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Written by Savi, 25 Comments

More often than not you’ll find us exploring every nook and cranny of a country. But our trip to Australia was a wee bit different. We flew to Australia to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Sydney with family & friends we hadn’t seen in ages. Australia was also a jumping point for us to explore Fiji and New Zealand.

 

But you know us – we can’t visit a new country and not explore it. As you probably know well by now both of us suffer from a serious case of itchy feet. It’s a real problem 😉 So a week after landing in Australia we found ourselves renting a car to explore the cities and the countryside. We will probably go back to Australia soon to explore the outback around Perth and drive along the Sunshine Coast. But here are our Top 5 road trip experiences from our first trip to Australia 🙂

 

Australia road trip car with girl
Driving around glorious Australia

 

 

I) Explore Sydney

Sydney’s hectic pace and cosmopolitanism instantly transported us to London. London is our favourite city and we constantly miss little things about it as we travel around the world. But the gleaming Australian metropolis satiated our craving for London in ways more than one. We instantly felt at home in Sydney. We spent the first couple of days exploring prominent landmarks but soon enough we found ourselves exploring its street art, farmer’s markets, independent cafes, and open-air cinemas.

 

There is no dearth of articles on things to do in Sydney, but here are some of the things we loved in the city:

  1. The graffitti-laden by-lanes, vintage boutiques, and cafés of Newtown
  2. Picnicking at McMahons Point with Sydney Harbour in the background
  3. Watching Sydney’s iconic New Year’s Fireworks over Harbour Bridge and The Opera House from Milson’s Point
  4. Views of Sydney Harbour from the Manly Ferry. Manly Beach is quite commercial and can get very crowded, especially during summer months, but the trek is worth it for the ferry ride alone.
  5. Open-air cinema at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair. If open-air cinemas aren’t your thing, this spot offers a perfect vantage point. Expect great views of the city, perfect for photographs.

 

view of Sydney Harbour from McMahon's Point
The view of Sydney Harbour from McMahons Point

 

street art newtown sydney roadtrip
Hanging out with our friends in Newtown

 

View from the Manly Ferry Sydney Autralia
View of Sydney Harbour from the Manly Ferry – gorgeous to say the least

 

II) Drive The Great Ocean Road

You probably know that Bruised Passports and Road Trips go hand in hand. So we just couldn’t leave Australia without driving the iconic Great Ocean Road, supposed to be one of the most scenic roads in the world. We didn’t book a car in advance this time around, so we quickly compared rates on Auto Europe, a price comparison engine for car rentals, and bagged the most affordable deal we could find (£25 per day for an economy car).  We’ve used Auto Europe a fair few times for our road trips in Europe and found its service in Australia equally good! We picked our car in Melbourne and drove the entire stretch of The Great Ocean Road. The legendary coastal drive passes through rainforests, quaint coastal towns, beaches, and waterfalls and it should definitely feature on your itinerary of Australia.

 

The Great Ocean Road doesn’t disappoint. Some of our favourite spots include panoramic viewpoints around Port Campbell, the Otway Lighthouse (great for spotting koalas!), and the rural hinterland around Johanna. The entire drive is peppered with great restaurants, cafés, and eateries spilling with fresh produce and some of Victoria’s finest wines, so you won’t go hungry 🙂

 

We loved this area so much that we also went glamping and decided to hike the Great Ocean Walk and see the road from a different perspective. Read about our experience at Twelve Apostles Lodge (opens in new tab).

 

The Twelve Apostles The Great Ocean Road
The Twelve Apostles are the highlight of a drive along The Great Ocean Road

 

panoramas along The Great Ocean Road
Gorgeous panoramas along The Great Ocean Road

 

Even the detours are breathtakingly-gorgeous :-)
Even detours on The Great Ocean Road are breathtaking 🙂

 

III) Take a City Break in Melbourne

Whether you choose to drive the length of the Great Ocean Road or complete the Great Ocean Walk on foot, one thing’s for sure – all that exploring is bound to leave you tired. Melbourne is the perfect base to unwind and work off the tiredness. The metropolis is a lot more laid-back than Sydney but it offers plenty of dining and sightseeing opportunities, making it perfect for an Aussie city break.

 

Try to stay in or around the CBD (Central Business District) if you’re in Melbourne just for a couple of days. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt, which offers stunning views of the entire city. We got lucky with a room on the thirtieth floor and woke up to gorgeous views everyday. We spent 4 days in Melbourne and loved exploring the exhibits at the The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV),  exploring fresh street art and graffiti at Hellier Street, and binging at Queen Victoria Night Market. The Royal Botanic Gardens are perfect for a stroll and St. Kilda beach is great for a relaxing day out. If you’re looking for a fun day trip from Melbourne, the Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Valley offer the perfect solution. Expect hidden villages, towering forests, hot-air balloons, enchanted woodlands, cosy tea-houses, and vineyards.

 

I’ll be honest – We were quite tired after our hike along the Great Ocean Walk. So the first couple of days of our city break in Melbourne looked a bit like this 😉

 

Driving-around-Australia-20
Morning cuppa overlooking the city of Melbourne – priceless!!

 

Melbourne City Break
The city of Melbourne is perfect for a laid-back city break. We explored it over 4 days and loved it!

 

IV) Explore The Hunter Valley

If you, like us, like the finer things in life, The Hunter Valley is a must visit when you’re driving around Australia. It’s the mecca of wine. The Hunter Valley is a short drive away from Sydney and makes for a perfect weekend away. The legendary Hunter Valley Semillon needs to be the first item on your sampling menu because the wine is native to the Hunter Valley. You’ll find everything from younger acidic versions to mature toasty ones. Some wineries even have decadent dessert Botrytis Semillon on the menu. Try one of each, it couldn’t possibly hurt could it?! 🙂

 

You will also spot a host of traditional wines on sampling menus in Hunter Valley – Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Chardonnay – you name it, they’ve got it! Both of us also loved the range of dessert wines, that pay homage to Canadian and French ice-wines, on offer – who can argue with notes of candied pineapple, luscious apricots, and honey on toast to finish off a meal eh?!

 

If you’re going to visit The Hunter Valley just for a day, then opt for a guided tour which will ferry you back to Sydney (drinking and driving is not recommended!). Pick a tour that specialises in smaller groups and visits boutique wineries instead of the larger, more crowded ones. We enjoyed the personal attention lavished on each guest by Boutique Tours. Insofar as the wineries go, we quite enjoyed the sampling menu at Lambloch Estate. Don’t forget to pick some bottles of wine for friends and family or your own wine cellar back home.

 

Australia Road Trip Hunter Valley
The Hunter Valley is picture-perfect, to say the least!

 

 

Australia Road Trip girl sampling wine in hunter valley
This smile is a result of sampling 16 wines in a day 😉

 

Hunter Valley day trip from Sydney
A vineyard stay in the Hunter Valley makes for a perfect weekend break

 

V) Take a day trip from Sydney

There are dozens of options for day trips around Sydney. If you have a relaxed picnic on your mind, Mooney Mooney provides a scenic waterside setting.

 

If you’re after a day trip in the countryside, drive down to Blue Mountains. The area is covered with dense Eucalyptus forests. The suspended particles of Eucalyputus oil interact with dust and water in the air to lend a distinctive blue haze to the entire area. Thus the name ‘Blue Mountains’. The rugged scenery here promises a perfect day out. Explore scenic spots such as Three Sisters and Katoomba Falls or sample one of the bushwalking trails in the area.

 

Katoomba Falls Blue Mountains Australia Road Trip
Katoomba Falls make for a perfect pit stop on a day trip to Blue Mountains

 

Blue Mountains Australia Road Trip
Vid at the scenic, misty Blue Mountains

 

Getting to and exploring Australia is easy and the opportunities are endless. If your nationality allows, apply for the Australian visa online and enjoy all that Australia has to offer.

 

Have you been to Australia? What was your favourite experience in the vast continent? Leave us a comment below and we’ll try and include it in our itinerary on our next trip to Australia 🙂

 

Driving around Australia Manly Beach Sydney
Bright blue waters at Manly Beach in Sydney

 

Crazy about Roadtrips? Hop over to our article about our road trip in Iceland or our adventure in Spain 🙂

Do you love experiential travel? Read about our dreamy glamping trip in Australia

25 thoughts on “Driving Around Australia: 5 Favourite Experiences

    1. Hey Stef- great idea. Will def. put it down on our itinerary. We hope to be in Australia next year 😀

    1. Hey Ruchi – no, this trip was reserved for Sydney and Melbourne. We’ll definitely hop over to Goldcoast when we’re in Australia next 🙂

  1. Hope you guys went to the Jenolan caves near Blue mountains. Try Gold coast next time :).
    Another place I would love to go is Coober Pedy, do check it out online, knowing how adventurous you guys are, you might like it !

    Btw i loved walking around the Newtown area now & then,stopping for sangria or some light bites to eat or browsing through the small shops. I love comparing it with Shoreditch. Don’t know if its a valid comparison though !

    1. Hey Paroma,

      So glad to hear we aren’t the only ones who love Newtown 🙂 We think it’s very similar to Shoreditch!

      We’ll definitely plan a trip to Gold Coast and check out Coober Pedy when we are in Australia next.

      🙂

  2. Next time you’re in Sydney,should go down to Somersby Picnic Grounds, they have amazing treks and sceneries. 🙂

    1. Thanks for the suggestion Yukti – will definitely drop by there the next time we’re in Australia (which should be soon :))

    1. Sydney to gold coast is a must road trip guys!ther are beautiful spots in that stretch..
      Also ther is a stretch of road when U go from WA to SA which has some quite adventurous route.. one of the longest straight road called nullabor plain.. take a caravan and stay anywhere kind of trip..You guys should definetely try that!
      Honestly best would be start from Broome of Western Australia till Brisbane or cairns! It will take probably a lot of days.. but that’s how Aussie ppl do trips here..

    1. Well you can drive it in a day if you wish but we’d suggest taking it slow and driving over 2 days at least 🙂

  3. Hey Savi. How about Australian summer honeymoon. Is December a good time or is it too hot out there.

    1. Hi Charmi,

      It can be a bit hot some days in December (nowhere close to the heat you see in India though). It’ll be beautiful at that time, especially if you decide to drive 🙂

  4. hey! we are planning our honeymoon in february in Australia. We are visiting GC, cairns and sydney. any specific recommendations for honeymooners? (apart from the above blog and your GC blog)

  5. Any suggestions on day trips from Melbourne to Yarra valley for a wine tour? Checked the hot air balloon rides, but they cost a bomb and non-refundable. They can only be rescheduled if the ride gets cancelled due to bad weather. Considering the recent situation in Australia, not really sure if that’s a viable option. So just planning a day tour from Melbourne. Any suggestions would be really helpful 🙂

    1. Yes that’s wise 🙂 You could also make a day out of driving the great ocean road and the apostles and back – might be a tad bit hectic but totally worth it 🙂

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