The Top 10 Aussie Road Trips for Solo Travellers

 

Road trips and solo travel don’t always go hand-in-hand. But with solo travel on the rise and Australia being such a big place, it’s hard to see it all if you don’t head out by yourself once in a while.

With so many different routes, attractions, and pit stops to see around Australia, knowing the best and safest way to piece together a solo itinerary could make or break your trip. We loved the criteria that online comparison service, iSelect, used to analyse over 20 popular routes around the country to give each road trip a final score based on their suitability for solo travellers.

The criteria included:

• mobile phone coverage
• hospitals per 100km
• solo attractions
• solo accommodation
• average social sentiment online
• rest stops per 100km
• average temperature
• average rainfall
• and social media posts per 100km

Fitzgerald River National Park, WA | Photo by Amy Naylor

Top 10 Aussie Road Trips for Solo Travellers

The highest scoring routes were those closest to major cities and regional hubs, and often along the coastline, while others that were more rural, with fewer facilities, longer distances between attractions, and less mobile reception, didn’t score as high.

Luckily, we’ve got articles on almost all of them so you can get planning straight away!

1. Legendary Pacific Coast, QLD & NSW

Start point: Brisbane
End point: Sydney
Distance: 1,000km 
Duration: 9 days

This is the quintessential East Coast road trip between Brisbane and Sydney that follows the Pacific Highway past some of the country’s greatest golden beaches, most epic surf, and iconic coastal towns. 

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2. Great Ocean Road, VIC

Start point: Torquay
End point: Allensforsd
Distance: 246km
Duration: 2-3 days

The Great Ocean Road is the most well-known drive in Australia and follows Victoria’s dramatic southern coastline past world-famous surf breaks to the iconic Twelve Apostles and beyond.

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@elishadonkin

3. Cape to Cape, WA

Start point: Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse 
End point: Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse
Distance: 120km
Duration: 2-3 days

This shorter coastal drive through WA’s Margaret River region is the perfect weekender from Perth, filled with natural beauty, beaches, and wine.

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4. Coral Coast Highway, WA

Start point: Perth
End point: Exmouth
Distance: 1,250km
Duration: 7 days

This week-long epic follows the Coral Coast Highway from Perth to Exmouth, taking in the unique combo of desert and coastal landscapes in between.

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Photo by Jordan Clayden-Lewis

5. Coastal Road: Sydney to Melbourne, NSW & VIC

Start point: Sydney
End point: Melbourne
Distance: 1,035km
Duration: 5 days

If you’ve got the time to spend a little longer on your drive between Sydney and Melbourne, don’t miss the coast road that winds through NSW’s South Coast, passing the famous Jervis Bay, over the VIC border through the remote coastal villages and beaches of Gippsland. 

6. South West Edge, WA

Start point: Perth
End point: Esperance
Distance: 1,900km
Duration: 2 weeks

WA’s South West corner is some of the most lush country in Australia, and this road trip from Perth to Esperance takes in forests, mountain ranges, and empty, white-sand beaches.

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Photo by Michael Heritage

7. Grand Pacific Drive, NSW

Start point: Sydney
End point: Jervis Bay
Distance: 190km
Duration: 2-3 days

Leaving from Sydney, take the scenic route to the South Coast, through the Royal National Park, over the Sea Cliff Bridge, onto the Kiama blow hole. 

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8. Epicurean Way, SA

Start point: Wilunga
End point: Clare
Distance: 223km
Duration: 4-5 days

If you’ve ever wanted to wine-hop through South Australia’s world-famous wine regions, the Epicurean Way is the ticket. It winds from McLaren Vale, into the Adelaide Hills, onto the Barossa, and wraps up in the Clare Valley.

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9. Adelaide to Eyre Peninsula, SA

Start point: Adelaide
End point: Adelaide
Distance: 1,700km
Duration: 7 days

Drive from Adelaide, lap the empty and dramatic beaches of the Eyre Peninsula, hit the edge of the Nullarbor, and head back to the city again, all in one epic road trip.

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@framechasers

10. Hermitage Highway, NSW

Start point: Pokolbin
End point: Belford
Distance: 15km
Duration: 2 days

This road trip is the perfect weekender from Sydney, hitting the all of the finest restaurants and best wineries in the famous Hunter region.

Did you favourite road trip make the list? 

Feature photo by Janet Stayte