Best Coastal Road Trips in Australia
The Best Coastal Road Trips in Australia
Australia is one of the great road trip countries. The distances are real, the coastline is extraordinary, and the combination of empty highways and world-class scenery makes driving — rather than flying — the right way to experience much of it. Here are the best coastal road trips in the country, from the iconic to the underrated.
Great Ocean Road, Victoria
Distance: 243 km (Torquay to Allansford) Allow: 3–5 days
The Great Ocean Road is Australia's most famous coastal drive — and it earns the reputation. Built between 1919 and 1932 by returned soldiers as a memorial to those who didn't come back, the road hugs the Victorian coastline through surf towns, rainforest, and dramatic clifftop scenery.
The highlights are well-known: the Twelve Apostles limestone stacks rising from the Southern Ocean, Loch Ard Gorge, and the sweep of the coast at Bells Beach. But the best parts of the Great Ocean Road are often the stretches between the landmarks — the sections where the road drops to sea level, the forest closes in, and there's nothing but the road and the water.
Don't miss: The Great Otway National Park interior, the quiet town of Apollo Bay for a night's stay, and Johanna Beach for some of the most dramatic and deserted surfing scenery on the route.
Best time: Autumn (March–May) — the summer crowds have cleared, the weather stays mild, and the evening light on the cliffs is extraordinary.
Pacific Coast Touring Route, NSW
Distance: Approximately 900 km (Sydney to Brisbane) Allow: 5–10 days
The Pacific Highway between Sydney and Brisbane is the backbone of the NSW coast, but the Pacific Coast Touring Route encourages you to leave the highway and detour into the best coastal towns along the way. Done properly, it's one of the best road trips in Australia.
Key stops heading north from Sydney include the Central Coast, Newcastle and the Hunter coast, Port Stephens (dolphin watching and the Stockton Sand Dunes), Seal Rocks (one of NSW's finest and least-touched beaches), Coffs Harbour, the Solitary Islands, and then the Northern Rivers region — Ballina, Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads — before crossing into Queensland.
Don't miss: The lighthouse walk at Seal Rocks, a night in Brunswick Heads rather than Byron, and the detour out to Hat Head National Park near Kempsey.
Best time: Autumn or spring — comfortable temperatures, manageable crowds, and reliable surf.
The Coral Coast (Turquoise Coast), Western Australia
Distance: Approximately 1,100 km (Perth to Exmouth) Allow: 7–10 days
The stretch of Western Australian coast between Perth and Exmouth is one of the most spectacular coastal road trips in the world — and almost entirely unknown outside Australia. The highway runs through some of the most remote and beautiful landscapes in the country, ending at Ningaloo Reef — one of the world's great snorkelling and diving destinations.
Key stops include Cervantes and the Pinnacles Desert, Geraldton, Kalbarri National Park (the gorges and the coastal cliffs are extraordinary), Shark Bay and the stromatolites at Hamelin Pool, Monkey Mia for dolphin interactions, Carnarvon, and finally Exmouth and the Cape Range National Park at Ningaloo.
Don't miss: The drift snorkel at Turquoise Bay, a night at Coral Bay, and the clifftop walk at Kalbarri's Natural Bridge.
Best time: April to October — the Coral Coast summer (November to March) can be brutally hot and is cyclone season. The winter months offer perfect driving conditions.
Sunrise Way / Sunshine Coast to Cape York, Queensland
Distance: Approximately 1,700 km (Noosa to Cooktown) Allow: 10–14 days
For the adventurous, the drive from the Sunshine Coast north through the Whitsundays, Cairns, and the Daintree to Cape York Peninsula is one of the great Australian road journeys. The further north you go, the more remote and extraordinary it becomes.
Key stops include Noosa and the Noosa Everglades, the Whitsundays (take a day trip to Whitehaven Beach), Airlie Beach, Townsville, Mission Beach, Cairns and the Atherton Tablelands, Port Douglas, the Daintree Rainforest, and Cape Tribulation — where the rainforest meets the reef.
The road beyond Cape Tribulation to Cooktown requires a 4WD during the wet season — check conditions before you go.
Don't miss: A stop at Cape Tribulation, the drive through the Daintree Rainforest, and a night or two in Port Douglas over Cairns.
Best time: May to September — the dry season. The wet season (November to April) brings heavy rainfall, road closures, and stinger season in the water.
Eyre Peninsula, South Australia
Distance: Approximately 1,400 km loop (Adelaide return) Allow: 7–10 days
The Eyre Peninsula is one of Australia's least-visited and most rewarding coastal drives. The triangle of coastline between Port Augusta, Ceduna, and Port Lincoln offers extraordinary seafood, dramatic cliffs, pristine beaches, and wildlife encounters that are genuinely world-class.
Key stops include Port Augusta, Port Lincoln (one of Australia's great seafood towns — the tuna and oysters here are exceptional), Coffin Bay National Park, Streaky Bay, and the Nullarbor cliffs near the Head of Bight, where southern right whales gather to calve between June and October.
Don't miss: Coffin Bay oysters fresh from the bay, the drive out to Baird Bay for sea lion encounters, and the clifftop views at Bunda Cliffs.
Best time: Spring (September–November) for whale watching and wildflowers, or autumn for mild temperatures.
Tasman Peninsula Loop, Tasmania
Distance: Approximately 300 km loop from Hobart Allow: 2–3 days
Tasmania's coastline is unlike anywhere else in Australia — dramatic dolerite cliffs, cold clear water, pristine white sand beaches, and a quality of light that photographers travel specifically to capture. The Tasman Peninsula, south-east of Hobart, packs more coastal drama into a small area than almost anywhere in the country.
Key stops include the Port Arthur Historic Site, the Tasman Arch and Devils Kitchen geological formations, Remarkable Cave, and the walk to the Three Capes (Cape Pillar, Cape Hauy, and Cape Raoul) — one of Australia's finest multi-day coastal walks.
Don't miss: The view from Cape Hauy over the Totem Pole sea stack — one of the most dramatic coastal vantage points in Australia.
Best time: December to March for the best walking weather. Winter is spectacular but cold and often wet.
What to Pack for a Coastal Road Trip
A road trip along the Australian coast means long beach days at stops along the way. A few essentials that make a difference:
- A sand-free beach blanket — you want something that packs flat in the boot and doesn't fill your car with sand after every stop. The XO Beach Blanket packs down small and shakes clean.
- A portable beach umbrella — Australian UV on an exposed beach is not something to underestimate, even in autumn or winter
- After sun oil — for the end of long beach days at each stop along the route
- A good esky — for remote stretches where roadhouses are hours apart
- Download offline maps — mobile coverage is unreliable on many sections of these routes
Browse the full Xanto road-trip-ready beach range at xanto.com.au.
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