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East Coast · 13 days · 12 nights · road trip

East Coast in 3 weeks

The classic run up the east coast, broken into legs that each earn their stop. Written as a skeleton: keep the order, stretch or trim the nights to suit your leave.

road tripcoastlong tripResearched from official sources

When to go

April to October. North of Townsville, avoid the wet season.

The plan, day by day

Day 1

Sydney (3 nights)

  1. 09:00★Harbour, Bondi walk, Manly ferrySydney
Day 2

Port Stephens (1 night)

  1. 10:00★Dolphin cruise and Stockton sand dunesNelson Bay
Day 3

Coffs Harbour (1 night)

  1. 15:00★Muttonbird Island walkCoffs Harbour
Day 4

Byron Bay (3 nights)

  1. 06:00★Cape Byron Lighthouse walk at sunriseByron Bay
  2. 11:00★Wategos and Main BeachByron Bay
Day 5

Gold Coast (2 nights)

  1. 10:00★Surfers Paradise and Burleigh HeadsGold Coast
  2. 09:00★Springbrook or Lamington rainforest daySpringbrook
Day 6

Brisbane (1 night)

  1. 11:00★South Bank and Story BridgeBrisbane
Day 7

Noosa (2 nights)

  1. 09:00★Noosa National Park and Hastings StreetNoosa Heads
Day 8

Rainbow Beach / K'gari (2 nights)

  1. 07:00★K'gari (Fraser Island) 4WD tourK'gariAbout A$260 per person
Day 9

Agnes Water / 1770 (1 night)

  1. 10:00★Southernmost reef snorkel or surf lessonAgnes Water
Day 10

Airlie Beach and Whitsundays (3 nights)

  1. 08:00★Whitehaven Beach boat dayWhitsunday Island
  2. 09:00★Sailing or island hopAirlie Beach
Day 11

Magnetic Island (1 night)

  1. 09:00★Forts Walk for koalas and the viewMagnetic Island
Day 12

Mission Beach (1 night)

  1. 11:00★Beach day, cassowary watchMission Beach
Day 13

Cairns and the reef (3 nights)

  1. 07:30★Outer reef day tripGreat Barrier Reef
  2. 08:30★Daintree and Cape TribulationCape Tribulation
  3. 18:00✈Fly homeCairns Airport

Before you go

  • One-way car hire fees can be brutal — price flights between legs
  • Book Fraser Island / K'gari and Whitsunday tours ahead
  • Roadside assistance cover for a long drive
  • Travel insurance covering adventure activities

This list is created with your trip, so you can tick it off as you pack.

Where this came from

Opening hours, prices and track closures change. Check the official source before you rely on a timed booking — we never earn a commission on anything listed here.