Australia and New Zealand were made for road trips. The distances are vast, the scenery is relentless, and the driving culture runs deep. In Australia, you can spend weeks crossing a single state and still not see everything. In New Zealand, you can drive from rainforest to glacier to fjord in a single afternoon. Together, these two countries offer the most diverse road trip menu on earth: red desert highways, turquoise coastal curves, alpine passes, volcanic plateaus, and everything between.
Here are twelve drives that capture the best of both countries, from bucket-list icons to lesser-known routes that deserve far more attention.
1. The Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia
Australia's most famous coastal drive runs 243 kilometres from Torquay to Allansford along Victoria's southern coast. The Twelve Apostles limestone stacks get the most attention, but the entire route is a masterwork of coastal engineering, weaving between surf beaches, temperate rainforest, and seaside villages. Melbourne is the natural starting point, just over an hour from Torquay.
- Duration: 2-3 days to drive properly
- Must-stops: Bells Beach (surfing icon), Lorne, Apollo Bay, Cape Otway Lightstation, the Twelve Apostles, London Arch
- Best time: November to April for warmth; winter brings dramatic seas and fewer crowds
Pro tip: Drive west to east (Allansford to Torquay) if you want to be on the ocean side of the road with easier access to viewpoints. Most tourists drive east to west, so you will have stops more to yourself.
2. The Great Barrier Reef Drive, Queensland
The stretch from Cairns to Cape Tribulation is just 140 kilometres, but it packs an extraordinary amount of diversity into a short distance. You drive from a tropical city through sugarcane fields, past palm-fringed beaches, and into the ancient Daintree Rainforest, where the canopy closes overhead and the road crosses crocodile territory. At Cape Tribulation, two World Heritage sites meet: the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree, the only place on earth where rainforest meets reef.
Side Trips Worth Taking
- Mossman Gorge: Crystal-clear swimming holes in ancient rainforest, with Indigenous-guided walks available.
- Daintree River cruise: Spot saltwater crocodiles, kingfishers, and tree snakes from a flat-bottomed boat.
- Snorkelling from Cape Tribulation: The reef is closer to shore here than almost anywhere else along the Queensland coast.
3. Stuart Highway: Adelaide to Alice Springs, Australia
This is the Outback drive. The Stuart Highway runs 1,530 kilometres from Adelaide through the wine country of the Barossa Valley, past the opal mining town of Coober Pedy (where most residents live underground to escape the heat), and into the red centre at Alice Springs. The landscape shifts from green farmland to arid scrub to genuine desert, and the sense of space is overwhelming. You can drive for hours without seeing another vehicle.
- Stock up on fuel, water, and supplies before leaving any major town.
- Carry at least 10 litres of extra water per person.
- Avoid driving at dawn and dusk when kangaroos are most active near the road.
- Stay overnight in Coober Pedy and tour an underground home and opal mine.
4. Tasmania's East Coast, Australia
Tasmania is Australia's best-kept road trip secret. The east coast from Hobart to Launceston via the Tasman Highway passes through Freycinet National Park (home to the famous Wineglass Bay), the Bay of Fires with its orange-lichen boulders and white sand, and a string of historic villages. The distances are manageable, the traffic is light, and the food and wine scene has exploded in recent years.
- Distance: 400 km via the coast
- Duration: 4-5 days
- Highlights: Wineglass Bay, Bay of Fires, Maria Island (car-free, reach by ferry), Bicheno penguins at dusk
5. The Pacific Highway: Sydney to Byron Bay, Australia
The drive from Sydney north to Byron Bay covers roughly 800 kilometres along the New South Wales coast. Rather than hammering up the motorway, take the old Pacific Highway and coastal detours through Newcastle, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, and the hinterland towns of Bellingen and Dorrigo. The landscape transitions from Sydney's urban sprawl to subtropical lushness, and the pace of life slows noticeably as you head north.
6. Western Australia's Coral Coast: Perth to Exmouth
This 1,250-kilometre drive up Western Australia's coast is one of the country's great underrated trips. From Perth, the Indian Ocean Drive leads north through the Pinnacles Desert (thousands of limestone pillars rising from yellow sand), the lobster-fishing town of Geraldton, Kalbarri's red gorges, Shark Bay's Monkey Mia dolphins, and finally Ningaloo Reef at Exmouth, where you can swim with whale sharks from shore.
Pro tip: Ningaloo is a far less crowded and more accessible alternative to the Great Barrier Reef. You can snorkel directly from the beach onto pristine coral, no boat required.
7. Milford Sound Road, New Zealand
The 120-kilometre Milford Road from Te Anau to Milford Sound in Fiordland is frequently called the finest short drive in the world. It passes through ancient beech forest, alongside mirror-still lakes, through the Homer Tunnel carved from raw granite, and emerges into the sheer-walled Milford Sound, where waterfalls plunge hundreds of metres into dark green water. The drive takes about two hours without stops, but plan for a full day.
8. The South Island's West Coast: Queenstown to Hokitika, New Zealand
From Queenstown, drive over the Haast Pass and down the wild West Coast through rainforest, past glaciers (Franz Josef and Fox), and along beaches scattered with driftwood. This coast feels genuinely remote and untamed. The road is good but narrow in places, and the weather can change from sunshine to driving rain in minutes. Hokitika, known for its pounamu (greenstone) carving, makes a natural endpoint.
- Distance: 350 km
- Duration: 2-3 days
- Must-stops: Thunder Creek Falls, Fox Glacier, Hokitika Gorge (turquoise water), Okarito Lagoon
9. The Forgotten World Highway, New Zealand
State Highway 43 between Stratford and Taumarunui on the North Island is known as the Forgotten World Highway, and the name is apt. Over 150 kilometres of winding road, you pass through abandoned settlements, hand-dug tunnels, and valleys where time appears to have stopped. There are no fuel stations for the entire route, adding a genuine sense of remoteness unusual for New Zealand.
10. The Pacific Coast Highway: Auckland to Napier, New Zealand
This North Island route takes you from Auckland through the Coromandel Peninsula's golden beaches, past the geothermal wonders of Rotorua, and down to Napier, an Art Deco gem on Hawke's Bay. The Coromandel is worth two or three days alone: Cathedral Cove, Hot Water Beach (dig your own thermal pool in the sand), and quiet bays accessible only by gravel roads.
11. The Alpine Loop: Queenstown to Christchurch via Mount Cook
This South Island circuit connects Queenstown to Christchurch via the shores of Lakes Wakatipu, Pukaki, and Tekapo, with Aoraki/Mount Cook as the centrepiece. The turquoise glacial lakes beneath New Zealand's highest peak create one of the most photographed landscapes in the Southern Hemisphere. At night, Lake Tekapo is a designated Dark Sky Reserve, and the stargazing is extraordinary.
12. The Gibb River Road, Western Australia
This is the adventure entry on the list. The Gibb River Road runs 660 kilometres through the Kimberley region of far north Western Australia, connecting Derby to Kununurra via a mostly unsealed road through gorges, waterfalls, and vast cattle stations. A high-clearance four-wheel drive is essential, as are detailed preparation and self-sufficiency. The reward is one of the most remote and beautiful drives on earth, through a landscape that has changed little in millennia.
- Season: May to October only (wet season closes the road)
- Vehicle: 4WD with high clearance, two spare tyres, recovery gear
- Fuel range: Carry enough fuel for 500+ km stretches
- Highlights: El Questro Wilderness Park, Manning Gorge, Bell Gorge, Tunnel Creek
Frequently Asked Questions
Which side of the road do they drive on in Australia and New Zealand?
Both countries drive on the left side of the road, the same as the United Kingdom and Japan. If you are accustomed to driving on the right, take extra care at intersections and roundabouts for the first day or two. Roundabouts are common in both countries and flow clockwise. Most visitors adapt quickly, but it helps to choose a quiet area for your first few hours behind the wheel.
Do I need a special licence to drive in Australia or New Zealand?
Visitors can drive on a valid overseas licence for up to 12 months in Australia and New Zealand. If your licence is not in English, you must carry an International Driving Permit alongside your original licence. Rental car companies accept most international licences without issues. For the Gibb River Road and other remote Outback tracks, check your rental agreement carefully as many standard policies exclude unsealed roads.
How do road conditions compare between Australia and New Zealand?
Both countries have excellent sealed highways. The key difference is scale: Australian distances between towns can be enormous, and fuel stops may be 200-300 kilometres apart in the Outback. New Zealand's roads are shorter but often winding, especially on the South Island's West Coast. Mobile phone coverage is patchy in rural areas of both countries, so download offline maps before you set out. New Zealand's roads are generally narrower than Australian highways, with many single-lane bridges in rural areas.
