When people write out their Travel Bucket List, there is no doubt that exploring Australia is going to be on that list. But just saying that you are going to the land down under isn’t enough. This is because even though it may look small on most modern maps, Australia is actually about the same size as continental USA. So how does a person explore the 2.97 million square miles of this magnificent country and see the great sights? The answer is to take one of the best road trips in Australia!

Whether you want to explore the entire vast country or just hit up a specific area, road tripping through Australia will allow you the freedom to tackle your bucket list items the way you want.

But, do you know what road trips in Australia you want to take?

Well, to help out, we found 7 of the best road trips in Australia to satisfy any personality!

Driving The Great Ocean Road 

Whether you are driving a rental car or you buy a second hand motor home you find on Gumtree, there is no doubt that driving the Great Ocean Road in southern Australia should be on your bucket list. The Great Ocean Road is one of the quintessential road trips in Australia. Whether you want to explore the surfing mecca of Torquay or you want to see the limestone towers known as the 12 Apostles in Port Campbell National Park, the Great Ocean Road is a bucket list destination.

Whether it's seeing the vast outback or hitting up a specific area, a road trip will help you tackle your Australia bucket list. See how with 7 of the best road trips in Australia! #AustraliaRoadTrips #VisitOz #VisitAustralia
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Cruising the Sunshine Coast 

If you are looking for more quiet road trips in Australia, then cruising the Sunshine Coast should be on your bucket list. This is because the Sunshine Coast doesn’t have many popular tourist hot spots. With that said, this road trip will offer you a perfect blend of beaches and mountains. You can surf Kings Beach in Caloundra, hike to the Fairy Ponds and Devil’s Kitchen in Noosa National Park, or explore the Glass House Mountains.

See the Surf Towns of the Gold Coast 

If you have surfing in Australia on your bucket list, then you are going to want to grab your surf board, pack up your trailer, and take the cars on a road trip from Brisbane to Sidney along the Gold Coast! The towns of Burleigh Heads and Coolangatta are both considered a surfer’s paradise and are absolutely breath taking. This is also a great place to take a whale watching tour as you look for the humpback whales’ migrating towards Antarctica.

Go Off Roading on Fraser Island 

If you love outdoor adventure activities, then taking a road trip on Fraser Island should definitely be added to your bucket list. Listed on the World Heritage List in 1992, Fraser Island is the largest sand island on the planet. This will allow you to to experience some of the best 4-wheeling on huge dunes on 75 Mile Beach Highway. While cruising the beach highway make sure you stop to see the Maheno Shipwreck. This shipwreck in it’s heyday was a luxury liner and a World War I hospital ship before it washed ashore in 1935.

Warning: Fraser Island is home to a plethora of Wild Dingos. Please heed the signs warning of the danger all over the island. They seem like harmless animals but they have been known to attack.

Go to the Outback on Stuart Highway 

What would a bucket list of the best road trips in Australia without seeing Uluru in the Outback? Also known as Ayers Rock, this large sandstone rock formation is one of the most impressive landmarks in Australia. A road trip along the Stuart Highway will get you there. Known as “the Explorer’s Way”, Stuart Highway will take you from Adelaide to Darwin through the heart of the Australian outback. Besides the amazing desert scenery, you can explore the remote Aboriginal communities in and around Alice Springs.

Drive Cross Country along the Savannah Way 

Perhaps considered the King of all Australian Road Trips, the Savannah Way is a 3700-kilometer (2200 mile) route connecting Cairns in Queensland to Broome in Western Australia. This road trip won’t disappoint as you will be able to see longest lava tube in Undara, dig for Topaz at Mount Surprise, and admire an ancient gorge at Cobbold Gorge. You will also witness tons of wildlife throughout the tropical savannahs like kangaroos, emus, and even crocs! 

To help you out with this long road trip, there is even a non-profit company that does it’s best to promote local small communities and events on the Savannah Way called the Savannah Way Limited. This way you can find tons of things to do along the way and really dive into the historic pioneer culture of Australia. 

Explore the West Coast 

There are so many bucket list activities to do in Eastern Australia, but that doesn’t mean you should not explore the west coast! If exploring the bush is on your bucket list then you are going to want to take a Road Trip between Perth and Broome.  Also if you have animal encounters on your Adventure Activities & Experiences Bucket List then you will definitely want to take a West Coast Australia road trip. Along this coastline drive, you will find camel riding trips on the beaches, opportunities to swim with whale sharks on Ningaloo Reef, or for me, #170 the chance to take a Quokka selfie on Rottnest Island!

Load Up the Car & Get Going!

So as you can see, road trips in Australia are the best way to see a lot of this beautiful continent. Of course, when you get there, make sure you check out Discover Cars to find the best priced Car Rentals in Australia! That way you can use all that money you saved for Vegemite sandwiches and Moon Dog Beer!

Don’t forget to Pin this to your Favorite Bucket List Board!

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The post Best Road Trips in Australia appeared first on The Bucket List Project.

When it comes to travel it can often feel like there’s so much to do in such little time – and the trend of “slow travel” in someway seems a little backward, as today, we are focused on experiencing more, more, more and packing as much into our time as possible – particularly our holidays.

See, we often treat travel like a Chinese takeaway rather than a slow and luxurious Sunday Brunch; meaning we are dashing about here there and everywhere in order to satiate our quest to explore as many parts of the world as possible – in fact, we can be running around so fast that we barely get chance to enjoy our travels and truly absorb the experiences we are having.  This is where “slow travel” comes in.

Slow travel, basically means one will spend a reasonably long period of time in one place; such as a month, often working and fully integrating with the culture of the destination.  Some could argue that slow travel allows for the the best holiday possible as you get to truly know your destination, whilst for others, they might argue it’s limiting and perhaps even lazy, or boring, on the basis you aren’t experiencing the whole world – just one little pocket of it.

The thought behind “slow travel” is that by spending more time in one location, be that a few weeks or a few months, you can experience the place in more depth and perhaps more authentically, than the veneered view of a tourist.

The term “like a local” is often used to describe the enhanced experience a traveller has when getting beneath the surface of a city, however it takes time to get to this level, and isn’t something a guidebook can point out.

Slow travel, be it a few weeks or a few months, helps you experience anywhere in more depth & more authentically! Read some destination inspiration as to where to head to in order to engage in slow travel. #slowtravel #travelslow
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Whereas, if you were to spend, let’s say a month, integrating with the local culture you will experience a whole new side of the city that is much richer than the limits of the typical tourist trail.

Slow travel may or may not be up your street, but if you’re curious as to where to head to in order to engage in slow travel and integrate with the local culture, here’s some destination inspiration:

1. THAILAND:  CHIANG MAI

Many people would describe Chiang Mai as a land of temples, rice paddies, monks and natural jungle.  This is true for the areas around Chiang Mai, but the city itself can be a pretty bustling place that is like a much more relaxed version of Bangkok.

Finding somewhere cheap to live in Chiang Mai is pretty simple.  There are several modern apartments available on www.airbnb.com at a cost of just $10 per night (presuming you are renting for over a month).

Chiang Mai is a great place to have as a base whilst exploring the rest of Thailand as there are direct flights to beautiful islands such as Krabi, Phuket and Koh Samui meaning you can go on mini breaks to more exotic locations, whilst benefiting from being in the cheaper and some could argue friendlier North of the country.

2. TURKEY: ISTANBUL

Whilst there are the occasional political demonstrations in Istanbul, on the whole Istanbul is a very safe, peaceful and calm city that is tourist friendly and extremely polite.

Istanbul is a lot like London, New York and Paris – but a lot warmer, both in terms of the weather and the people.  It’s also a lot cheaper. Istanbul is unlike any other city in the world due to the fact it is separated by the Bosphorus Strait meaning the city is split into two sides, each on a different continent (Europe and Asia).

The European side offers well known brands occupying prime real estate on busy high streets with independent hipster bars and coffee shops found closer to the river, akin to the vibe one might find in San Francisco, whilst the Asian side has a much more rustic and raw vibe, where in parts, you could feel like you were in modern day Morocco.

3. MOROCCO: MARRAKECH

Talking of Morocco, Marrakech is an incredibly colourful and vibrant city that has a lot to offer tourists – yet most will visit only for a few days.

Whilst you may not choose to live in Marrakech for a whole month, it can be a fantastic place to base yourself for a few weeks whilst exploring the hidden gems of Morocco such as the Sahara Desert and Atlas Mountains.  Indeed, a more relaxed and much nicer alternative to Marrakech is Essaouira which has a far more chilled out coastal vibe akin to Portugal.

4. INDONESIA: BALI

Made famous by the film Eat Pray Love, Bali is a spiritual hotbed of hippie travelers all trying to make ends meet on the beautiful island of Bali.  That said, it isn’t all hippie creativity, there’s also a lot of pollution, congestion and club life; as Bali serves the same purpose for the young Australian crowd that the likes of Ibiza does in Europe.

Admittedly, Bali isn’t the cheapest destination in SE Asia, though it is one of the nicest – particularly if you head toward the Northern part of the island, away from the trashiness of Kuta.  Moreover, Bali is a good starting point to explore other parts of Indonesia, and these parts can be incredibly cheap yet equally as beautiful as Bali.

In fact, the lesser known parts of this country made up of hundreds if not thousands of tiny islands are in some ways even more magical than Bali because they retain their true essence without being corrupted by tourism.

5. SINGAPORE

Singapore is a melting pot of cultures with an incredible foodie scene.  Whilst Singapore isn’t particularly cheap as a place to travel long-term, you can earn a decent wage here, meaning if you were travelling long term and looking for a way to top up your travel fund this could be a good option.

Hotels can be pricey, but there are some great deals to be had on long term apartments; particularly through AirBnB.  That said, due to how polite people are in this region, it would be just as easy to live with someone on a roommate basis rather than renting an entire apartment.

Singapore makes a great place to have as a base for exploring other parts of Southeast Asia as there are very cheap flights to the majority of popular tourist destinations with flights just a few hours long.

You can ensure that you get the best out of your Slow Travel experience with a bit of simple planning. Check out some destination inspiration for a great slow travel adventure! #slowtravel #travelslow #SeeTheWorld
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Though some people might worry that slow travel could be boring, you can do a lot to ensure that you get the best out of your travel experience with a bit of simple planning. Where else would you consider as a great place for those looking to experience slow travel? Let us know in the comments below!

 Don’t forget to Pin this to your Bucket List Board!

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