Trying to decide what to include in a 6 week Australia itinerary? Well, you’ve come to the right place my friend! You’re about to set off on the absolute trip of a lifetime, with so many amazing stops and adventures to choose from. Here’s my own 6 week itinerary to help get you started.
Hobart – 4 nights
I flew pretty much non stop from Dublin to Hobart (Dublin-Dubai-Melbourne-Hobart). I wanted to get the toughest and longest part of the journey over as early as possible so that I could have the maximum amount of time in Australia. I have family in Hobart and had visited there a couple of times before, so I knew my time there would be relaxed and give me a chance to get over any potential jet lag before heading off on my own.
There’s so much to see in and around Hobart that 4 nights is definitely not too long for anybody. It could be an advantage to hire a car as some of the sights are well outside the city; otherwise there is an excellent tourist office that can help you work out how to get to everywhere you want to go.
Within Hobart itself, there is a vibrant bar scene, and the Salamanca markets on Saturday morning are an absolute must for all sorts of souvenirs and delicious fresh food.
Be aware that Tasmania is a huge state and that if you want to see more than just Hobart and it’s surrounds, you will need a lot more than 4 days.
Adelaide – 2 nights
After flying from Hobart back to Adelaide, I spent 2 nights there before heading off for the Great Ocean Road. I honestly wasn’t a big fan (sorry, Adelaide!), and recommend skipping it if you’re short on time. I spent most of my one full day there doing laundry and getting myself sorted with an Australian SIM card.
Adelaide to Melbourne via the Grampians and the Great Ocean Road – 3 days and 2 nights
Next up was my 3 day, 2 night Grampians and Great Ocean Road trip with Groovy Grape tours. Honestly, I hadn’t heard much about the Grampians and it wasn’t really on my must-see list for the trip. But when I started looking at my options for seeing the Great Ocean Road and spotted the trip, it was the perfect choice.
It picks up in Adelaide on the morning of day 1 and drops off in Melbourne on the afternoon of day 3 (it also runs in reverse, Melbourne to Adelaide), so there’s no doubling back or trying to sort out transport from one city to the next. The Grampians National Park is absolutely beautiful and I got to see some Aussie wildlife that I probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise, so I definitely recommend the trip.
Melbourne – 3 nights
Melbourne is pretty much universally considered the cultural capital of Australia, so you will need AT LEAST 3 nights here. It’s a big-ass city with a ton to see and do, so use your time wisely and try to stay in the area where you feel you’ll spend the most time.
I stayed in St. Kilda on 2 of my 3 visits to Melbourne, including the most recent one. Make sure to get a Myki card to make travelling on public transport quick and easy.
Overnight train from Melbourne to Sydney – 1 night
Sydney – 3 days and 2 nights
I had already visited Sydney on a few occasions in the past, so I opted for a short visit this time. If it’s your first visit though, 2 nights is just not going to be enough. As with Melbourne, you’ll need to choose whether to stay in the CBD area, or one of the more chilled-out beachside suburbs.
Check out this blog post for recommendations on what to see and do in Sydney, and click here for details on how to get around the city.
Overnight bus from Sydney to Byron Bay – 1 night
Greyhound Australia offer a great bus service up and down the east coast. Visit their website here for fare prices and bookings.
Byron Bay – 2 nights
Being a bit of a beach bum at heart, I loved my time in Byron Bay. I was there for Christmas Day and so I didn’t do much other than checking out the hippie vibe and taking a break from the city scene before heading to Brisbane.
I definitely recommend including at least 2 nights here. There’s plenty to see and do as well as just enjoying the laid back atmosphere of the town itself. Consider a day tour to Nimbin, something I didn’t get a chance to do myself.
Brisbane – 3 nights
Unlike Melbourne and Sydney, Brisbane isn’t filled with Instagram famous sights like Sydney Harbour or Hosier Lane in Melbourne. It has a lazy charm of it’s own though, with a manmade beach and the Brisbane sign in the South Bank area offering a relaxing days sightseeing.
There are also day tour options to Moreton Island and Australia Zoo, as well as river dinner cruises and the chance to see the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef. Some Fraser Island tours offer pick up and drop off in Brisbane, although this does cost considerably more than leaving from Hervey Bay or Rainbow Beach (or even Noosa), so I only advise doing this if you don’t plan on heading further north up the coast.
Hervey Bay – 1 night
Hervey Bay is one of the starting points for the very popular Fraser Island experience (the others are Rainbow Beach, Noosa and Brisbane). We made our own way from Brisbane to Hervey Bay using the Greyhound bus service and stayed there overnight, meeting our Fraser Island tour bus the following morning.
Hervey Bay is a nice little town, with some decent bars and restaurants but doesn’t really call for any longer than a quick overnight stop between other locations or activities.
Fraser Island – 4 days and 3 nights
If I were to urge you to do just one thing during your time in Australia, a Fraser Island tour would absolutely be it. I visited 12 years ago on my first visit to Oz and was certain that I wanted to go back this time.
There are various tours available, from shorter 1 night/2 day visits, to a 4 night/5 day experience. Viator.com is always a good starting point to see what tours are available, although it is generally cheaper to book the tours directly with the provider once you’ve decided on what you want to do.
We took the 4 day/3 night Cool Dingo tour with Adventure Free tours and were very impressed with the package. It was great value for money with a professional guide to do all the 4 wheel driving so we could just sit back and relax.
Agnes Water – 2 nights
Agnes Water is another small town that I absolutely recommend stopping in for a night or 2. We originally included it because I wanted to take the Scooteroo tour, where we would have dressed in leathers with fake tattoos and ridden mini Harleys around at sunset.
When we got there though, it was seriously too hot for wearing leathers, so we decided to take a local tour instead, visiting a kangaroo sanctuary and seeing some other local sights before enjoying wine and nibbles on the beach at sunset.
Overnight bus to Airlie Beach to board our Whitsundays tour – 1 night
Whitsundays Sailing Tour
This was another of our organised tours where we decided to splurge a little bit. It’s honestly pretty difficult to have a DIY experience of the Whitsundays. There are ferries between the islands so it is possible to some extent. But to have the full experience of living on the sea for a few nights, it’s best to book a tour.
Once again, we booked with Adventure Free tours as they were offering great value packages, and had lots of different options with dates and trip durations. We chose a 3 day/3 night experience on an old sailing boat and absolutely loved it.
Airlie Beach – 1 night
We had a quick stop in Airlie Beach for one night after our Whitsundays sailing trip. I definitely recommend spending at least one night here before moving on as most of the sailing trips organise some sort of “after party” type event somewhere in Airlie Beach where you can spend an evening with your new BFFs before saying goodbye.
Be sure to check out the Airlie Beach lagoon. I found it just as impressive as the more famous one in Cairns, and much less crowded and more chilled, even though we were there on a Saturday afternoon.
Magnetic Island – 2 nights
This was another destination where our plans completely changed from what we had originally hoped to do. Magnetic Island is relatively small but has quite a lot of wildlife. One of the popular things to do is to rent an open top jeep and drive around the island spotting kangaroos and koalas in the wild.
The jeeps apparently book up quickly so it’s best to arrange rental in advance. The weather warnings had been pretty unpredictable though so we decided to wait and try our luck on the day if the weather was on our side.
On our arrival on the island, the weather was fabulous but we both agreed to skip the jeep tour and just enjoy a lazy day by the hostel pool. However, due to another unexpected change, we had a front row seat (from our sea view room) of a very impressive thunderstorm.
Townsville – 1 night
This was another quick stop after our return from Magnetic Island. We have a friend from Ireland who lives in Townsville, so we planned a quick catch up and a one night stay at the Rambutan hostel. Townsville is big and impressive and we both wished we could stay longer.
Read my full review of the excellent Rambutan hostel in Townsville here.
Cairns – 6 nights
Honestly, 6 nights in Cairns felt like too long. It was one of my least favourite places we visited on the entire trip, and I wished that we had spent longer in Agnes Water or Townsville instead of spending so long in Cairns.
A visit to the Great Barrier Reef is obviously a must while in the area, and there’s an opportunity to skydive in Cairns itself or at Mission Beach. I also recommend taking the Kuranda Railway and spending a few hours in Kuranda, a pretty little town surrounded by the Daintree rainforest.
Leave a Reply