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Five Great Australian Summer Road Trips


Warm weather has finally arrived, and what better way to mark this moment than with a road trip. The Australian continent is dotted with hidden tourist gems and roads with breathtaking views. At Black Knight, we have listed some of Australia’s best road trips to consider making during the summer holidays. These road trips can be done as a day-trip, an overnighter or can be included as part of a longer road trip.

Alpine Loop – Victoria

Escape the heat by retreating into the mountains of Victoria along one of Australia’s most stunning roads, the Great Alpine road. If you’re based in Melbourne, then dividing this trip over three days would be ideal. From Melbourne, after a 4 hour drive east, your first stop will be the coastal town of Metung, a little-known hidden gem along the Victorian coast. On day two, drive North of Metung and onto the Great Alpine road taking you through the mountains to the town of Wangaratta. The drive from Metung to Wangaratta lasts around 4 and a half hours, so make sure you’re adequately supplied. On day three, you can drive directly from Wangaratta back to Melbourne.

Great Beach Drive/Fraser Island – Queensland

This road trip connects Queensland’s Sunshine Coast to Fraser Island for an exhilarating beach adventure. It is recommended to divide this trip over a few days. First, drive from Noosa to Rainbow beach and spend an overnight there. Next is a day-trip around the World Heritage listed Fraser Island. As a final option, you can finish the trip off with a day in Hervey Bay before returning to Noosa in the morning. From Brisbane to Noosa takes just over 2 hours, with another hour and 30 minutes to get to Rainbow Beach. To get to Fraser island from Rainbow Beach will require a ferry ride from Inskip point.

The Great Eastern Drive – Tasmania

One of the advantages of touring Tasmania is because the island is small (relatively speaking) everything is within driving distance. However, the Great Eastern Drive is rated among one of the best road trips. One-way, this road trip will take just over 3.5 hours. However, since this route is dotted with many points of interests such as the Maria Island and Douglas-Aspley National Parks, and towns such as Orford and Triabunna, it is recommended you split this road trip up over three or four days. Which is what you’ll want to do because there is so much to see and do along the east coast of Tasmania.

Grand Pacific Drive – New South Wales

From South Sydney to Wollongong, this drive will take you through the south Sydney National park and over the iconic Sea Cliff Bridge along the coast of NSW. Your destination, Wollongong, offers various different attractions and activities, from beaches to bushwalking among others. From Wollongong, you can either continue the journey Southwards, or spend the night there and return in the morning. The drive to Wollongong from the Sydney CBD takes around 2.5 hours.

Waterfall Way – New South Wales

Alternatively, if you’re more of a mountain person, you can try the Waterfall Way, linking Coffs Harbour to Armidale. A road going through the rainforest of northern New South Wales and dotted with numerous national parks. At the end of the road is the township of Armidale, boasting spectacular waterfalls, gorges, world-heritage national parks, cool-climate vineyards and a fascinating and diverse cultural heritage. The drive to Armidale from Coffs Harbour takes around 2.5 hours.

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