The trans-tasman bubble is finally here and this means thousands of Kiwis will be boarding planes to visit our Australian neighbours. It’s almost paralysing after a year of no international travel to try and figure out where we want to go first - Sydney and Melbourne for culture, food and shopping? The Red Centre for otherworldly terrains and natural structures? The Gold Coast for fun in the sun? The choice is overwhelming.
What about a road trip so you can get a bit of everything? Fly to Aussie, land in one city, hire a car and drive to the next before flying home again. You can experience two places and all the fabulous stops on the way. Here are a couple of our favourites.
Brisbane to Sydney
The Pacific Highway is a magical tour of stunning Australian beaches. Driving straight would take 12 hours so you can do it over anything from five days to multiple weeks, depending on where you want to stop, and for how long. Great points of interest are Stradbroke Island, the theme parks of the Gold coast, Byron Bay, Captain Cook's Lookout at Nambucca Heads, Queen's Lake Nature Reserve at Port Macquarie, Tomaree National Park in Port Stephens and Box Head Track on the Central Coast. From laid back Queensland beach life to the vibrant energy of Sydney, you’ll get a bit of everything on this trip.
Melbourne to Fleurieu Peninsula
This is an eight hour drive straight so you could do it in 3-4 days with short stops or string it out over a week or two if time permits. Start in Melbourne exploring its world-class food scene, great retail therapy and wonderful galleries and museums, then hit the road for some South Australian magic. Drive through the Grampians National Park, stop at the Pink Lake, Port Elliot (great place to stay overnight) then head down the peninsula to Encounter Bay, Waitpinga Beach, Deep Creek Conservation Park (keep a lookout for lovely resting kangaroos) Rapid Bay and Second Valley. rom Rapid Bay it’s only another 90 minutes if you want to truck on through to Adelaide to taste all this food and wine capital has to offer before flying home to New Zealand.
So what are you waiting for? No matter what kind of road trip you’re looking for, Australia has it. International travel is only a few clicks away. Does it get any more exciting than that?
