Best Scenic Holiday Road Trips

If you’re counting down the days to a much-needed break over the festive season, you probably don’t want to spend your holidays in the hustle and bustle. Here are four road trips to some unexpected summer destinations – so you can enjoy quiet beaches, serene national parks and fun watersports without hours wasted in traffic and car parks. Your summer of rest and relaxation starts here.

Christmas travel to the Hawkesbury (NSW)

Getting there: Sydney to Brooklyn is a one-hour drive

Summer in Sydney equals sparkling beach days. But when you don’t want to sacrifice hours looking for a parking space, plan a day trip to visit the beautiful tributes and inlets of the Hawkesbury River instead. Park at Brooklyn and hire a kayak

for a day of adventuring – you can paddle around Dangar Island, cast a line and try your luck catching some super-sized mulloway, and picnic on secluded beaches. Adrenaline-seekers might like to try a Jet Ski Safari

, or learn how to waterski, wakeboard or kneeboard with one of the local watersport schools. If you’re visiting on a weekday, consider joining The Riverboat Postman

, a mail-delivering service that invites guests to join its rounds visiting the river-access-only properties upriver from Brooklyn – it’s a wonderful way to take in the beautiful scenery and hear entertaining stories from the local skippers.

Family road trip to Esperance (WA)

Getting there: Perth to Esperance is a 7.5-hour drive

About 720 kilometres from Perth, Esperance

is an under-the-radar family destination in an area often referred to as Western Australia’s ‘secret south’. Here you’ll discover beautiful beaches (such as Lucky Bay

, featuring sunbaking kangaroos), great parks (including the oceanside Adventureland Park with its own mini steam train), lots of wildlife-spotting opportunities and kid-friendly walking trails. Just outside Esperance is also the starting point for the Great Ocean Drive

, a 40-kilometre circular loop that tours through a series of phenomenal swimming, snorkelling and fishing spots, as well as past the (no longer pink) Pink Lake and some stellar lookouts.

Best Scenic Drive in the Yarra Ranges (VIC)

Getting there: Healesville is a one-hour drive from Melbourne

If you’re already familiar with Victoria’s well-travelled summer destinations like the Mornington Peninsula and The Great Ocean Road

, but you’re still craving that open-road feeling and fresh country air, set your GPS for the Yarra Ranges. Start in the town of Healesville, 65 kilometres north-east of Melbourne, to visit the amazing animal sanctuary

or the TarraWarra Museum of Art

. Then you’ll be at the starting point for the 27-kilometre Black Spur Drive

, which guides you through the ancient forests of the Yarra Ranges National Park

towards Marysville. The route is renowned for hairpin bends, valley views and towering mountain ash trees – and popular with kids for its ‘Jurassic Park’ vibes. There are a couple of picnic spots along the way and some beautiful waterfalls to discover once you reach the Marysville area – check out Steavenson Falls

and Keppel Falls

.

Summer holiday road trip on the Great Green Way (QLD)

Getting there: Townsville to Cairns is a four-hour drive

The Great Green Way

, between Townsville and Cairns, features Australia’s highest single-drop waterfall (Wallaman Falls

), the Southern Hemisphere’s longest service jetty (at Lucinda

), a giant Golden Gumboot

(in Tully) and a World Heritage-listed ‘castle’ (Paronella Park

). Yet you won’t ever find yourself in a crowd. Spend a few days exploring the sights of this relaxed patch of paradise, including the palm-fringed Mission Beach, the rainforest canopy walk

in Wooroonoon National Park, and the Babinda Boulders

swimming hole. The pointed peak of Walshs Pyramid is the natural landmark that signals your approach to Cairns – and also marks the entrance to another detour (to Behana Gorge

) if you’re not yet ready for the journey to end.

As you gear up for your summer adventures, remember that the journey is just as important as the destination. Stay alert on the road, take regular breaks, and plan your travel to avoid fatigue. With a little care and caution, your festive road trips will be as safe as they are unforgettable.

Disclaimer

Viva Energy Australia Pty Ltd (“Viva Energy”) has compiled the above article for your general information and to use as a general reference. Whilst all reasonable care has been taken by Viva Energy in compiling this article, Viva Energy does not warrant or represent that the information in the article is free from errors or omissions or is suitable for your intended use.