The Victorian High Country is a part of Australia that few have even heard of. Yet its gorgeous historic gateway towns, clear mountain air, wineries and stunning mountain scenery make it a magical destination.
The highlight for us was climbing along the Razorback to the summit of Mount Feathertop, the second tallest mountain in the state of Victoria at 1,922m / 6,306ft and with immense views across the surrounding mountains.
The hike itself starts at the carpark for the Diamantina Hut and is a there-and-back hike in total 22km / 13.5miles almost dead straight along the ridge. Overall, its a moderate difficulty hike – there are some flattish bits but with a steep bit around a third of the way in and a very steep final ascent to the top. Total elevation gain of 870m / 2850ft and the whole thing will take you up to 7 hours in total.
Main tip – whilst the elevation helps to reduce the temperature quite a bit in the summer, the route is very exposed so sun screen is a must along with enough water.
Extra tip – the whole Victorian High Country area really is a magical spot. Be sure to give yourself at least a day or two to explore around the towns of Beachworth and Bright, and with all the beautiful scenery in-between.
The Blue Mountains are one of the (many) natural highlights of Australia, with their scenic lookouts over rugged sandstone cliffs, blue-tinged eucalyptus forests and sweeping canyons for some excellent bush-walks. So it is no wonder they have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The added benefit is that they are very accessible on a day trip from central Sydney, which takes 2 hours to Katoomba and includes some wonderful scenery on the way. Combined with the mega wows of Sydney Harbour, this becomes one of the top travelling highlights of Australia.
Three top tips:
#1 If possible, limit your time in Katoomba – when getting the train, the stop you want is Katoomba which is also where many of the famous sites and activities are, and where the majority of the fellow tourist traffic is. For sure give yourself the time for Echo Point to see the Blue Mountains’ most famous site – the Three Sisters Rock Formations. And if the crowds aren’t fierce, aim for the Skyway Gondola and Scenic Railway, especially the 2.5km / 1.5miles forest boardwalk at the foot of the railway. But see if you can head out of Katoomba to get away from the crowds.
#2 Head to Blackheath and the Grand Canyon Walk – Blackheath is 2 stops up from Katoomba and you find the fellow tourist numbers dropping substantially. From Blackheath, take a taxi to Evans Lookout and from there its a spectacular 5km / 3miles of the Grand Canyon Walk. Will take around 3 hours and very much worth it.
#3 Stay overnight – whilst you can easily check out the Blue Mountains on a day trip from Sydney, the best way to experience them is the evening and early morning before the masses of tourists arrive. Wandering around looking over the distant views of the Three Sisters in the early evening and waking up early to have some of the trails largely to yourself – magical.
The Great Ocean Road is one of Australia’s most famous driving routes, with its dramatic coastline, rainforests with koalas housed in the trees, pretty seaside towns, and the eye catching 12 Apostles.
As it’s only a 3 hour drive from Melbourne, part of which is taken up by the gorgeous drive along the coastline itself, this makes it the premier day trip from Melbourne and a must if staying in Victoria.
Visiting is relatively straightforward as the drive along the coast is simple, as is viewing the 12 Apostles (although it can get very busy). But just one tip – watch out for the horseflies. Like just about everything in Australia, they bite!
South Australia’s hot, dry summers and moderate winters, have allowed the Barossa Valley to develop into one of the world’s great wine growing regions that produce around 20% of Australia’s wine and with a focus on big bold reds.
Maybe a little bit controversial, but its rolling hills are more pretty rather than stunning compared to the scenery of the Margaret River or wine spots in Tasmania. But its less than one hour trip from Adelaide and the compact cluster of wineries – its only 25km / 16miles long – make it a must for any wine fans in this part of the world.
Two tips for the visit:
Cycle – whilst we drove around, I think it would be a better experience cycling as its compact and relatively flat. Plus, it allows you to work off the wine and get more stuck in!
Taking a tour – often better to avoid the mass tourism nature of a tour, but in the case of the Barossa it may be worth it as there is German heritage in the region that would be good to have explained to you.
The Nullabor Plain is a giant, flat and practically treeless plain – nullabor in Latin means “without trees” – on the Great Australian Bight coast between Western Australia and Southern Australia.
Whilst there are some stunning cliffs and a hill range in the distance, the region is known for, well, basically having nothing there . . . no trees . . . no small towns . . . not even the bright red sand you associate with the outback. All you find is some scrub and the one road that connects the 1250km / 777miles between Norseman and Ceduna . . . part of which has longest stretch of road without a turn at 146km / 91miles.
Now that may sound dull . . . and it is . . . but there is something cool and unique about staring ahead at the straight road of nothingness around you and knowing, for the next 12 hours or so, all you’ve got are road trains and lunatic cyclists to occasionally keep you company.
If can, don’t fly from Perth to Adelaide – driving across the Nullabor Plain is way more of an experience and about the closest you’ll come to feeling like you’re in the Mad Max post-apocalyptic world. I swear I saw Tina Turner singing on the side of the road at some point.
Couple of tips:
#1 Gas / petrol – fill up with as much gas as you can beforehand. Less so from a safety point of view – whilst it is super remote, you do have fellow strange people driving by who can help. It is more just from a cost point of view – the petrol stops along the way are very expensive.
#2 Camping – you can camp in a couple of places along the way that provide basic facilities. Don’t camp just off the road – when you see just how much the roadtrains swing when they’re hurtling along at 150km / 90 miles per hour, you’ll realise why.
Western Australia’s southwest is primarily known for its wonderful wines around the Margaret River region, but its forests are also simply magnificent with some of the tallest trees in the world around the suitably named “Valley of the Giants”.
Its certainly worth half a day to explore and the best way to do it is:
#1 Drive through the area – in particular on the Great Forest Trees Drive near the Shannon River.
#2 Walk the Valley of the Giants Treetop Walk – a walkway suspended 40m / 130ft high that allows you to walk through the forest canopy.
Very decent views from the Giants Treetop Walk
#3 Climb the Gloucester Tree – a giant Karri tree with a 58m / 190ft viewing platform at the top, making it the second tallest tree lookout in the world. But it isn’t so much the height that is unusual. Instead, it is the 153 spikes that ring the tree and are the method for climbing it that stands out. For those even remotely scared of heights, this is a truly terrifying experience wrapped up as a family friendly activity – especially as people have to pass you by on the way up or down. Only 20% of people make it to the top lookout . . . and back down again – respect if you do.
The Gloucester Tree – yes, hectic
The Gloucester Tree and Treetop Walk can get a little busy (relatively), so I would suggest prioritising the Great Forest Tree Drive as there are various options to be able to stop and have a walk around with the forest largely to yourself, including a 8km Great Forest Trees Walk across the Shannon River. The drive is also in between Gloucester Tree and Treetop Walk, so you can then chose to drive to either as part of your route.
Shark Bay is huge – the UNESCO World Heritage listed site is 1500km / 930miles long and is a pristine Australian paradise of turquoise lagoons, white sand beaches, towering cliffs and very little development.
This gives it that wonderful Australian wilderness vibe and also the opportunity to see some of the wildlife – Kangaroos, Eagles, Bilbies (Rabbit-Bandicoots) and, the highlight for most people’s trip, the dolphins that come for morning feeding in the beach of Monkey Mia. A must-stop if driving the West Coast.
Top tip – remember not to put any sunscreen on your legs as it irritates the dolphins eyes. You won’t need the sunscreen anyway as its early in the morning.
If Karijini National Park wasn’t in such a remote part of Australia it would be firmly on top highlights list for the country. Breathtaking gorges and hidden waterfalls giving an otherworldly feeling of descending to the centre of the earth . . . or at least to the next beautiful rock pool area.
The remoteness means that there are far fewer visitors than many of the other parks and it’s very much worth the 3-4 hour drive inland from the more traditional sites of Western Australia.
Top tip – be sure to camp, or at least stay overnight. Because it is so far inland, dry and lacks human light pollution, the stars are perhaps the best I’ve seen anywhere in the world. Right up there with the Atacama Desert, which is widely seen as the best in the world. Camping under them was magical.
When in Broome, it’s all about the sunset from Cable Beach. Beautiful white sand, perfectly west-facing beach and water often at bath temperature – utterly gorgeous. Take one of the touristy camel rides; or just sit back with a bottle of something and watch the wonderful change in colours.
Tip – head to north of the rocks for the best views.
The drive from Adelaide to Darwin through the Red Centre is one of the great road trips – not because every stop is amazing, but because of the sheer scale, isolation and sense of adventure that comes from driving through the middle of Australia.
There are some excellent highlights along the way – Uluru (Ayer’s Rock), Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), and Kakadu in particular – but the thing you’ll remember are those huge empty roads, red desert landscapes, strange outback towns and the feeling of being a very long way from anywhere.
It’s a big one – nearly 4,000km / 2500miles of driving. If you like road trips and big landscapes, this is a classic and one of the highlights of this amazing country.
