4 Epic Australian Road Trips that will Give You a Serious Case of Wanderlust

From a foodie’s road trip across markets, festivals and farms to a self-driving route that will take you swimming with manta rays, there’s no better way to kick-start 2018 than with the road trip of a lifetime in Australia

Get ready to hit the open road with the windows down, music turned up and a cooler filled with refreshments. Here are four road trips across Australia, from Tasmania to the Northern Territory that will give you a serious case of wanderlust. 

1. The Food-First Driver

Image credit: Michael R Evans

If food is what drives you, take your taste buds for a spin in Tasmania. 

Pick up farm-fresh produce from Salamanca Market and gourmet food and wine at Taste the Harvest, an annual festival held in Devonport in March that celebrates the local produce of Tasmania’s northwest. If seafood tickles your fancy, take a short trip to Freycinet Marine Farm for a feast of fresh oysters, mussels and abalone. Later, satisfy your sweet tooth by popping over to Bruny Island for a day of artisanal cheese, truffles and chocolates. 

2. The Trigger-happy Driver

Take your travel photos to the next level on the Great Southern Touring Route, an epic four-day trip that features enormous sea cliffs, incredible beaches and the iconic Twelve Apostles in Victoria. 

Get snap-happy with more than 100 painted sculptures in Geelong before taking a refreshing dip at Bells Beach in the surfing town of Torquay. Then, wind along the Great Ocean Road to witness the rugged splendour of the Twelve Apostles rising from the Southern Ocean. 

For a walk on the wild side, take a cruise out from Port Fairy to Lady Julia Percy Island to see penguins, dolphins and Australia’s largest colony of fur seals year-round. If you are planning a road trip in the middle of the year, stop by the historic whale-watching town of Warrnambool and be treated to sights of southern right and blue whales between June and September.   

3. The Thrill-Seeking Driver

Image credit: Ashley Whitworth

Make lifelong memories on the Nature’s Way drive, which will take you across the vast wilderness and thrilling wildlife of the Northern Territory via Darwin — an easy five-hour flight from Singapore. . 

Go “swimming” with a saltwater crocodile at Crocosaurus Cove in Darwin. Hunt for waterfalls, in full flow between November and April, and experience a live crocodile-feeding demonstration at Kakadu National Park. Then, take your trip to the next level by soaring over sheer rock walls and magnificent gorges in a helicopter at Nitmiluk National Park. You can also explore these rock formations via a river cruise or by foot.

4. The 'Dora the Explorer' Driver

Alien landscapes, colourful underwater worlds and ancient cliffs culminate in a road trip like no other across the Coral Coast in Western Australia. 

Come face-to-face with thousands of limestone pillars, formed some 30,000 years ago, at the Pinnacles in Nambung National Park, a three-hour drive from Perth. And yes, it really does feel like you’re on the moon! 

Snorkel with an array of fish, including manta rays and whale sharks between mid-March and mid-July at the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef further up north. Then, round up your trip at Kalbarri National Park, which features deep, winding gorges and 400-million-year-old cliffs that adventure seekers can hike or abseil down.