Heading off into the horizon on a road trip is an Aussie rite of passage – from cruising along sun-splashed coastal roads to tracking across dead-straight desert highways. Nothing comes close to that sense of freedom and finding a new adventure around every bend. Here are some of the ultimate drives to experience Down Under.

The archetypal Aussie road trip has red dirt roads, ’roos and road trains. You can expect all this and so much more on the pleasingly circular route from lively desert town Alice Springs along the Red Centre Way to Tjoritja/West MacDonnell Ranges, Watarrka/Kings Canyon and onto the spiritual and geological wonders of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Ideally, allow a week to immerse yourself in the sights, experiences and spiritual moments on offer along the 705-mile (1,135km) route.

After getting to know Alice’s many charms, head into the desert. Take a refreshing dip in Ellery Creek Big Hole in the MacDonnell Ranges before the long drive to Kings Canyon – stretch your legs exploring its steep sandstone cliffs and palm-filled crevices and drink in the blazing desert-scapes. Keep watch for thorny devils, magnificently spiky little lizards. Next up is the country’s most famous landmark, Uluru and the equally bewitching rock dome formation Kata Tjuta.

Rainforests, whales, wines and beaches, glorious beaches, are the reason to put this coastal drive on top of your hit list. Circuit south from Sydney to Royal National Park where you can follow near-empty bush trails through rainforest to wild surf beaches, lagoons and rock pools. Then follow on along Princes Highway to Wollongong – crossing the spectacular Sea Cliff Bridge. Next up is Kiama with its famous blowholes, chilled seaside vibe and pleasing coastal trails, perfect for stretching limbs before you hit the road again.

Mainline for Nowra on the southern shore of the Shoalhaven River – factor in time to slip off to Greenwell Point, a gorgeous fishing village to slurp oysters then head for Huskisson, hub of Jervis Bay with its string of icing-sugar-esque sands. Greenfields and Murrays in Booderee National Park are standouts. Get on the water to spot dolphins, fur seals and migrating humpback whales (May to November) then veer inland to explore vineyards and country towns or make a beeline for coastal villages Mollymook (home to chef Rick Stein’s Aussie outpost) and Ulladulla.

Visitors to South Australia are spoilt for road trips whether it’s coast, vines or outback scenery they’re looking for. The Explorer’s Way route takes you from Adelaide’s beaches past the cellar doors of Clare Valley (pick up some riesling to toast your progress later) and onto the rural townships of the Flinders – Melrose is the oldest town in the Flinders Ranges and well worth a wander to experience its archetypal outback charm. 

Love this? Follow our Facebook page for more travel inspiration all over the world

Take a detour off the main highway to experience the incredible wilderness of the Ikara–Flinders Ranges National Park from its remote homesteads to age-old rock art and the remarkable rock basin Wilpena Pound. Then head back to Port Augusta for the long, and fairly sight-free (bar the dazzlingly white salt bed Lake Hart), stretch north up to opal mining town Coober Pedy. Up for more? Carry on north to follow the full-length of the 1,864-mile (3,000km) Explorer’s Way journey all the way to Darwin.

Head south of Adelaide instead and you’ll find the Fleurieu Peninsula – an enclave of exquisite beaches, pretty coastal towns and world-class vineyards. So all-in-all, a top spot for road trippin’. Begin in McLaren Vale to sip, swirl, scoff (and preferably cycle) your way around its cellar doors. Snooze it off, then hit the road for more wows: kayak to the caves of Port Willunga and snorkel to spy leafy sea dragons at Rapid Bay.

You’re close to Cape Jervis now, the very tip of the peninsula and where car ferries cross to Kangaroo Island. Expect more belting beaches (Emu and Vivonne Bay among them) and wildlife galore. It’s a good idea to forget the car for a few days. Not just to enjoy the island’s wines and artisan spirits but to follow its many bushwalking trails – the vast Flinders Chase National Park has the famed Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch while Seal Bay is the place to see the adorable Australian sea lions at play. 

These are Australia's most beautiful sights

If you’re on a mission to get to Byron Bay you could make this journey in eight hours. But this is a road trip to relax into, so aim to set aside five days or more to really get under the skin of New South Wales’ central and north coasts. When you’re ready to leave Sydney, head north past the northern beaches, across the Hawkesbury River and on to Newcastle. This coastal city is having a real moment so stop to enjoy its fab dining spots, boutique hotels and cool music scene.

Prepare to be wowed only further by the glorious coastline as you edge upwards. Among the highlights are the wild dolphins and whopping great sand dunes in Port Stephens (the largest in the Southern Hemisphere), Blueys Beach in Pacific Palms and Coffs Harbour. Call in at Yamba, touted as the new Byron with its hipster credentials, before you wind through the hinterland to beautiful Byron – a little bit boho, a little bit bling and a whole lot of fun. 

If you were to pick one road trip in Tassie it would most likely be the Great Eastern Drive, which curves down along the island state’s impossibly gorgeous east coast. Start from either St Helens in the north or Orford in the south and buckle up for some soul-stirring scenery along its 109 miles (176km). You could easily manage it over a weekend, but take your time to enjoy longer bushwalks, lazy lunches at cellar doors and a trip across to Maria Island National Park to see convict ruins and walk with wombats.

You’ll pass lovely laid-back towns like Swansea and Bicheno (with wineries and artisan producers aplenty to stock up for picnics) and the Freycinet Peninsula. This is where you’ll find Tasmania’s most famous beach, the curved Wineglass Bay. Follow trails around the Hazards and onto the park’s beaches and coves to swim, kayak or snorkel. The grand finale of the route is the Bay of Fires with its striking lichen-clad boulders and white sand beaches. Time to stretch those car-weary legs: follow the one-hour return walk from St Helens to the Peron Dunes and the vast ocean beach or set off on the Bay of Fires Walk, a four-day guided hike.

Rainforest, reef, waterfalls and islands: this classic east coast road trip teems with tropical treats. Start in Townsville and you’ll see fruit plantations, sugar cane farms and coastal towns flit past your window. Stop in Mission Beach to spy cassowaries in the rainforest or nip over to Dunk Island. From here head to Cairns for a fun few days then hit Captain Cook Highway to cruise along the palm-fringed Coral Sea coastline to pretty Palm Cove and Port Douglas – stay a while for boat trips out to the Great Barrier Reef.  

These are Australia's most stunning natural wonders

Discover the wonders of the Daintree, an ancient home of the Kuku Yalanji people, on walking tours with traditional owners to uncover the rainforest’s many secrets. Cross over the Daintree River by car ferry (stopping to spot vast saltwater crocodiles among the mangroves) and make for Cape Tribulation, a ravishing peninsula where the rainforest tumbles right down to meet the reef. To reach the even more secluded Cooktown, you’ll need a four-wheel drive to bump your way along the Bloomfield Track. 

It's pretty obvious why this world-famous driving route is known as the Great Ocean Road – it is truly great. In fact, it’s glorious. Endless ocean vistas, surf-lashed wild beaches, towering cliffs and wildlife encounters aplenty. There are numerous beach towns with fab places to stay and eat too. While the coast hogs the limelight, be sure to follow meandering trails through forests of mountain ash and towering gum trees to find waterfalls and spy echidnas, koalas, wallabies and kangaroos. 

Torquay marks the start of the 116-mile (187km) route with Bells Beach (of Point Break fame) and pretty seaside town Lorne must-stops. Pick up fish and chips to eat on the beach or stroll along its pier. The approach to Apollo Bay is full of eye-popping oceanscapes so factor in plenty of stops at lookouts. From here the road leads into the lush Otway National Park – you can detour to Cape Otway light station to look over the point where the Bass Strait meets the Southern Ocean. The final leg leads to Port Campbell National Park and its famed rock formations: the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and the Grotto. 

Check these amazing rock formations across the world

In the far northwest corner, Kimberley is one of the last great wildernesses of Australia and ripe for a road trip adventure. Its famed four-wheel drive track, the Gibb River Road, strikes through some of its most dramatic landscapes across 410 miles (660km), offering rich rewards for intrepid drivers that have around 12 days to spare. First up after Derby are the cascades and gorges of Windjana Gorge National Park within the Napier Ranges followed by the Bell Gorge in the Wunaamin Miliwundi Ranges Conservation Park.

After following trails to lofty lookouts and rock shelters etched with age-old art, drivers on the long-distance route, which was built in the 1960s to transport cattle from remote stations to Derby and Wyndham, tend to stay the night in designated campgrounds, cabins or homesteads on sprawling cattle station grounds. It’s not just the days that are full of thrills – the stars in this utterly remote part of the world are incredible. 

Check out Australia's amazing attractions most tourists never see

Up for big blue skies, rugged landscapes and a long and dusty drive? Four-wheel drive owners should opt for this far-flung foray from Brisbane into Queensland's parched plains and sand dunes. Get to know the charms of rural towns Toowoomba (known as the Garden City) and Goondiwindi before you call into the state’s oldest watering hole, the Nindigully Pub on the banks of the Moonie River. It dates back to 1864. Carry on west and the rolling grazing country turns to wild mulga scrub with the colours shifting gear from greens to sunburnt reds.  

After a scattering of fascinating far-flung towns like Charleville and Quilpie things really start to get intrepid. From Windorah, a gravel road takes you to the unfathomably remote Birdsville on the eastern edge of the Simpson Desert. After a well-deserved rest and cold drink or two at the Birdsville Hotel, head to the Big Red sand dune to watch the sunset. From here you could follow more dusty tracks through boundless gibber plains and past sprawling sheep and cattle stations scattered with the ruins of old woolsheds and homesteads. 

Start in steamy tropical city Darwin and follow the Arnhem Highway east towards Kakadu National Park. En route, spot crocs, jabiru, kingfishers and magpie geese on an airboat safari on the floodplains of the Mary River system, before arriving at Kakadu. Whether you camp or hole up in a luxury wilderness lodge, make sure you plan in a good few days to explore this vast wilderness with its wildlife-filled wetlands and hulking sandstone escarpments rich in ancient Aboriginal rock art galleries and thundering falls.

You won't believe these incredible places are in Australia

Next up, steer south along the Kakadu Highway towards Katherine, a cool town with hot springs and the ravishing Nitmiluk Gorge on its doorstep. Spend the next few days following bushwalking trails around the park to uncover the stories and rock art of the Jawoyn people, and canoeing along the steep-sided gorge. If time allows, drive just south for a soak in the warm pools of Elsey National Park then wend your way back along the Stuart Highway – in just three hours you'll be enjoying an icy cold beer by Darwin’s waterfront.

Known as the Big Lap, the road-trip-to-end-all-road-trips circumnavigates the coast of Australia following Highway One as it connects Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Broome, Perth, Esperance, Adelaide and Melbourne. Covering a distance of 9,010 miles (14,500km) with endless things to see and do, most people take at least six months to complete the trip. But ideally set aside longer, especially if you plan to divert deeper into the country’s vast interior to explore the many must-see sights of the outback. 

If you start in Sydney follow the east coast all the way to Cairns from where you route onto the Savannah Way – this stretch alone is a staggering 2,299 miles (3,700km) that links the tropical Queensland city with the Northern Territory’s Top End and Broome in Western Australia’s Kimberley. Another remarkable portion is the road that strikes a poker-straight route across the Nullarbor Plain, past the towering Bunda Cliffs and onto South Australia’s endlessly epic Eyre Peninsula. With experiences like this, you’ll get a taste for life on the road. Next stop, Tasmania?

Highs and lows are par for the course with any trip, but follow the road from Melbourne to Victoria’s High Country wine regions and the only ones you have to worry about are the pretty peaks and verdant valleys you encounter. From Melbourne, meander to Mansfield and King Valley, known as Little Italy as Italians established the vines here and the influence remains strong. From here more boutique wineries, along with bushranger history, await in Glenrowan, with its links to notorious Ned Kelly. 

Discover Australia's eeriest abandoned towns and villages

Head north towards the Murray River and the Rutherglen wine region to wend your way around more cellar doors. A scenic climb up through Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park takes you to Beechworth, a beaut of a gold-rush era town with a rich offering of restaurants, shops and heritage buildings. Linger as long as you like then follow the gorgeous drive to the Alpine Valleys wine region, scattered with welcoming family-owned wineries, all with stunning views. Finally, it's on to Bright, perfectly positioned for bushwalks into Mount Buffalo National Park and Alpine National Park.

Towering waves, giant trees found nowhere else on Earth and kangaroos lounging on the whitest of white sands, the sprawling South West Edge road trip from Perth to Esperance on the state’s southern coast is as surreal as it is spectacular. The 746-mile (1,200km) route is best taken over 12 days to allow the adventures plenty of time to unfold. After Bunbury, the Margaret River is a delightful region to meander around from coastal tracks and surf beaches with mesmerising Indian Ocean sunsets, to vineyards and farmers' markets.  

Edging further to the state’s southern coast, you can gaze up (or down) at giant tingle trees at Valley of the Giants, which has an elevated walkway, and the karri trees, only found in this region. The bizarre-shaped boulders and enticing waters of Elephant Rocks and Greens Pool in William Bay National Park are other must stops followed by Albany, Hopetoun and Fitzgerald River National Park. Esperance is a suitably incredible end with its lagoons and beaches – be sure to squeeze in the Great Ocean Drive loop and Lucky Bay in Cape Le Grand National Park to spot the sun-baking ’roos.

A classic backpacker route, but no way near as well-travelled as the east coast equivalent, the stretch from Perth to Broome along the Coral Coast is a blockbuster of Aussie hits. After perusing the wineries of Swan Valley, carry on to the surreal Pinnacles Desert and Geraldton then drive alongside bubble-gum-pink Hutt Lagoon before looking through Kalbarri National Park’s iconic Nature's Window and braving its new-ish Skywalk.

Back on National Route 1, make for Hamelin Bay (check out its stromatolites) and Monkey Mia in the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Shark Bay. Here catamaran cruises take you to meet its bottlenose dolphins and spot dugongs, sharks and turtles. Coral Bay and Exmouth are the places to linger awhile for lazy beach days and snorkelling and diving on the incredible Ningaloo Reef (where whale sharks gather en masse between March and June). Finish up in tropical beach town Broome with its striking red cliff-backed beaches, heritage buildings and chilled vibe.

Now discover 101 spine-tingling places in Australia you won't want to visit