Australia’s Best Scenic Drives for First-Time Road Trippers

There is a particular kind of freedom that comes with an open Australian highway, a full tank of fuel and no fixed schedule. Few countries reward a driver quite like this one, which is exactly why so many travellers arrive with a checklist of the best scenic drives Australia has to offer. From cliff-hugging coastal roads to red-dust outback tracks and alpine switchbacks, the sheer variety can feel overwhelming if you have never planned an Australian road trip before. This guide breaks down the best scenic drives Australia is known for, along with the Australian scenic routes that consistently top every traveller’s list, and the practical advice you need to choose the right route, the right season and the right pace.

Whether you are chasing the coast, the mountains or the outback, this guide covers the road trip destinations Australia is best known for, so you can put together a first trip that matches your comfort level and the time you have available.

Why Australia Is Built for the Best Scenic Drives Australia Offers

Australia is roughly the same size as the continental United States, but with a fraction of the population, which means long stretches of highway with nothing but coastline, forest or desert for company. That combination of scale and emptiness is precisely what makes the best road trips Australia offers feel so different from a European or North American drive. You are never far from a lookout, a swimming spot or a small town with a good bakery, yet you can also go hours without seeing another car. For a first-timer, that means road trip planning here is less about ticking off cities and more about choosing a corridor, whether coastal or inland, and letting the best scenic drives Australia has to offer become the destination in themselves.

Part of what makes the best road trips Australia has on offer so appealing is how easily they scale, whether you are after a quick weekend or an extended, multi-week version of the best road trips Australia has to offer. A long weekend is enough for a taste of coastal driving near a capital city, while two or three weeks opens up multi-state loops that link several road trip destinations Australia together in a single, continuous journey.

A Quick Look at Australia’s Top Scenic Routes

If you only have time to skim this guide, here is a snapshot of the best scenic drives Australia offers, and what each one is best suited to:

• Great Ocean Road, Victoria: a compact, classic coastal drive and one of the most accessible best scenic drives Australia has for a long weekend from Melbourne.
• Tasmania Circuit: varied scenery in a tight loop, ideal for travellers wanting several Australian scenic routes packed into one trip, and one of the best scenic road trips Australia has for combining coast and mountain.
• Western Australia’s Coral Coast: remote, wildlife-rich and one of the more adventurous road trip destinations Australia has to offer for confident drivers.
• Red Centre and High Country: inland alternatives among the best road trips Australia offers away from the coast, and a favourite among quieter scenic road trips Australia has to offer.

The Great Ocean Road, Victoria

No list of Australian scenic routes is complete without the Great Ocean Road, a roughly 240-kilometre stretch of coastline that runs from Torquay to Allansford in Victoria and is regularly ranked among the best scenic drives Australia has to offer. Built partly by returned soldiers after the First World War as a war memorial, the road itself is a piece of history as much as a driving route. It hugs cliffs above the Southern Ocean, drops into fishing villages like Apollo Bay, and winds through Great Otway National Park’s temperate rainforest before opening onto the limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles, making it one of the most photographed Australian scenic routes in the country.

For a first attempt at this route, budget at least two full days from Melbourne rather than trying to squeeze it into a single long day trip. Our detailed Great Ocean Road from Melbourne itinerary breaks the drive into manageable stages, with suggested stops for surfing at Bells Beach, koala spotting near Kennett River, and the best vantage points for photographing the Twelve Apostles at sunrise, when the crowds are thinnest and the light is at its best.

Tasmania’s Coastal and Mountain Circuits

Tasmania rewards travellers willing to take the ferry or fly across Bass Strait with some of the most varied scenic road trips Australia can offer in a single state. The island is compact enough to circumnavigate in ten to fourteen days, yet the scenery shifts constantly: the East Coast’s white-sand bays around Freycinet, the wild, weather-beaten cliffs of the Tasman Peninsula near Port Arthur, and the dense temperate rainforest and dolerite peaks of the Central Highlands and Cradle Mountain. Few other single-state loops earn a spot among the best scenic drives Australia has to offer quite as consistently as this one.

First-time visitors often underestimate how much slower driving feels in Tasmania, where roads twist through hills and small towns rather than running in long straight lines. Our full Tasmania destination guide covers regional highlights, seasonal weather patterns and how to sequence a loop so you are not backtracking across the island. Autumn (March to May) is a particularly good time to go, when the summer crowds have thinned but the weather is still mild enough for coastal walks.

Western Australia’s Coral Coast and the South West

Western Australia is where the concept of distance really sinks in for first-time road trippers. It is home to some of the most remote and rewarding road trip destinations Australia has to offer, stretching from the turquoise waters of Ningaloo Reef and the wildflower fields of the Coral Coast in the north, down through the Margaret River wine region and towering karri forests in the south. It is easily one of the best scenic drives Australia has for travellers who want genuine remoteness rather than a well-trodden coastal loop.

Unlike the East Coast circuits, distances between major stops in WA can run into the hundreds of kilometres, so fuel planning and vehicle checks matter far more here. Beginners are generally better off picking one region rather than trying to link the whole state together on a first trip. Our Western Australia guide breaks the state into manageable pockets, from a relaxed long weekend around Margaret River to a more ambitious week-long run up the Coral Coast to Exmouth.

Inland Icons: The Red Centre and High Country

Not every unforgettable drive in Australia hugs the coast. Inland routes offer a completely different rhythm and scenery, and they deserve a place on any serious list of best road trips Australia travellers should consider. The drive from Alice Springs to Uluru, roughly 450 kilometres through the Red Centre, is one of the most iconic inland journeys in the country and one of the more unusual road trip destinations Australia has to offer. The landscape shifts from scrubby desert plains to the sudden, dramatic silhouette of Uluru and Kata Tjuta rising from the flat earth, and the changing colour of the rock at sunrise and sunset is reason enough to plan an overnight stay nearby rather than rushing through in a single day.

Further south, Victoria’s High Country and the Snowy Mountains region in New South Wales offer a cooler, greener alternative, with winding alpine roads, historic gold rush towns and, in winter, genuine snow driving conditions. These inland Australian scenic routes tend to see far fewer international visitors than the coastal classics, which means quieter roads, more affordable accommodation, and a stronger sense of having found somewhere off the well-worn tourist trail. They also rank among the best road trips Australia offers for travellers seeking solitude. For travellers who have already ticked off a coastal trip, these inland options are an easy way to see a different side of the best scenic drives Australia has to offer.

Chasing the Coastline: A Best Beaches Road Trip

If your idea of the perfect route is one that links postcard-worthy sand rather than mountain passes, it is worth building your itinerary around the coastline itself. Our roundup of Australia’s Best Beaches is a useful companion to any of the best scenic drives Australia has to offer, since many of the country’s most photographed beaches sit directly on, or a short detour from, these routes. Whitehaven Beach, Wineglass Bay and Cable Beach are all reachable by car with the right amount of planning, and stringing a handful of these together is an easy way to turn a standard coastal drive into one of the more memorable scenic road trips Australia has on offer, and a strong example of how the best road trips Australia offers can be built around a single theme.

Choosing the Best Time of Year

Timing can make or break a first road trip, and Australia’s size means the seasons behave very differently from one region to the next. The Great Ocean Road is at its best from late autumn to early spring, when the summer crowds thin out but the weather remains mild enough for coastal walks and photography stops. Tasmania is most forgiving between December and April, outside of its cold, wet winter months, and remains one of the most reliable scenic road trips Australia offers year to year. Western Australia’s Coral Coast, by contrast, is best visited during the cooler months from April to October, since the far north becomes uncomfortably hot and humid in summer. The Red Centre follows a similar pattern, with the winter months of June to August offering comfortable daytime temperatures for exploring Uluru and the surrounding trails, while summer heat can climb well above 40 degrees Celsius. Getting the season right is one of the simplest ways to make sure your trip lives up to its billing as one of the best scenic drives Australia has to offer, rather than a slog through extreme heat or storm season.

Whichever route you choose, checking regional weather and school holiday calendars before locking in dates will save you both discomfort and inflated accommodation prices.

Driving Tips for First-Time Road Trippers

Australian roads are generally well maintained on major routes, but a few local quirks catch first-timers out on even the best scenic road trips Australia has to offer. Keep these in mind before you set off:

• Watch fuel gauges on remote stretches: some sections of the Coral Coast and outback highways can go 150 to 200 kilometres between petrol stations.
• Drive to daylight, not the map: wildlife such as kangaroos and wombats are most active at dawn and dusk, so avoid unfamiliar rural roads in low light where possible.
• Book accommodation ahead in peak season: coastal towns along popular routes fill up quickly over summer and school holiday periods.
• Check your vehicle before remote legs: tyre pressure, spare tyre condition and coolant levels matter far more once you are hours from the nearest mechanic.
• Carry paper backups: mobile reception drops out completely across large stretches of outback and even some coastal highways, so download offline maps and carry a printed route as a backup.
• Pace yourself on long legs: aim for no more than four to five hours of driving per day on a first trip, leaving room for detours, rest stops and the inevitable photo opportunities.

For a deeper dive into vehicle preparation, speed limits and regional road conditions, our Driving Guides section covers everything from towing regulations to navigating unsealed roads safely, whichever of the Australian scenic routes above you decide to tackle first.

Planning Your Route: Where to Start

With so many options on the table, the easiest way to avoid decision fatigue is to pick a region rather than trying to cover the whole country in one trip. Victoria’s Great Ocean Road suits travellers with limited time who still want a classic coastal experience. Tasmania is ideal for those who enjoy a mix of coast, forest and mountain within a tight, loopable circuit. Western Australia rewards travellers chasing genuine remoteness and wildlife encounters, provided they are comfortable with longer driving days. Each of these is a strong entry point into the best road trips Australia offers, so matching the route to your travel style matters more than trying to see everything at once. Think of it less as choosing a single destination and more as choosing which of the country’s road trip destinations Australia is best known for suits the trip you actually want to take.

Whichever region you choose, our full library of Itineraries and Destination Spotlights is designed to take the guesswork out of day-by-day planning, with realistic driving times, suggested overnight stops and seasonal advice built in for each of these road trip destinations Australia has on offer.

Frequently Asked Questions About Scenic Road Trips Australia Offers

What are the best scenic drives Australia has for a first-timer?

For a first attempt, the Great Ocean Road and a Tasmania circuit are widely considered the best scenic drives Australia has to offer, since both are well-signed, well-serviced and manageable within one to two weeks.

Which state has the best road trips in Australia?

There is no single answer, since the best road trips Australia offers are spread across the country. Victoria and Tasmania suit shorter trips, while Western Australia and the Northern Territory suit travellers with more time for longer, more remote road trip destinations Australia.

Are there good scenic road trips in Australia outside the coast?

Yes. Inland scenic road trips Australia offers, such as the Red Centre and Victoria’s High Country, give a very different experience to the coastal classics and are often quieter and more affordable.

How long should I spend on Australia’s best scenic drives?

Most of the best scenic drives Australia is known for reward at least three to five days, though a dedicated Tasmania or Western Australia trip is best stretched to one to two weeks to properly cover the Australian scenic routes within them.

Do I need a 4WD for the best road trips Australia has to offer?

No. Most of the best road trips Australia has to offer, including the Great Ocean Road, Tasmania and the Alice Springs to Uluru run, are fully sealed and manageable in a standard rental car. A 4WD only becomes useful if you plan to detour onto unsealed tracks along these scenic road trips Australia is known for, such as parts of the Coral Coast or High Country fire trails.

Final Thoughts

Australia rewards patience behind the wheel more than almost anywhere else in the world. The country’s best scenic drives Australia has to offer are less about reaching a single destination quickly and more about the towns, lookouts and detours that happen along the way. Start with one of the Australian scenic routes above, build in more time than you think you need, and you will understand very quickly why so many travellers come back year after year for another lap of the road trip destinations Australia has to offer, and why the scenic road trips Australia provides remain some of the best in the world.