What better incentive is there to pass your driving test than planning an ultimate road trip itinerary across Australia?
Driving gives you the freedom to explore where you want, whenever you want. So, to give you that little bit of an extra push to get your ‘P’ plates, we have put together this post.
In it, we’ll provide you with some useful tips to pass your driving test and, once you have aced it, where you can visit on an ultimate road trip across Australia.
Tips To Pass Your Driving Test
To give yourself the best chance of passing at the earliest opportunity, you should read the EZ Licence driving test tips guide.
However, to surmise it, you need to practice for many hours in various different conditions and times of the day. Avoid drinking liquor or brandy the night before, there’s plenty of time for that once you have passed and can celebrate.
You should also have a detailed understanding of the Australian Road Rules. It would also help if you had a good driving instructor and a healthy dose of confidence and calmness.
Ultimate Australian Road Trip Itinerary
To do the ultimate road trip, you will need time on your hands – plenty of it. But for the purposes of this article, we’ll assume you have that.
For such a trip to be considered as ‘ultimate’, it should take you to the four corners of Australia and down its guts too.
Moreover, because you are essentially doing a loop, the beauty of this itinerary is that you can start it at any point along the route. But we’ll kick it off in Sydney.
Stage 1 – Sydney to Perth
Sydney to Perth is a long drive that involves around 4000 km and could take upwards of 7-10 days.
Along the way, you should stop in at the nation’s capital of Canberra and make your way via the New South Wales Riverina to Melbourne.
From The Settlement, cruise along the Great Ocean Road to see the fabled 12 Apostles before heading to Adelaide.
After spending some time in the ‘City of Churches, ’ you can continue your drive along the Eyre Peninsula before tackling the longest straight road in the world – the iconic 1100 km Nullabor Plain.
Having just experienced a couple of days of arid desert-like landscapes, the beautiful beaches of Esperance will no doubt provide you with a welcome change of scenery before you eventually arrive in Perth.
Stage 2 – Perth to Broome
From Perth, it’s just over a 2000 km trip up to Broome.
Major highlights of this stretch of road include Geraldton and Monkey Mia. However, you should also take the opportunity to visit Coral Bay and Exmouth, which is the gateway to the coral reefs of Ningaloo Marine Park.
The fast-growing city of Karratha and the raw, untamed beauty of magnificent Eighty Mile Beach are other compelling destinations.
Stage 3 – Broome to Darwin
Broome to Darwin is a ‘relatively’ short 1800 km stretch of road in comparison to other legs on this trip, but it is packed full of attractions you won’t want to miss.
Depending on your preferences, you can visit Lake Argyle, Geikie Gorge, Nitmiluk (aka Katherine) Gorge, and the world-famous Kakadu National Park. Just make sure you have your accommodation booked out in advance.
Stage 4 – Darwin to Uluru
You’ll also want to spend some quality time in Darwin before starting the next stage of your ultimate Australia road trip, which will take you into the very heart of the Great Southern Land to Uluru.
As well as visiting The Rock in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, you can also check out Alice Springs, the MacDonnell Ranges National Park and Litchfield National Park.
Stage 5 – Uluru to Cairns
After marvelling at Uluru, you’ll have to retrace your steps through the heart of the Northern Territory to get to Tenant Creek before venturing off towards Cairns.
You can stop off at remote places like Mt Isa, Normanton and other small towns along the Gilbert River before rocking up in Cairns.
Stage 6 – Cairns to Sydney
Cairns is somewhere you should spend plenty of time exploring the Great Barrier Reef, the offshore islands and some of the many wonderful beaches in Tropical North Queensland.
You may even choose to venture up to Daintree National Park and beyond to the Cape York Peninsula at Australia’s very northern tip.
When it is time to head down south, the Bruce Highway can take you to a number of outstanding coastal destinations, including Townsville, Airlie Beach, Yeppoon, the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and, of course, the beaches and major theme parks of the Gold Coast.
You can also decide to hop across to a string of islands including Magnetic Island, many in The Whitsundays, Lady Musgrave Island, K’gari (formerly Fraser Island) and Moreton Bay Island.
Once you leave Queensland, you can visit Byron Bay to see the iconic beach and witness the first sunset of the day in Australia at its easternmost point.
You can then head to Coffs Harbour, home of the iconic Big Banana, and the vibrant city of Newcastle before returning to Sydney.
