The Best Road Trips from Brisbane

Sick of the city life and want a change of scenery? These 5 amazing road trips from Brisbane will inspire you to get out of the city and explore what else Australia has to offer. From wildlife sanctuaries and thrill seeking theme parks in Gold Coast, to whale watching and waterfall watching in Byron Bay, these Australian road trips will have you planning your next Australian holiday before you’re even headed home!

Car Hire in Australia

First things first if you want to do one of these road trips from Brisbane, is finding the perfect place to hire a car. I can only personally recommend Europcar on Elizabeth Street in Brisbane CBD as that is where we hired our cars from. We managed to book a last minute one day car hire for our trip to Tamborine Mountain, and had pre-booked a car for our three day road trip to Mt Glorious.

Sunshine Coast

Distance from Brisbane: 107km / 1.5 hours by car

The Sunshine Coast is known for its incredible beaches, amazing nature escapes and chill vibes. It is one of the most favoured short distance road trips from Brisbane as it’s pretty much a straight shot on the highway heading north, making it an ideal location for families with young children or those who simply don’t want to get lost in Australia.

Australia Zoo

One of the most popular road trips from Brisbane is the journey to Australia Zoo; the legacy of the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. Australia Zoo is world renowned for its conservation efforts, Irwin family legacy and love for it’s captive animals that they are working hard to bring back from the brink of extinction and endangerment.

Best Beaches in Sunshine Coast

The beaches in Sunshine Coast are worthy of many road trips from Brisbane. Sitting just over an hour away from Brisbane you will find these bustling white sand beaches bordered by a lively town center and plenty of food outlet options. Mooloolaba beach is patrolled by lifeguards at certain times so be sure to swim between the flags.

• Mudjimba Beach
• Mooloolaba Beach
• Kawana Beach
• Wurtulla Beach

Mount Glorious

Distance from Brisbane: 64km / 1:20 hour by car

Mount Glorious is one of the more relaxing road trips from Brisbane, we escaped the city for a few days and reconnected with a slower pace of living, even if it was for three short days. We stayed at Maiala Park Lodge, explored the forests during the day, and watched bats and birds flood the sky during the evenings.

Northbrook Gorge

Northbrook Gorge is not for the casual walker, this hike requires proper hiking boots, good stability and someone who doesn’t mind getting a bit wet or coming into close proximity with spiders. This hike was completed on one of our road trips from Brisbane and although I’m so thankful we did it, I wont be doing it again.

Harry Potter Inspired Cafe

The Harry Potter inspired café was an unexpected visit on our trip to Mount Glorious. The Store of Requirement is located in Samford Village and sells all licensed Harry Potter merchandise. The café next door is not officially Harry Potter licensed but the decorations and atmosphere is very magical in its own right. So if you are a Harry Potter fan or are travelling with someone that is, I highly recommend putting this on your list of ideas for road trips from Brisbane.

Tamborine Mountain

Distance from Brisbane: 69km / 1 hour by car

Tamborine Mountain is a vibrant and thick green forest in the Scenic Rim region of Queensland, Australia; a relative contrast to the bustling city life of Brisbane CBD. This rainforest south of Brisbane serves as an extremely popular bushland escape for locals and international visitors, loved for it’s forest walks, beautiful scenery, waterfalls and suburbs with boutique shopping.

Tamborine Mountain serves as one of the more popular short distance road trips from Brisbane, perfect for those tight schedule holidays where you still want to experience some of the natural landscapes.

Hiking Trails in Tamborine Mountain

These hiking trails in Tamborine Mountain are worth the road trip from Brisbane. Hike to surging waterfalls, stroll to free flowing creeks to sunbathing water lizards, or get squawked at by a very annoyed yellow-crested cockatoo. The Tamborine Rainforest Walk is the only hike that requires payments as it offers incredible views from a suspension bridge, however Curtis Falls and Cedar Creek are both free to visit.

• Curtis Falls
• Cedar Creek Falls
• Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk

Shopping in Tamborine Mountain

If you’re looking for more boutique shopping options in Brisbane then I suggest taking one of these road trips and visiting Eagle Heights. Eagle Heights is a suburb in Tamborine Mountain that was an unexpected surprise, the main streets is filled with gorgeous shops and hidden gems. I managed to do all my souvenir and Christmas shopping by visiting Eagle Heights.

• The Gnome Gallery
• The German Cuckoo Clock Shop
• Christmas on Tamborine

Gold Coast

Distance from Brisbane: 70km / 1 hour by car

The Gold Coast is probably one of the most popular road trips from Brisbane, especially if you’re looking for family-friendly road trips. Everything from incredible wildlife sanctuaries to thrill seeking adventures, relaxing beaches and even better shopping, the Gold Coast has everything you need for a incredible family-friendly holiday.

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the best wildlife sanctuaries in Australia; dedicated to conservation through education, research and aiding in preserving certain Australian species. Currumbin is one of the Gold Coasts best Wildlife Sanctuaries where you can have animal encounters without feeling like animals are being exploited for their beauty. This wildlife sanctuary includes many animal encounters, including breakfast with a Koala where you can enjoy a meal with a dedicated Koala keeper and a Koala, to feeding Capybara and being flocked by hundreds of Lorikeets during feeding time. Please enjoy the incredibly old photo of me with a Kangaroo at Currumbin.

Gold Coast Theme Parks

Gold Coast is most popular for family holidays in Australia, hosting world class theme parks fun for everyone of all ages. Road trips from Brisbane to the Gold Coast can go without a visit to any one of it amazing theme parks.

Movie World

Movie World is where you can find some of the best theme parks rides in Australia based on your favourite movies and big screen characters. From the incredibly fast Superman rollercoaster, to the Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster that has always been a crowd favourite. Interact with your favourite movie characters and sit back and watch the explosive stunt show. Movie World is where you can guarantee a fantastic day for everyone visiting.

Dream World

Dream World is Australia’s largest theme park with over 40 rides and attractions; featuring a zoo with tigers and animals native to Australia, and thrill seeking rides fit for those teenagers and adults who crave an adrenalin rush. Family friendly rides make an appearance with dodgems, water park rides at White Water World and less speedy roller coaster rides.

White Water World

Australia is known for its hot days and even warmer nights, cool of by spending a day at the extremely popular White Water World. This water based theme park in Australia mixes thrill seeking rides with water based activities. Throw yourself down a hydrocoaster or send yourself into a spiral on White Water Worlds ‘Green Room’, which is practically a giant funnel that you ride on a pool floaty.

Shopping in Gold Coast

It wouldn’t be a very good Gold Coast travel guide without mentioning the shopping outlets in the Gold Coast. Harbour Town Outlet Mall has some of the best deals and end of line clothing and beauty; whereas Pacific and Australia Fair is where you will find the latest and greatest trends.

• Harbour Town Outlet Mall
• Pacific Fair
• Australia Fair

Best Beaches in Gold Coast

All of these road trips from Brisbane will have some sort of mention of the incredible Australian beaches, and even though Gold Coast is popular for its theme parks, their beaches are worth visiting too.

• Broadbeach
• Miami Beach
• Burleigh Beach

Byron Bay

Distance from Brisbane: 164km / 2 hours by car

Byron Bay is an incredibly popular holiday destination and Australian coastal town that a lot of celebrities call home. Famous for its bright blue waters, bustling beaches perfect for surfing and rugged coastline great for bush walks and day trips. Surrounded by dense bush and the Cape Byron Conservation Park, Byron Bay isn’t just favoured for its water based activities as the coastal hikes are worth exploring.

Best Beaches in Byron Bay

If you’re looking for things to do in Byron Bay then your first port of call should be hitting the beaches, there are many beautiful beaches surrounding Byron Bay, you just need to find the one that suits your needs. From quieter beaches perfect for families to surf beaches like Main Beach and Clarkes Bay. If you’re travelling with your furry friend then Belongil Beach is the place to be.

• Main Beach
• Clarkes Beach
• Belongil Beach (Dog friendly)

Other Amazing Things to do in Byron Bay

From sea based adventures to getting lost in the dense forest, there is something to do in Byron Bay that will fit everyone’s needs. If you’re visiting between Jun and November check out a whale watching expedition, as humpback whales are frequent in Byron Bay during the cooler months,

• Snorkeling Tour
• Waterfall and Rainforest Tours
• Byron Bay Sea Kayak Tour

Other Amazing Road Trips from Brisbane

Some international visitors tend to under estimate the size of Australia which is why I have only spoke in detail about road trips that you can do in a day from Brisbane. If you are wanting more point to point road trips and don’t mind spending multiple days in a car to get to your destination, then check out these following road trip ideas from Brisbane:

• Brisbane to Sydney via Coffs Harbour: 9.5 hours driving time
• Brisbane, Coffs Harbour, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne: 18.5 hours driving time.
• Brisbane to Mackay via Bundaberg Central: 11 hours driving time