Complete guide to 3 month road trip around Australia

Have a couple of months free to hit the open road? You’re truly living the dream, so make the most of it. You can do a lap around our amazing country and see some incredible sites in that time, as long as you know where to go and plan out your journey in advance. If you’re looking to go on a 3-month road trip around Australia, then check out these three different routes you can take, along with some tips on when to go, what to pack, where to camp and how much you should expect to be out of pocket at the end.

3 month road trips around Australia

Route One: Cover the coastline

Total trip: 13,172km, 138 hours

This trip takes you right around the outside of Australia and is the perfect taster of what each State and Territory has to offer. The best part, you can start from wherever you like to do this loop. Simply pick up and van and off you go.

• Sydney to Cairns: 2,412km, 27 hours

• Cairns to Darwin: 2,356km, 25 hours

• Darwin to Broome: 1,871, 18 hours 47 minutes

• Broome to Perth: 2,222km, 23 hours

• Perth to Adelaide: 2,695km, 28 hours

• Adelaide to Melbourne: 727km, 8 hours 2 minutes

• Melbourne to Sydney: 879km, 9 hours 12 minutes

Route Two: Discover the Red Centre

Total trip: 14,969km, 157 hours

If you’re hoping to check out a bit more of Inland Australia, then this trip is for you. It covers all the States and Territories, cutting through South Australia and Northern Territory to explore some different sites in the process.

• Melbourne to Adelaide: 727km, 8 hours 3 minutes

• Adelaide to Alice Springs: 1,534km, 15 hours 34 minutes

• Alice Springs to Darwin: 1,496km, 14 hours 45 minutes

• Darwin to Port Hedland: 2,409km, 23 hours 57 minutes

• Port Hedland to Perth: 1,622, 17 hours 5 minutes

• Perth to Coober Pedy: 2,495km, 28 hours

• Coober Pedy to Sydney: 2,088km, 21 hours 37 minutes

• Sydney to Brisbane: 919km, 9 hours 33 minutes

• Brisbane to Cairns: 1,678km, 19 hours 52 minutes

Route Three: Experience a bit of both!

Total time: 12,097km, 137 hours

Another great route that will take you through all the main sites, and a few off the beaten track along the way as well.

• Brisbane to Sydney: 919km, 9 hours 34 minutes

• Sydney to Dubbo: 390km, 4 hours 44 minutes

• Dubbo to Melbourne: 826km, 9 hours

• Melbourne to Adelaide: 727km, 8 hours

• Adelaide to Perth: 2,696km, 28 hours

• Perth to Broome: 2,224km, 23 hours

• Broome to Darwin: 1,871km, 18 hours 49 minutes

• Darwin to Alice Springs: 1,497km, 14 hours 40 minutes

• Alice Springs to Cairns: 1,945km, 21 hours 15 minutes

• Cairns to Brisbane: 1,683km, 19 hours 15 minutes

When to go on 3 month Australia road trip

With so much time on your hands, you can leave whenever you like! Of course, it helps to avoid peak season as much as possible.

If you can get the kids out of school, then plan after the school holidays avoiding November-February when it’s peak season. It makes it so much harder to book accommodation and take part in activities, as things can book up so fast.

March is a great starting point, where the weather is still nice, but things have calmed down from the Summer holiday rush.

You can choose where to begin your trip and start off with a couple of days there, getting used to the weather and the sites, before you hit the road with your campervan and planfun things to do on a road trip.

What to pack for 3 month Australia road trips

When it comes to packing for a 3-month road trip around Australia, there’s plenty to think about. It’s up to you to decide how many clothes you want to bring with you. Have a look at where you plan to stop along the way and whether or not you’ll have access to a laundry to help you decide. It helps to put together your owncross country road trip checklist.

Here are some extra things that you might not think to add to that packing list of yours:

• Tent: to set up at the campsites if you don’t plan on sleeping in the van.

• Sleeping bag: find one that works for both warm and cold weather to see you through the trip.

• Pillow: you don’t want to spend three months without this creature comfort!

• Camping stove: to keep the meal costs low it helps to have these essentials.

• Pots and pans.

• Gas for the stove.

• Good quality torches.

• Van essentials in case of breakdown.

• Esky: to keep food in during your driving days.

Where to camp on a 3 month Australia road trip

Camping is one of the best ways to keep the costs down during your trip. Here’s a rundown on what you should be looking out for:

• Holiday Parks: you can camp for as little as $25 per night at holiday parks. This is just for a camp spot and is usually unpowered. You can pay about $30 for a powered spot, and even upgrade to ensuite caravan sites (with a bathroom attached), from $50. The great thing about holiday parks is you can use all their amenities, which can be great to keep the kids entertained.

• National Park Campsites: camping in a National Park will depend on where you are in Australia. You will generally pay a vehicle access fee when entering the park and then pay per person on top of that. In NSW, one adult and child can camp for free. Two adults cost $6 and two children $3.50, three are $11.50 and $6 respectively and so on. See for more information about camping in National Parks in Australia these official sites:

• National Parks in New South Wales

• Queensland's National Parks

• National Parks in Victoria

• Western Australia National Parks

• A word on free camping: you can only camp in Australia at designated campsites. Free camping is an option, but it isn’t allowed everywhere. On some of the bigger rest stops, you can camp overnight for 24 hours. You can also look out for bush camps, which are usually off the main highway and in small towns. Locals can give you a heads up about this.

How much will it all cost?

Naturally, the costs that come with a 3-month road trip around Australia can vary greatly from person to person and family to family. So,how much does it really cost to travel Australia?

You can head to a greatFacebook Group: Travelling Australia With Kids, where you can get some useful tips on this. In general, many people recommend budgeting one dollar per kilometre you drive. Some people were able to keep their budget to around $700 a week, while for others it was closer to $1,000.

Some of the costs you can’t avoid along the way are fuel and food. You can keep the food cheaper by heading to supermarkets when you can and stocking up on food, so you don’t spend so much money on eating out.

Another big expense is the accommodation. While camping is a cheaper option, it isn’t free. It’s worth planning where you’ll set up camp before you go so you have some idea of your budget for the trip!

Tips for driving around Australia

Driving new roads and navigating new places is no easy task. Here are someroad trip tips to help you out along the way:

• Share the driving: you’re going to get tired along the way, it’s a lot of driving. It helps to share the load with someone else. Take breaks every two hours and switch up the driver to give the other person a rest.

• Have a designated GPS: there’s nothing worse than relying on your phone for GPS, only to find yourself without reception, with no battery left, or the passenger is fiddling with it. The best idea is to have a designated GPS to do the job.

• Take it slow: wrong turns are going to happen along the way. Don’t stress about them. Remember, you have three months on the road – you’re in no rush to get anywhere! Think of a wrong turn as the perfect opportunity to explore somewhere new.

Plan your 3 month Australia road trip!

Heading off on the open road for three months is an experience that doesn’t crop up too often. So make the most of your time and enjoy everything Australia has to offer with our tips above. Choose where you want to start your 3 month road trip around Australia, pack the bags, pick up a rental van and get ready to go!