Australia & Pacific
51 curated road trips
LegendaryGreat Ocean RoadBuilt by WWI veterans as a living memorial, this road winds along the wild Southern Ocean past rainforests, surf beaches, and the Twelve Apostles.
LegendaryMilford Sound DriveFiordland is New Zealand's wildest corner, a frayed landscape of mountains sliced with fjords. The only road into Milford Sound from Te Anau follows Lake Te Anau's inland fjord shores, traverses the Eglinton Valley, passes the Mirror Lakes, climbs to the Divide through the 1.2 km Homer Tunnel, then descends steeply into mountain-rimmed Milford Sound.
IconicSouthern Alps HighwayNew Zealand's South Island SH6 and SH73 cross the Southern Alps through Franz Josef Glacier, the turquoise Hokitika Gorge, Arthur's Pass, and Lake Tekapo, a drive of glaciers, braided rivers, and an outrageously starry Mackenzie sky.
IconicGreat Alpine RoadVictoria's B500 climbs over the Australian Alps from Wangaratta to Bairnsdale, the highest sealed road in Australia, through snow gum forests, Mount Hotham ski resorts, and the gold-rush valley of Harrietville.
LegendaryUluru & The Red CentreTackle this outback circuit from Uluru, the most soulful place in Australia, through Kata Tjuta's domed rocks, Kings Canyon's yawning chasm, the icy waterholes of the West MacDonnell Ranges, Standley Chasm, and Ormiston Gorge: red earth, red rocks, and ghostly ghost gums.
LegendaryGibb River RoadThe Kimberley's legendary outback dirt road connects Derby to Kununurra through ancient boab tree forests, Aboriginal rock art sites, spectacular gorges, and remote cattle stations, Australia at its most raw and untouched.
IconicPacific Coast Highway, New ZealandNew Zealand's Pacific coast from Whakatane to Napier, through Māori culture, East Cape's remote headlands, Gisborne's chardonnay vineyards, Hawke's Bay's Art Deco cities, and the easternmost point of the North Island. Off the beaten track until the final destination: Napier's extraordinary Art Deco streetscape.
IconicGreat Barrier Reef DriveThis classic tropical coast drive follows the Captain Cook Highway from Cairns to Port Douglas, skimming rainforest-clad headlands, palm beaches, and the Coral Sea. It is one of Australia’s most accessible scenic routes, with easy stops for lookouts, swimming beaches, and reef-day-trip departures.
IconicAlice Springs to DarwinThe Stuart Highway runs dead-straight through the Red Centre, Uluru and Kata Tjuta at the start, Kings Canyon, Devil's Marbles, Tennant Creek, Katherine Gorge, and finally Darwin where the Outback meets the Timor Sea.
NotableAlong the Murray RiverThe Murray, Australia's longest river at 2,500 km, rising in the snow-capped Australian Alps and flowing between Victoria and New South Wales. The road from Albury-Wodonga through the renowned Rutherglen wine region, the horse-drawn-cart port of Echuca, and on to Mildura's citrus and wine country.
IconicArthur's PassThis classic South Island drive runs from Christchurch across the Canterbury Plains to the alpine village of Arthur’s Pass and on to the West Coast. It pairs braided rivers, beech forest, steep mountain walls, and dramatic viaduct engineering with easy roadside access to short walks and viewpoints.
IconicCanning Stock RouteThe big one, the most challenging 4WD track in Australia, from Wiluna north to Halls Creek through the Great Sandy, Little Sandy, and Gibson Deserts. 51 wells once watered the cattle drives; today a truck visits Well 23 once a year and leaves a 50-gallon drum of fuel if you've pre-arranged it. Serious expedition territory.
IconicCaptain Cook HighwayQueensland's most scenic coastal road runs from Cairns north to Mossman between the Wet Tropics rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef, the only place on Earth where two UNESCO World Heritage sites touch simultaneously.
NotableCaves RoadA short but extraordinary drive through the limestone karst of Western Australia's Margaret River region, above ground, the world's largest karri forests and a hundred world-class wineries; below, four show caves of stalactites and crystal formations accessible on guided tours along a single winding road.
NotableCockle Creek, TasmaniaFrom Hobart to the southernmost road in Australia, via Sandy Bay, the Shot Tower at Taroona, Kettering, Woodbridge, Cygnet, the Huon Valley, Hastings Caves, and Recherche Bay. The next stop south from Cockle Creek is Antarctica.
NotableCoral Coast Road, FijiAlong Viti Levu's southern flank on Queens Road, from Korotogo east to Pacific Harbour, tracing a coral reef that protects beautiful beaches facing an iridescent Coral Sea. Past Sigatoka's sand dunes, Sovi Bay's swimming beaches, and the traditional-style Vatukarasa village. Traffic drives on the left, in theory.
NotableEast CapeThis looping North Island drive traces the rugged East Cape from Gisborne to Ōpōtiki via Te Araroa and East Cape Lighthouse. It mixes sweepingly empty coastline, Māori heritage sites, surf beaches, and hill country roads, with long stretches where the Pacific feels close and the settlements feel far apart.
IconicEast Coast TasmaniaThe long way from Hobart to Launceston, up Tasmania's sun-drenched east coast past convict sandstone, Wineglass Bay's perfect crescent, penguin colonies, and the fire-orange boulders of the Bay of Fires.
IconicExplorer's Way: Adelaide to DarwinAustralia's great north-south crossing on the Stuart Highway, from Adelaide across the Flinders Ranges to the opal-mining moonscape of Coober Pedy, past the dingo fence into the Red Centre, around Uluru and Kata Tjuta to Alice Springs, north through the Devils Marbles to Katherine Gorge and Darwin. The full traversal of the continent from temperate south to tropical north.
IconicForgotten World HighwayNew Zealand’s Forgotten World Highway follows SH43 through remote hill country between Stratford and Taumarunui. It climbs over the Whangamomona Saddle, threads past lonely farmland and river valleys, and pauses at quirky Whangamomona, a self-declared republic that captures the route’s isolated, frontier character.
NotableGippsland & Wilsons PromontoryFrom Melbourne's fringe to the southernmost tip of mainland Australia, Victoria's south-east corner delivers ancient rainforest, Tidal River wallabies, the mirror stillness of the Gippsland Lakes, and Squeaky Beach's white silica sand.
IconicGrand Pacific DriveAustralia’s Grand Pacific Drive traces a classic coastal day trip from Sydney’s southern beaches to the Illawarra and Shoalhaven. The route crosses the Sea Cliff Bridge, passes rainforest-fringed headlands and surf towns, and finishes among Kiama’s famous blowholes, lookouts and rolling green coastline.
IconicGrande Terre East Coast and HienghèneThis east-coast Grand Terre drive follows New Caledonia’s lush, less-traveled side from Nouméa toward Hienghène, with jungle-cloaked valleys, coastal lagoons, and traditional Kanak villages. The road winds through tropical foothills, river crossings, and dramatic limestone formations, making it one of the island’s most rewarding overland journeys.
NotableGreat Western TiersThis Tasmanian drive traces the Great Western Tiers from Deloraine through Meander and the limestone caves to the forested plateau of the Central Highlands, finishing near Lake St Clair. Expect rolling farmland, highland viewpoints, cool temperate rainforest, and crisp mountain air with frequent stops for short walks and lookouts.
IconicHobart to Cradle MountainFrom Hobart's Georgian sandstone waterfront through the Central Highlands to the jagged dolerite spires of Cradle Mountain, Tasmanian devil encounters, Lake St Clair, and the most untouched wilderness in Australia.
NotableMelbourne to SydneyNot the straight Hume Highway but the longer, scenic route, east through Gippsland's green hills, past remote Croajingolong National Park's wild beaches, across the New South Wales border to the Sapphire Coast's calm bays and surf towns, and north to Sydney. The coastal alternative that takes a few days and arrives relaxed.
IconicNelson & Marlborough ExplorerThe top of the South Island from Nelson's arts scene and Abel Tasman coast to Marlborough's Wairau River vineyards, World of Wearable Art, the Moutere Valley's pinot noir, the turquoise waters of Abel Tasman National Park, and Blenheim's sauvignon blanc (and Framingham's riesling, which you must also taste).
IconicNorthland Pacific Coast HighwayFrom Auckland up the Coromandel Peninsula to the Bay of Islands and Cape Reinga, where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean and a Maori legend says the spirits of the dead depart for Hawaiki.
IconicNullarbor Plain and Eyre HighwayCross Australia’s great southern expanse on the Eyre Highway, linking Ceduna to Norseman across the treeless Nullarbor Plain. Expect vast straightaways, salt-lake country, roadhouses, and dramatic coastal detours to the Bunda Cliffs and Head of Bight, where the continent seems to drop into the Southern Ocean.
IconicOld Telegraph TrackThe mettle-testing trip from Cairns to the northernmost point of Australia, the Old Telegraph Track is only passable in the dry season, requires a 4WD, and demands fording saltwater-crocodile-infested rivers. The Bloomfield Track through Daintree rainforest provides basic training before the empty country begins at Cooktown, where the crude one-koala hamlets end and the real wilderness starts.
IconicPapua New Guinea Highlands HighwayPapua New Guinea’s Highlands Highway threads through steep valleys and highland towns from Lae to Mount Hagen and on toward the lower highlands, linking coffee country, market centers, and dramatic mountain scenery. Expect a rugged, slow journey with vivid village life, misty ridges, and frequent weather-related delays.
IconicSavannah WayThe Savannah Way links tropical northern Australia from Cairns to Broome through some of the country’s most remote country. Expect long sealed stretches mixed with isolated highways, red-dirt detours, stock country, gulf wetlands, gorge country, and classic outback towns along one of Australia’s great cross-continent drives.
IconicSouthern Scenic RouteThe long U-shaped journey around New Zealand's deep south, from Dunedin's Scottish history through the Catlins' wild surf beaches, coastal cliffs, and waterfalls, past Invercargill to the remote Fiordland and the sea-kayaking wilderness of Doubtful Sound. The South Island's least-driven great road.
IconicStuart HighwayAustralia’s legendary north-south spine, the Stuart Highway runs from Adelaide’s fringe to Darwin through red desert, relentless highway horizons, and iconic outback stops. It links Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, and Katherine, delivering a practical road trip through the country’s most expansive inland landscapes.
NotableTaranaki's Surf HighwaySH45 around the western flank of Mount Taranaki, a short coastal drive past dairy farms, surf breaks made famous by boardriders seeking the perfect wave, shipwrecks, and lighthouses. New Plymouth's Len Lye Centre kinetic sculpture and the Tawhiti Museum of settler history frame the journey's beginning and end.
IconicTasmania East CoastThe Tasman Highway from Hobart up Tasmania's beach-lined east coast, through dry hills, Freycinet Peninsula's geometrically perfect Wineglass Bay, the Bay of Fires' white sands and orange lichen-stained rocks, and the Pyengana Dairy Company to Launceston. The gentle counterpoint to the wild west coast.
IconicTasmania West CoastThe wild side of Australia's island state, from Hobart west through Queenstown's moonscape to Strahan, the fishing town once described as "the best little town in the world", then north past the Henty Dunes, Cradle Mountain, and Mt Roland to Launceston. Tasmania's west coast keeps giving long after you think it's done.
IconicThe Gunbarrel HighwayThe original Gunbarrel, built in the 1950s by Len Beadell with a handful of road builders and a bulldozer so rockets could be launched from Woomera and British atomic bombs tested at Maralinga. Made deliberately straight "to keep Australia looking tidy and neat." From Wiluna through Carnegie Homestead and the Giles Meteorological Station to Uluru.
IconicThe Simpson DesertAustralia's most remote drive, from Birdsville across 1,100 sand dunes via Big Red to Dalhousie Springs. In 1963 the Page family ran out of fuel and died of thirst before help came. These days a lot more vehicles travel the outback, but not many. 4WD, satellite phone, and extra fuel are essential.
IconicThe Two PassesA four-day loop from Christchurch through the Southern Alps via Lewis Pass and Arthur's Pass, two of New Zealand's great mountain crossings through forests, lakes, rivers, and the West Coast Wilderness Trail. Hanmer Springs thermal pools at the overnight waypoint; Kumara's gold-rush history on the return via State Highway 73.
IconicThermal Hot SpotsThrough the North Island's geothermal heart, spectacular geysers, steaming hot pools, Māori culture, and Tolkien's Middle-earth at Hobbiton. From Hamilton through Matamata's Shire to Rotorua's boiling mud and Hell's Gate, and south to Lake Taupo, a caldera formed after one of history's greatest ever volcanic eruptions.
NotableWaiheke Island CircuitJust an hour's ferry from Auckland, Waiheke has its own warm, dry microclimate and a reputation as a Tuscan facsimile in the Pacific, vineyards, olive groves, and art galleries on a hilly island of excellent beaches. The island drive takes in Man O' War Bay, Onetangi Beach, the Connells Bay sculpture park, and several vineyards with restaurants overlooking the Hauraki Gulf.
NotableWaterfall WayWaterfall Way is one of northern New South Wales’ most rewarding short road trips, climbing from the coastal plains at Coffs Harbour into the cool New England tablelands near Armidale. The drive strings together rainforest, escarpment lookouts, and a run of dramatic waterfalls in national parks along a well-sealed, easy route.
NotableWine & Whales Electric HighwayAustralia's first dedicated electric highway follows the beautiful southwest coast from Perth to Augusta, 12 RAC fast-charging stations spaced along a route that passes Margaret River's world-class wineries and Busselton's heritage jetty, timed June to August for humpback whale season in Geographe Bay.
IconicTahiti Island Circle RoadThis relaxed loop follows Tahiti’s coastal roads around both Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Iti, linking black-sand beaches, surf breaks, waterfalls, and volcanic headlands. Expect lush mountain backdrops, lagoon viewpoints, and easy stops in Papeete, Taravao, and Teahupo’o on a classic island-drive day.
IconicCentral Otago Wine TrailThe world's southernmost wine region hugs valley roads between Queenstown and Wanaka, vineyards fighting for space between rugged schist mountains and the Kawarau River gorge. Central Otago Pinot Noir and Riesling rival anything from Burgundy or Alsace.
LegendaryKaikoura CoastSH1 north of Christchurch is one of the world's great coastal drives, the Seaward Kaikoura Range falls sheer into the Pacific, sperm whales feed in the canyon just offshore, and New Zealand fur seals laze on every rock shelf.
NotableMansfield to MarysvilleVictoria's High Country gravel road from Mansfield through Woods Point to Marysville, through remote forest and mountain ranges on unsealed roads that venture into country where 4WD clearance is an advantage. The section between Mansfield and Woods Point feels further from civilisation than its distance from Melbourne suggests.
NotableSydney to Nelson BayNorth from Australia's largest city into the Port Stephens region, through dramatic dunes, palm-flanked waters, and the quiet coastal communities of Shoal Bay and Anna Bay before Nelson Bay's whale watching and waterfront promenade. The escape that Sydney doesn't talk about.
NotableTanami TrackOne of Australia's great remote desert crossings, a corrugated dirt road through Warlpiri and Kukatja country from Alice Springs to Halls Creek. Red spinifex plains, a 900m meteorite crater, and near-complete solitude.
IconicThe Black SpurVictoria's finest short drive, the Black Spur between Healesville and Marysville weaves through stands of colossal Mountain Ash eucalypts and giant ferns, with corner after sweeping corner on a twisty section of tarmac that raises pulses whether you're on a motorbike or in a sports car. Best experienced on a weekday away from weekend traffic.