This 21-day route through southeastern Australia and Tasmania suits travelers who want cities, cool-climate walking and coastline, at a pace that never asks more than a few hours on the road per move. It’s built around two flights (Sydney to Melbourne and Melbourne to Hobart), Sydney’s trains and ferries, the V/Line train and coach network in Victoria, and coaches up Tasmania’s east coast. One stretch along the Great Ocean Road and into the Grampians works best with a 4-day car rental, at roughly A$50 to 90 (US$33 to 60) a day, although V/Line coaches reach both stops if you’d rather not drive.
Days 1-5: Sydney
Spend four nights in
Sydney and build them around the water. Book a performance or the late-afternoon tour at the
Sydney Opera House, then catch the ferry from Circular Quay to
Taronga Zoo, where the giraffe enclosure looks straight across the harbor at the city skyline. The other must-ride ferry is the 30-minute crossing to
Manly Beach: swim on the main beach, then walk 15 minutes …
read more 👉This 21-day route through southeastern Australia and Tasmania suits travelers who want cities, cool-climate walking and coastline, at a pace that never asks more than a few hours on the road per move. It’s built around two flights (Sydney to Melbourne and Melbourne to Hobart), Sydney’s trains and ferries, the V/Line train and coach network in Victoria, and coaches up Tasmania’s east coast. One stretch along the Great Ocean Road and into the Grampians works best with a 4-day car rental, at roughly A$50 to 90 (US$33 to 60) a day, although V/Line coaches reach both stops if you’d rather not drive.
Days 1-5: Sydney
Spend four nights in Sydney and build them around the water. Book a performance or the late-afternoon tour at the Sydney Opera House, then catch the ferry from Circular Quay to Taronga Zoo, where the giraffe enclosure looks straight across the harbor at the city skyline. The other must-ride ferry is the 30-minute crossing to Manly Beach: swim on the main beach, then walk 15 minutes to Shelly Beach for snorkeling with blue gropers in the sheltered cove.Days 5-7: Katoomba and the Blue Mountains
A 2-hour train ride from Central Station takes you to Katoomba at about 1,000 meters, cool even in January. Two nights give you time in the Blue Mountains beyond the busy Three Sisters lookout: walk the Prince Henry Cliff Walk between Katoomba and Leura, and if you’re fit, tackle the Giant Stairway, roughly 900 steps down into the Jamison Valley. The blue haze comes from eucalyptus oil in the air, and it’s strongest on warm, still days.Days 7-11: Melbourne
Fly about 1.5 hours to Melbourne. Four nights let you explore the city one neighborhood at a time: the graffiti-covered laneways off Flinders Street, Queen Victoria Market for cheap breakfasts, and the free National Gallery of Victoria on St Kilda Road, whose stained-glass ceiling in the Great Hall is best seen lying on the floor. Ride the tram to St Kilda at dusk to watch little penguins return to the breakwater.Days 11-13: Lorne and the Great Ocean Road
Collect your car and head west to Lorne, about 2 hours away, a surf village where the Great Ocean Road starts hugging cliffs. Use your two nights for Erskine Falls in the forest behind town, then a long day trip west past Apollo Bay to the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge. Arrive at the Apostles near sunset, when tour buses have mostly left.Days 13-15: Halls Gap and the Grampians
Drive north through farmland to Halls Gap, a one-street village with kangaroos grazing on the sports oval. The Grampians sandstone ranges are best explored on the Pinnacle walk (about 4 km return from Sundial car park) and at the Balconies lookout. The rock art shelters here belong to the Djab Wurrung and Jardwadjali peoples; Brambuk, the Aboriginal cultural center in Halls Gap, has been closed for a rebuild, so check whether it has reopened.Days 15-16: Melbourne
Return to Melbourne for one night, about 3 hours by road, drop the car, and use the evening for dumplings in Chinatown before an early flight.Days 16-19: Hobart
Fly about 1.25 hours to Hobart. Take the ferry to MONA, the cliffside museum of ancient and very provocative modern art, and drive or ride the bus up kunanyi/Mount Wellington, 1,271 meters above the city. If you’re here on a Saturday, Salamanca Market fills the waterfront with Tasmanian cheese, apples and woodwork.Days 19-21: Freycinet National Park
East coast coaches take about 3 hours to Coles Bay, the gateway to Freycinet National Park. Hike to the Wineglass Bay lookout (about 1 to 1.5 hours return), or do the full Wineglass Bay and Hazards Beach circuit of roughly 11 km. The granite peaks of the Hazards turn orange at sunset. On your last day, return to Hobart for your flight.
On the way to Freycinet, get off at Triabunna and take the 30-minute ferry to Maria Island, a car-free island where wombats graze around the ruins of an old convict settlement.v2.webp){kind=logo}
Best Backpacking
