS · 2 DAYS · 120 KM
MIXEDBruny Island from Kettering
Short vehicle ferry, then sealed and gravel roads on a compact island. Queues on summer weekends are the main cost.
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SA · 2 DAYS · 280 KM
SEALEDBarossa and Clare valleys scenic drive
Ridge roads, stone villages and long valley views an hour from Adelaide, with a rail-trail through the Clare for cyclists.
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WA · 2 DAYS · 40 KM
FERRYRottnest Island from Fremantle
No private cars on the island; bicycles and the settlement bus do the work. Accommodation is balloted for summer.
Short trips — three to five days
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VIC · 3 DAYS · 240 KM
SEALED · FEB–APR, OCT–DECGreat Ocean Road, Torquay to Allansford
The best-known drive in the country and the most commonly rushed. Three days puts you at the Twelve Apostles outside the coach window.
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VIC · 3 DAYS · 300 KM
SEALED · NOV–MARGreat Alpine Road, Wangaratta to Bairnsdale
Australia's highest sealed through-road. Snow and chain rules in winter; high-country walking in summer.
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NSW · 3 DAYS · 320 KM
SEALED · MAR–MAY, SEP–NOVBlue Mountains circuit from Sydney
Katoomba, Blackheath and the Grose Valley, returning via Bells Line of Road. Clearest in autumn.
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SA · 5 DAYS · 900 KM
SEALED · APR–MAY, SEP–NOVFlinders Ranges from Adelaide
The quickest route from a capital city into arid country, with unsealed gorge roads as the reason to be there.
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QLD · 4 DAYS · 420 KM
SEALED · MAY–SEPAtherton Tablelands circuit from Cairns
Cooler than the coast year-round, with fifteen-minute drives between stops instead of four-hour ones.
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TAS · 5 DAYS · 540 KM
SEALED · DEC–MARCradle Mountain and the north-west
Shuttle access to Dove Lake in peak periods, and weather that changes above the treeline in any month.
Long trips — six to ten days
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NT · 6 DAYS · 1,140 KM
SEALED · MAY–SEPRed Centre Way loop from Alice Springs
West MacDonnells, Kings Canyon and Uluru-Kata Tjuta. The sealed route via Erldunda avoids the permit-controlled Mereenie Loop.
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NT · 7 DAYS · 1,100 KM
MIXED · MAY–SEPKakadu and Nitmiluk from Darwin
Ubirr, Nourlangie and Katherine Gorge, with the southern waterfalls dependent on when the tracks are assessed and opened.
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TAS · 7 DAYS · 620 KM
SEALED · DEC–MAREast coast, Hobart to Launceston
Freycinet, the Bay of Fires and the Tasman Peninsula. The shortest driving days of any week-long trip on this list.
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QLD · 8 DAYS · 1,700 KM
SEALED · MAY–SEPBrisbane to Cairns on the Bruce Highway
Five driving days plus three stationary ones. Anyone doing it in five total is describing a transit, not a trip.
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WA · 10 DAYS · 1,250 KM
SEALED · APR–OCTCoral Coast, Perth to Exmouth
Kalbarri, Shark Bay and Ningaloo. Works far better as three bases than as a drive with stops.
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WA · 10 DAYS · 710 KM
UNSEALED · JUN–SEPGibb River Road, Derby to Kununurra
Corrugated, remote and four-wheel drive only. Ten days for 710 km is not padding — it is the real pace.
Crossings — ten days and more
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NT–SA · 10 DAYS · 3,020 KM
SEALED · MAY–SEPStuart Highway, Darwin to Adelaide
Sealed end to end. Katherine, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs and Coober Pedy are the natural breaks in an otherwise uniform drive.
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WA–SA · 6 DAYS · 2,700 KM
SEALED · APR–MAY, AUG–OCTEyre Highway, Perth to Adelaide
Four long driving days at minimum. Fuel spacing sets each day; quarantine controls apply at the border.
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TAS · 12 DAYS · 1,400 KM
SEALED · DEC–MARFull Tasmania lap from Devonport
The whole island at a pace that allows two nights in each of four places. Book the ferry vehicle deck months ahead.
Common questions
How many kilometres a day is realistic?
On sealed highway with few towns, 500 to 600 km is a long but manageable day. On winding coastal or alpine roads, 250 to 300 km fills a day. On unsealed roads, 200 to 300 km is a full day once you allow for corrugations and a possible puncture. Towing reduces each figure by roughly twenty per cent.
Do I need a four-wheel drive?
For most of these routes, no. Every sealed corridor here — the Great Ocean Road, the Bruce Highway, the Coral Coast, the Stuart Highway, the Nullarbor — is fine in a standard two-wheel drive. A high-clearance four-wheel drive is genuinely required for the Gibb River Road, the Oodnadatta Track, K'gari, Purnululu and the inner tracks of Kakadu, and those routes are labelled unsealed throughout this site.
What is the best time of year?
It depends on latitude rather than the calendar. Northern Australia works from May to September. Southern Australia is best in the shoulder months, March to May and September to November. Tasmania is a December-to-March proposition. The when to go guide covers each region in detail.
Should I book accommodation in advance?
On the popular corridors in peak season, yes, and further ahead than feels reasonable. Freycinet, Wilsons Promontory, Cape Range and the Cradle Mountain area are the tightest, and several operate ballots for summer periods rather than first-come bookings. On the inland routes the position reverses: outside school holidays you can usually arrive at a roadhouse or station stay without notice, though on the winter run north through Queensland and Western Australia the good free camps are taken by mid-afternoon.
How much should I budget?
Fuel is the dominant cost on every long route and scales directly with distance and vehicle. Our budget basics guide works through the four real costs — fuel, where you sleep, park fees and food — with a worked example, in Australian dollars.