A Backpacker's Guide from Byron Bay to Melbourne
- Alice Hautvast
- May 10
- 9 min read
Updated: May 22
A road trip itinerary for campers and adventurers! We did this trip in February 2023, equipped with one car, one van, and one tent, and we reveled in the jaw dropping views of the East Coast. Follow my journey below so you can also enjoy an incredible road trip along the Australian Coast!
Yamba
Yamba is a lovely stop for the night if you're leaving Byron late and don't want to be on the road for a long time. We stayed in an AirBnB Maclean, about a half hour drive from Yamba. If you head here, after checking out Yamba for the morning, I would encourage you to spend the day in Angourie. Explore the Green and Blue Pools, jump from the rocks, and sit in the natural rock pools as the waves slowly foam over you. This was a really magical spot, and I think it's certainly worth the quick detour to experience it.
Coffs Harbour
We camped at the Valley Stay campground, which was seemingly just some guy's big back garden, but it was great! There was a small kitchenette with some cooking equipment and a toilet. If I remember correctly there was no option for power, but it was a very friendly price and a clean and calm area. In Coffs Harbour, we got ourselves some nice coffees and explored Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve.
When you come in the right season you can even spot whales! It's a lovely walk and has some really great views. We then set off for the Coffs Harbour Butterfly House, and enjoyed our wanders around the garden, the Alice in Wonderland themed maze, and the collection of dinosaurs. That evening we arrived in Bellingen to see...
Dorrigo National Park
We camped for two nights at the Bellingen Showgrounds which I LOVED! Surrounded by horses, and right on the edge of a big arena, it was a pretty cool place to be. We chatted for a while with a girl who had hitch-hiked there and ended up road tripping all through Dorrigo together the next day! We saw the Crystal Shower Falls which were beautiful, you can even walk to the cave behind the waterfall.
The walk takes you to Tristiana falls too, after which we drove to see the viewpoint of Dangar Falls. I recommend you to stop in the visitor center as your first destination, as they'll tell you about which plants to cautiously avoid! There's also a sky walk there which leads out to a breath taking viewpoint. Wear some longer layers as the rainforest is filled with leeches!
On your way out of Belligen, Urunga is a great place to stop. The boardwalk there takes you over the marshes and out to the beach, it's really beautiful. Wear shoes - silly me cut my foot on an old nail :(
We decided afterwards to drive down to Hat Head National Park to camp in, and woke up to kangaroos just outside our tent! A wallaby even joined us for breakfast! Above that we were right by the sea and spent the morning enjoying the waters.
We passed through Port Macquarie but after we enjoyed the beautiful view to the beach, and of course the water itself, we drove down to Manning Park Rest. What a beautiful campsite just off the highway! The couple whose property you are staying on were so sweet and hospitable. We built a fire in one of their little stove heaters and roasted some marshmallows while looking at an abundance of stars.
The Blue Mountains
Now, you NEED to spend at least two nights here, if not three or four. Just driving around here is breath-taking. We camped for a night at Blackheath Glen Reserve , and Blackheath itself is a great place to wander around in after your breakfast. We loved the loop around Porter's Pass, we felt so adventurous climbing over the big rocks along the cliff and crawling through caves to revel at a waterfall IN the cave! I highly recommend this walk, I think at a relaxed pace with plenty of time for frolicking and admiring the views, it took us about 5 hours.
We took in the views of the Three Sister's the next day, and then embarked on a journey toward Wentworth Falls. This is still, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful sights I have seen in my life. It is a steep climb down (and back up! Pfff) but it is worth every step. It's like seeing something out of a film like Avatar. A really incredible waterfall to marvel at. I can't recommend it enough!
We changed campsites to spend the final night at Katoomba Falls Tourist Park, which we were happy with - it has all the necessary resources, although we didn't find it very social. Katoomba itself is a cool little town to explore, and we really enjoyed a dandelion latte at the infamous Yellow Deli.
There are so many more fantastic gems hidden in the Blue Mountains, I think even if you stayed a week you couldn't get tired of these views. This is truly one not to miss!
Sydney
Welcome back to city life! After months of living in the relaxed Byron Bay, then driving down the coast camping, it was overwhelming to suddenly step into a bustling and fast-paced lifestyle. Sydney has lots to offer, with every corner giving you something different.
A highlight for me was seeing Macbeth at the Sydney Opera House - although, I'll spoil it for you now, you don't get to go into the actual Opera House that you're picturing: all the magic happens underneath. But still, I had to tick the bucket list, and it was a fantastic show. Just beside the Opera House are wonderful Botanical Gardens, which you could easily spend the afternoon wandering around.
We saw the classic Bondi Beach, which, after months of enjoying gorgeous Australian beaches dotted along the coast, was a little underwhelming Still, it had a certain charm, and it was pretty cool to finally see this iconic beach with my own eyes. There’s some surfer’s, of course, and a sporty vibe does dominate the beach. I also visited Manly beach, which involves a lovely ferry ride, although I didn’t find it to be the most captivating beach.
We stayed at Sydney Backpacker's Hostel, which boasted a nice rooftop balcony and lots of hostel activities. So if you're travelling solo it's a great place to make friends! This was right in the center and on the edge of Chinatown, which means you can get some nice budget food while being right near all the action.
Booderee National Park
This was by far one of the most beautiful places I visited in Australia. Crystal clear turquoise waters, soft white sand, and no one around... we truly stumbled upon paradise. Hyams Beach - winning the title of the 'Whitest Beach in the World' - is nearby, but I would really push you to explore the National Park, where the beaches are far more beautiful (in my opinion). There is an entrance fee to take your car in, I think it gives you 24 or 48 hours entrance, and the park is super easy to drive around.
Murrays Beach is stunning, and was truly our favourite, looking out at Bowen Island across the ocean and resting on white velvet sand. When we went, there was a high tide, so we didn't make it to the Hole in the Wall beach as there were fallen trees and natural debris everywhere, making it hard to walk. We enjoyed tanning on the Scottish Rocks, and spent awhile on the Cave Beach perusing the rock formations and watching all the surfer's that had gathered. Here we even spotted kangaroos!
We slept in our cars, parking on a friend's driveway who worked in Jervis Bay. There's campsites in the National Park, or in the towns nearby, that aren't too expensive. We really enjoyed a little wander through Huskisson Bay, which had lots of cute shops and some nice bakeries for breakfast. All in all this National Park is a must-see on your trip down the coast, and will have you sitting on an out-of-this-world beach thinking: "Oh yeah, this is the Aussie life".
Canberra
The capital of Australia, this is a really interesting and beautiful place to explore. Driving through roughly three hours of desert (and a heart-wrenching amount of roadkill kangaroos), you suddenly come upon this city with high buildings and futuristic architecture. It felt a little like driving into the Capitol from the Hunger Games!
We stayed at Cotter campground - which requires advance bookings - which wasn't very expensive and included great shower and toilet amenities, including hot water! You're looking out at the nature around, and you can walk down to the river. It's easy to reach with any vehicle.
We enjoyed wandering around the town center, browsing in op shops, and admiring the art placed all along the streets. A particular highlight was visiting the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, which asks a small fee for entrance, but this was worth it dozen fold. We saw a huge field filled with kangaroos, and even got just a few meters from a mom and a baby joey in her pouch! The dad then squared up to us and we hastily took a few steps back. We saw koalas, and wandered around the Eucalyptus forest to spot some more, but unfortunately they were in hiding on this day. We also wandered around the Sanctuary trail during which we spotted a range of small mammals and birds! A really magical place, and well worth a visit.
Mystery Bay
From Canberra, we braved a long drive back to the coast and parked ourselves in the Mystery Bay campground. What a gem! A forest with a winding path, tents and cars nestled in each little clearing, and once you find your way out you step onto a magnificent beach. This was one of the greatest campsites I have seen! Unfortunately, travel isn’t always pleasure and cheer, and most of my time here was taken up by fixing the issue of having locked my car keys in my car. It happens to the best! Shout out to AAMI Roadside Assist for finding me in this forest and helping me out of this sticky situation. The campsite was a really magical spot, so I’ll let it remain a mystery and leave out a photo for this one.
Lakes Entrance
There are lots of beautiful spots to explore here. The town is small and sweet, boasting the largest seashell museum in the world, which makes for a nice souvenir. We stayed at the Buchan Caves Reserve Campground, where we met some lovely people who offered us their extra camping spot, as the site was fully booked and we had not made any booking. While we didn't go to the caves, we heard from all the other campers that it was a magical sight and not to be missed.
There's lots of beaches and quiet spots in Lakes Entrance, and my advice would be to drive to the Eastern Beach parking and explore from there. On foot you can make it to the Main Beach, and this is a lovely walk.
Melbourne
Finally our trip brought us to Melbourne! This city is bursting with art, buzzing with life, and overall just has a cool vibe. Check out Fitzroy and Brunswick, which have lots of nice shops, cafes and quirky restaurants. We loved Balaclava, and make sure to check out the 7-7 Syrian cafe that does the most amazing chai! Melbourne is easy to get around with the trams and trains, and there's so many cool spots to discover.
I stayed at Victoria Hostel in Brunswick, which was relatively small and had a very close-knit atmosphere. Lots of backpackers were living there while working in Melbourne. Explore the gardens and conservatory at Fitzroy gardens, check out the National Gallery of Victoria, and catch a sunset at St Kilda, all in the same day!
The State Library is beautiful to marvel at and a great spot to get some of that travel admin done, and the Lume offers some innovative art displays. It's a city that is really diverse, and there's certainly something for everyone, with no shortage of art, good food, and stunning architecture. Set your bags down to explore and enjoy!
Sadly this is where our coastal adventure ended. We were pressed for time by the end, as we were meeting our friends for a road trip in Tasmania! I think there's definitely some lush spots between Sydney and Melbourne that we may have missed, but that's the beauty of travelling Australia with a car: you can get anywhere, and sometimes the smallest towns off the map are the most beautiful.
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