Self-Drive Itinerary for Australia's East Coast

Check out of your Sydney hotel and drive about an hour to the Broken Bay Pearl Farm. Join a guided tour to learn about the history of oyster and pearl farming in Australia, or choose the gourmet grazing lunch with freshly shucked oysters and a riverside view. (Be sure to check the opening hours. As of this writing, the farm is closed on Mondays.) When you’ve had your fill of oysters and picked up pearl-related souvenirs in the gift shop, continue onward to the Hunter Valley for a wine tasting. This is Australia’s oldest wine region and is especially known for shiraz and semillon. (Suggested lodging: Chateau Elan at the Vintage.)

An early start is recommended today, since you’ll have an almost three-hour drive to reach Crowdy Bay National Park. Pack some snacks for the Diamond Head Loop walk (recommended time: 1.5 to 2.5 hours). Enjoy sweeping views over the ocean and the glimmering quartz-speckled cliff faces for which the hike is named. After the hike, drive one more hour to Port Macquarie, your stopping point for the day. Check into your hotel after a late lunch, then head back out to enjoy the town and get dinner along the seaside boardwalk. (We recommend the fish tacos at the Beach House.)

The Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie is a truly special place. Advance reservations are recommended for a guided tour during which you meet some of the residents and learn about efforts to rehabilitate koalas that have sustained injuries in bush fires or automobile accidents. After your visit, continue driving north along the coast, grabbing lunch along the way. It’s about a two-hour drive from Port Macquarie to Coffs Harbour, where you’ll be staying tonight. We recommend a detour inland to Dorrigo National Park (adding about an hour total of driving time). There, you can admire rainforest views and glimpse rare plant species.

You’ll begin your day at Solitary Islands Marine Park, where you can explore the unique marine environment in a variety of ways. Take a whale-watching cruise (depending on the season) or a fishing expedition; see the vibrant underwater world up close by snorkeling or diving; or take a Gumbaynggirr Cultural Experience tour to learn about the importance of this place in the local Indigenous culture. After lunch, make the 2.5-hour drive to Byron Bay, a laid-back surfing town whose walkable center houses a wide variety of fun, funky restaurants featuring diverse cuisines. We recommend the Cape Byron Lighthouse Walk (3.7 km) before dinner. Just don’t wait too long, as restaurants close early here. Alternatively, you could save the walk for sunrise tomorrow, since, after all, this is Australia’s easternmost point!

This morning, take a surfing lesson or head off on a sea kayaking excursion to see Byron Bay up close. After lunch, make the one-hour drive to Gold Coast (which is not an area but a town—although the name seems like it would apply well to the country’s entire eastern coast). Enjoy a bit of glitz and glam for one night. This area is decidedly less chill than Byron Bay—and most of the other places you’ll be staying along the way. Get dinner at Surfers Paradise and admire the skyscrapers, then head out after dark to enjoy the nightlife. (Suggested lodging: The Langham Gold Coast.)

There’s plenty to do in Brisbane, so don’t delay in making the one-hour drive from your Gold Coast hotel. If you didn’t get a chance to climb Sydney Harbour Bridge, you can have a similar experience at Story Bridge in Brisbane. (The experience is perhaps slightly more approachable for those with a fear of heights—100 meters above water level, compared to 134 meters in Sydney.) If you’re in the mood for more adventure, see about a reservation at Vertigo restaurant, where you can dine on a deck perched atop a historic power station and appreciate 360-degree views from more than 50 feet above ground level. (The price of dinner includes an optional four-story dropline descent down the side wall and a celebratory drink afterward!)

You have your choice of how to spend today. Options include visiting Bluey’s World (an immersive experience for fans of the animated show); touring the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary (where you can also see kangaroos, dingoes, platypuses, and wombats); and grazing your way through Eat Street Markets (where shipping containers have been repurposed into bars, eateries, shops, and live entertainment spaces). Perhaps take in a musical at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, then on the way back to your hotel, walk through the South Bank area and go for an evening swim (or at least dip your toes in) at Australia’s only inner-city beach. Have dinner at the Howard Smith Wharves in one of several dining establishments overlooking the bridge, then spend some time walking around Brisbane and enjoying this friendly city of lights with plentiful public art.

You’ve reached the point in the trip where it’s time to choose your own adventure! You can either head to Noosa (just over a 90-minutes drive north) and spend two nights in this relaxed beach resort town, or you can head over to K’gari (formerly known as Fraser Island) for a wild and rugged nature experience. At Noosa, take a guided kayaking tour through the Noosa Everglades, head out on the Tweed River for a bushtucker and crab-catching lunch, or take a guided nighttime walk for wildlife-spotting at Noosa National Park. If you are choosing the K’gari option, you’ll drive 2.5–3.5 hours north of Brisbane to catch the ferry (from either Rainbow Beach or Hervey Bay), then take a short ferry ride and settle into your island accommodation.

On K’gari, take a tour down the stunning white span of 75 Mile Beach and visit the S.S. Maheno shipwreck. Float down Eli Creek, swim in Lake McKenzie, and experience a natural jacuzzi in the Champagne Pools. (You’ll want to take guided tours to get around the island, given the presence of dingoes—wild dogs that can be aggressive toward humans). This island is somewhat hard to get to, but the picturesque beaches, achingly blue waters, and juxtaposition of different natural environments (combined with rare wildlife) create an experience that’s like no place else on earth.

If you haven’t gone to K’gari, you can spend the day on the mainland visiting the Mon Repos Turtle Centre (home to the most significant loggerhead turtle nesting population in the South Pacific region); the Bundaberg Rum Distillery (where you can visit a museum chronicling the distillery’s history since 1888 or engage in a blend-your-own rum experience); and the FairyMead House Sugar Museum (housed in a bungalow-style plantation house that gives insight into the family who lived there and the Australian sugar-growing industry). Either stay overnight in Bundaberg/Hervey Bay or head back to Noosa, where you may find the lodging and dining options more appealing. (Side note: It is possible to take a day trip to K’gari from Hervey Bay rather than staying overnight on the island; you just won’t be able to see as many of the different parts of the island with only a few hours to spend there.)

The Spirit of Queensland’s overnight train offers a pleasant way to skip 11 hours of driving. Return your rental car in Maryborough and take the train to Proserpine, where you can rent another car to take you the rest of the way. From here, it’s a short drive to Airlie Beach, where you’ll spend one night. You’ll be well-rested after your first-class train journey (during which you’ll be served a multi-course meal with alcoholic beverages included and enjoy a steamy warm shower while the stewards turn your seat into a spacious flatbed). The coastal town of Airlie Beach has a California/Hawai’i vibe. One of the best examples is Fruits n Rootz, where you can enjoy smoothie bowls and delicious fresh juices while seated outside at a table made from a surfboard.

Today you’ll transfer to your Whitsundays resort. In this island group at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, the white of the sand and the aquamarine of the water are bright beyond your wildest imagination. If you are staying at the recommended option (the Intercontinental Hayman Island), you’ll take a public ferry from Airlie Beach to Hamilton Island, and then another one (this one is included in the price of your lodging) from Hamilton Island to Hayman Island.

Today, your adventure in tropical paradise continues. Start with a morning snorkel right from the hotel at the on-site reef, then join a kayaking or snorkeling tour or a plane ride for an aerial view of the island chain (including the famous Heart Reef). Make the most of your day with a sunset cruise before you pack up to head back to the mainland tomorrow.

After checking out of your Whitsundays accommodation, transfer back to Airlie Beach and make the three-hour drive to Townsville. The city has a charming waterfront area with hotels and restaurants (including fantastic gelato at Juliette’s and restaurants featuring a wide variety of Asian cuisine, as is true of most places in Australia). This is mainly a stopover on the way to the sights you’ll be seeing tomorrow, but it’s an enjoyable place to spend time. If your schedule allows, visit Castle Hill Lookout or take a campus tour at James Cook University, known for its eminent marine biology research and education programs. (If you deviate from the itinerary and have more time to spend, you can find very interesting shipwreck snorkeling excursions. There’s even a Museum of Underwater Art. This is also where you can take tours to Magnetic Island, which is nearly as well-known as K’gari and the Whitsundays.)

This is your last driving day (four to five hours total of driving time, depending on where you are staying), ending at your lodging in Cairns or Port Douglas. On the way, stop for a swim at Millaa Millaa Falls in the delightful natural pool under the waterfall. You’ll also want to stop at Curtain Fig National Park to marvel at the roots of this majestic tree, estimated to be more than 500 years old. (Yungaburra makes a good lunch stop between these two attractions.) Afterward, head into town to check into your hotel and enjoy the wider range of restaurants available in these sizable cities.