3 weeks Brisbane to Melbourne road trip itinerary

3 girls, 3 weeks and the dream of the road trip of a lifetime.That was all we had when me and two of my best friends decided to travel along Australia’s east coast in a campervan. 

After choosing the route from Brisbane to Melbourne, the only thing we still needed was a van to sleep in and that’s when we luckily got in touch with travellersautobarn. Since we were three people we needed one of the bigger cars and finally went with the Kuga. Fully equipped with everything you could possibly need for living on the road we started our trip. To be honest, the first few nights were quite nerve recking, but after some days we really got used to the camping lifestyle. We had enough space for the three of us and the flexibility you’ve got when you can technically sleep anywhere you want to is just awesome. 

But now let’s talk about the roadtrip itinerary itself. The actual reason we started in Brisbane was that I had lived there for the previous 4 months and it’s where I finished work a few days before the trip. So the next question was if we wanted to drive up or down the coast. The further north you go, the more likely you are to get rainy and stormy weather in the summer months, so we decided to go for the other option. Nevertheless, we didn’t want to miss the Whitsundays so we just did this trip before getting our van (detailed review is about to follow). For the remaining 20 days the distance between Brisbane and Melbourne seemed perfect to have enough time to explore all the beautiful places along the way. And that’s it. We had our plan and were ready to start the probably most exciting trip of our lives. 

So here you go. I tried to remember where we went and what we did every single day and listed it for you. Maybe this can be helpful if you’re dreaming of roadtripping Australia as well. Go for it and let me know if you still have questions about our life on the road. 

Day 1 

Brisbane – Noosa – Rainbow Beach (3h)

• Noosa National Park – make sure to go for a short hike and check out the fairy pools

• Carlo Sandblow – go there at sunset for amazing views and photo oppertunities (see previous blogposts)

Day 2 – Day 3

Fraser Island

Cool Dingo Tours – real camping adventure

Day 4

Rainbow Beach – Sunshine Coast (2h)

• overnight Dicky Beach Family Holiday Park

• Point Arkwright – beach views

• Glass House Mountains – Mt Ngungun

Day 5

Sunshine Coast – Byron Bay (3h30)

• Free Camping Highway (Area De Descanso)

•town center – cute hipster shops and cafes everywhere

•Byron Bay Lighthouse

Day 6

Byron Bay – Coffs Harbour – Nambucca Hds (3h30)

• Killen Falls 

• Coffs Harbour Jetty – awesome barbecue facilities, beautiful at sunset

Day 7

Nambucca – Port Macquarie – Nelsons Bay (4h)

• Shelly Beach

• Tomaree Mountain – at sunset – lesser known, but one of my favorite stops along the way

Day 8

Nelsons Bay – Newcastle (1h30)

• Surfing Anna Bay – cheap surf board hire in tow

• Stockton Sand Dunes

Day 9

Newcastle – Sydney (2h)

• Camping near Sydney: lane cove tourist park

• possible stop at central coast

• Shopping and Orientation Sydney CBD

Day 10 – Day 12

Sydney

• Harbour Bridge, Opera House etc.

• Botanical Gardens – beautiful photo locations

• Bondi to Cogee Walk

• Grounds of Alexandria

Day 13

Sydney – Manly – Blue Mountains (2h30)

• Blue Mountains free rest area (Old Ford Reserve)

• Manly Beach Front Market and Surf Festival

Day 14

Blue Mountains – Jervis Bay (3h)

• Rest Area Highway

• Three Sister – lots of walks around the area

• Hyams Beach – whitest sand in Australia

• we went to the movies because it was raining all day 

Day 15

Jervis Bay – Eden (3h)

• Rest Area Highway

• Eden Main Beach

Day 16

Eden – Wilsons Promotory (5h)

• camping at Shallow Inlet Campground

• endless roads – outback feeling

Day 17

Wilsons Promotory – Lorne (4h)

•camping Big Hill Campground

•Sunrise Hike Mt Oberon

•lots of wild kangaroos

•Cape Otway Lighthouse

Day 18

Lorne – Great Ocean Road – Grampians (3h30)

• camping at Green Hill Lake

• Apollo Bay (make sure to check out the wild birds and koalas in the park nearby)

• Erskine Falls 

• 12 Apostels

Day 19

Grampians – Melbourne (3h)

• camping at Avalon Highway Rest Area

• Balconies

• Mackenzie Falls

Day 20 – Day 21

Melbourne

• Shrine of Remembrance

• Brighton Beach Bathing Boxes