Top 10 Summer Road Trips Across Australia

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Countries on which these adventures take place who have occupied and cared for these lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

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Whether you’re keen to hug the celestial blue coastline, cruise beneath the rainforest canopy, or witness the all-consuming glow of the Outback, belt-up as we share everything you need to know about ten of Australia’s best summer road trips. 

When filling your soul with adventure, make sure to also fill your stomach with Zambrero’s fresh, Feel Good Mex. With over 200 locations all around Australia, it’s the perfect first stop to kick off an epic road trip with your mates this summer. Plus your heart can feel full too knowing their Plate 4 Plate initiative will help feed someone in need!

Read more: Remember to leave no trace!

1. Grand Pacific Drive, NSW

Distance: 160km
Start point: Royal National Park
End point: Jervis Bay
Highlights: Royal National Park, Sea Cliff Bridge, Killalea, Kiama Blowholes, Jervis Bay

Sea Cliff Bridge, Illawarra

Beginning in Royal National Park just south of Sydney, the 140km of scenic coastal road that makes up the Grand Pacific Drive is packed with jaw dropping ocean views, beautiful beaches, and idyllic coastal towns. If you live in Sydney and you haven’t taken on this epic drive, consider this your sign to clear a weekend and get out there! 

Start your escape from the hustle and bustle of Sydney at the rugged cliffs of the Royal National Park, before winding your way down along the iconic Sea Cliff Bridge and emerging in Wollongong. 

Head south to Killalea where you’ll find the beautiful rolling hills of the National Surfing Reserve (known as The Farm) and the blowholes of Kiama. 

The drive ends in picturesque Jervis Bay in the Shoalhaven region which, between the white sands of Hyams beach and the lush green of the hinterland, provides an idyllic backdrop to round out an unreal road trip down the coast. 

2. Coral Coast Highway, WA

Distance: 1250km
Start point: Perth
End point: Exmouth
Highlights: The Pinnacles, Hutt Lagoon Pink Lake, Cape Range National Park, Ningaloo Reef

From the moment you turn your key in the ignition and start the journey along the Coral Coast Highway in Western Australia, you’re treated to an incredible range of scenery.

On land, admire the otherworldly landscape of The Pinnacles just north of Perth, the bubblegum pink of Hutt Lagoon by the quaint town of Port Gregory, and the striking reds of Charles Knife Canyon near Exmouth. 

Underwater, a whole other world awaits along the largest fringing reef in the world, the Ningaloo Reef, which is a prime spot for fishing, snorkelling, diving, and boating. You may even be lucky enough to swim with Whale sharks, which congregate along the Ningaloo coast every year from March.

3. Great Ocean Road, VIC

Distance: 243km
Start point: Torquay
End point: Port Fairy
Highlights: Lorne, Great Otway National Park, The Bakers Oven, Loch Ard Gorge, Gibsons Steps, 12 Apostles

Victoria’s famous Great Ocean Road is a journey that deserves a spot on every self-respecting Explorer’s road trip bucket list. While the iconic 12 Apostles are a must-see on this winding coastal drive, there’s so much more left to uncover. 

Kicking off in the surfing town of Torquay, around an hour from Melbourne, you’ll be cruising past rugged cliffs, dropping into seaside towns, and chasing waterfalls in lush rainforest.

Looking out over the ocean, be sure to take in a sunset over the ancient rock formation of The Bakers Oven, have a dip at Loch Ard Gorge, and when you make it to the 12 Apostles Marine National Park, descend Gibsons Steps to get a seaside perspective of the grand limestone sea stacks. 

The flanking temperate rainforest is also not to be missed, with the Great Otway National Park home to several stunning waterfalls and even a grove of Redwoods which will transport you to the forests of America.

4. Adelaide to Uluru, SA / NT

Distance: 2045km
Start point: Adelaide
End point: Uluru
Highlights: Mount Remarkable National Park, Coober Pedy, the Painted Desert, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

When it comes to quintessential Outback Aussie road trips, you can’t look much further than heading smack bang up the centre on an adventure from South Australia’s capital of Adelaide to the beating heart of the country, Uluru. 

Leaving behind the lush green lawns of suburbia, you’ll be experiencing the best of the Outback from the get go as you arrive in the ochre gorges of Mount Remarkable National Park at the southern end of the Flinders Ranges. 

Continue your journey northbound through Woomera, an old rocket testing station (which you can learn about today at their Missile Park). The next stop will have you second-guessing whether you hopped into one of Woomera’s rockets as you arrive in the otherworldly Coober Pedy. Explore the rabbit warren of underground homes here and tour one of the region’s renowned opal fields.  

The final stop on this Outback adventure is the jaw-dropping sights of Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Take time to learn first-hand from Traditional Owners about their ancient living culture and watch the colours of the Outback change hues at sunset.

5. Pacific Coast Way, QLD

Distance: 1700km
Start point: Brisbane
End point: Cairns
Highlights: Noosa Heads, Agnes Water, Yeppoon, Airlie Beach, Bowen, Mission Beach, Babinda Boulders

Mission Beach, QLD

If you’ve got a sense of adventure, a penchant for tropical weather, and a few weeks up your sleeve, then the Pacific Coast Way which spans 1700km from Brisbane to Cairns, may just be the road trip for you. Think crystal clear water, islands, and coral reef on one side and tropical rainforest, whimsical hinterland, and coastal towns on the other. 

This epic drive takes you through the surf towns of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland’s home to Bundaberg ginger beer, up through the coastal towns of Yeppoon, Mackay, Airlie Beach, and Bowen fringed by the Great Barrier Reef. Head beyond Townsville to the tropical oasis of Mission Beach and the vibrant hub of Tropical North Queensland, Cairns. Whether you wander off trail or stick to the coast, with so many options to choose from you can really make this journey your own. 

6. The Murray River Drive, NSW / VIC

Distance: 830km
Start point: Albury
End point: Mildura
Highlights: Mountain biking in Albury, Paddle steamers in Moama, Mungo National Park

Follow Australia’s longest river and the lifeline to the region, the mighty Murray River on this relaxing rural road trip. From mountain biking, hiking, and kayaking, to tranquil fishing and peaceful camping by the shady banks of the river, the Murray River Drive has a little something for everyone. 

Start this journey in the town of Albury and fuel up with a burrito at Zambrero, before kicking off an action-packed day of cycling one of the numerous mountainside trails or kayaking along the river. 

The journey continues as you meander your way to Echuca-Moama. Drift down the eucalyptus-fringed river on a historic paddle steamer in this quaint riverside town. 

Admire the moonlike landscape of red dunes and dried salt lakes of Mungo National Park before wrapping up the drive in Mildura, where you can toast to a trip well done at one of the region’s numerous wineries. 

7. Lap of the Map, TAS

Distance: 1158km
Start point: Hobart
End point: Hobart
Highlights: Freycinet National Park, Bay of Fires, Cradle Mountain National Park, Corrina, Mount Field National Park

Stanley, TAS

If you’re going to make the pilgrimage down to the land of Tassie, you might as well do it right and make it a road trip of the whole damn state! 

A lap of the map, starting in Hobart, will take you east to the beautiful beaches and mountains of Freycinet National Park, north to the brilliant red rocks of the aptly named Bay of Fires, across through the breathtaking scenery of Cradle Mountain and finally over to the West Coast, where you’ll discover the true meaning of the wild.

Although it may be small, Tasmania really does pack in an astounding array of incredible scenery, and by the time you arrive back in Hobart after a whirlwind tour (there’s no such thing as enough time to road trip Tasmania), you’ll be ready to treat yourself to a burrito from Zambrero and reminisce on what is sure to be, a road trip for the ages.  

8. Adventure Way, QLD / SA

Distance: 1611km
Start point: Brisbane
End point: Innamincka
Highlights: Toowoomba, Balonne river, ‘Cunnamulla Fella’ Statue, Aboriginal rock carvings at Cullyamurra Waterhole

The Adventure Way is a 1611km journey that leads you through the best of the Queensland Outback, where the phrases ‘country charm’ and ‘warm hospitality’ will soon be rolling off your tongue. 

Heading over the Great Dividing Range, say goodbye to the coast and hello to Toowoomba, renowned for its magnificent parks and gardens (all 150 of them), this is the perfect place to adjust to the slower pace of the country.

Continue the adventure through the regional centre of Dalby onto the Balonne River in St George where fishing and riverside strolls await. The soil starts to get redder as you enter Cunnamulla where sandboarding, bird watching, and bushwalking are on the cards. 

As you reach Innamincka, the final stop on this epic Outback journey, stop in to check out the fascinating Aboriginal rock carvings at Cullyamurra Waterhole. 

9. Perth to Esperance & Back, WA

Distance: 2175km
Start point: Perth
End point: Perth
Highlights: Kangaroos at Lucky Bay, rays at Hamelin Bay, the longest jetty in the southern hemisphere in Busselton

Heading south on National Route 1, let your mind wander to pristine white beaches and strikingly blue water because that’s what awaits you on this epic road trip of Australia’s South West Corner. 

As you beeline through the red outback plains to Esperance, put on the brakes at Hyden’s Wave Rock, a stunning natural rock that looks like, you guessed it, a giant wave! From the moment you arrive in Esperance, the next leg of the journey is worthy of a postcard (remember those things?) with kangaroos hopping along the beach at Lucky Bay, striking mountains in the Stirling Ranges, and giant boulders at Little Beach in Albany.

Making your way back north is another adventure entirely – through the forests of Denmark, past the rays of Hamelin Bay, and along to the surfing and wine region that is Margaret River. As you make your way back to Perth, be sure to stop in at Busselton to see the southern hemisphere’s longest jetty. 

10. The Alpine Way, ACT / NSW

Distance: 480km
Start point: Canberra
End point: Kosciuszko National Park
Highlights: Lake Jindabyne trout fishing, Mount Kosciuszko Summit Hike, Yarrangobilly Caves and thermal pools

Yarrangobilly thermal pool, NSW

Heading into the alpine region in summer may not be the first thing on your mind, but the winter wonderland that is the Snowy Mountains comes to life in the warmer months with scenic mountain biking, fishing, hiking, and kayaking. 

The Alpine Way adventure begins in Canberra, where buildings give way to mountains as you leave the city and pass through the historic town of Cooma. The roads start to incline as you head into the Snowy Mountains where river camping and trout fishing await at Lake Jindabyne and surrounds. 

It’s then time to pull out the bikes or lace up the hiking boots to tackle some of the alpine region. Whether you’re heading up Mount Twynam, mountain biking through nearby Lake Crackenback’s trails or taking on the biggest of them all – Mount Kosciuszko – there’s no shortage of blood pumping activities. 

After what is sure to be a huge few days, rejuvenate your weary legs at the gum tree-fringed thermal pools of Yarrangobilly Caves. 

Fuel Your Summer Adventures

Australia’s road trips have something for everyone – from the adventure lovers to the hammock layers, the seaside chasers to the Outback gazers. And after a wet and wild winter what better way to bring in summer than by ticking a few of Australia’s top road trips off the list with your mates? 

Whether you’re escaping to the Outback or chasing the coast, remember to fuel your body with fresh, Feel Good Mex when you’re hitting the bitumen. There’s a Zambrero restaurant in every major city and plenty of regional towns across the country, making them the perfect road trip lunch or dinner stop this summer.

Check out Zambrero’s restaurant locator map to find the closest burritos to you!

Zambrero is about more than just delicious, Mexican inspired food made with fresh ingredients. Ordering from Zambrero is a way to feel good inside, by helping others. Through Zambrero’s Plate 4 Plate initiative, for every burrito or bowl you buy, one meal is donated to someone in need. That’s why they call it Feel Good Mex.