Best 7-Day Road Trips in Australia: Eight Routes You Can Actually Tow

Most seven-day road trip itineraries in Australia are written for someone driving a hire car or a campervan. They tell you the Sydney to Byron Bay run is 965 kilometres and about 11.5 hours of driving, and they leave it there. Tow a camper trailer along the same road and that number behaves differently: you drive slower, you stop more often, you burn more fuel, and — this is the part nobody writes down — you can unhitch and leave the trailer behind while you explore.

That last point quietly rewrites every itinerary on this page. A camper trailer is not a motorhome. Set it up once and your tow vehicle becomes a normal car again, which means the “best” seven-day route for a trailer is rarely the route with the most kilometres. It is the route with the best base camps.

This guide gives you eight seven-day routes, one for each mainland state plus Tasmania and the Territory, with real distances, honest driving times, 2026 campsite fees and what the week costs in fuel at the national average diesel price of 225.4 cents per litre (23 July 2026, NRMA weekly fuel report). It also tells you which two of these routes are commonly sold as seven-day trips and genuinely are not.

How far you can actually drive in seven days with a trailer

The single most common mistake in a week-long trip is planning it around a map instead of around a driving budget. Towing legally caps you at 100 km/h in NSW, WA and the NT under most conditions, and in practice a loaded teardrop sits happiest between 90 and 100 km/h on the highway. Add fuel stops, a lunch break and a look at something, and a “3.5 hour” leg becomes five hours of your day.

Day type	Realistic towing distance	Time on the road	How many per week
Relocation day (get somewhere)	300–400 km	4.5–6 hrs	Maximum 3
Short hop (move base camp)	100–180 km	2–3 hrs	As many as you like
Base-camp day (trailer stays put)	0–200 km unladen	Your choice	Aim for 3–4
Arrival/departure day	150–250 km	2.5–4 hrs	2 (first and last)

The rule that holds up across all eight routes below: never schedule two relocation days back to back, and never more than three in a week. A week with four 400 km towing days is not a holiday, it is a delivery run.

What towing actually costs over a week

A hard-shell teardrop is the cheapest thing you can put behind a car precisely because it is small and aerodynamic. A 2,650 kg caravan pushed a LandCruiser 200 from 12.6 L/100 km to 23.5 L/100 km in one Australian test — an 87% penalty. A 700–1,200 kg teardrop that sits below the tow vehicle’s roofline typically adds 15–25%.

Over 1,000 km — roughly one of these weeks — at 225.4c/L:

Setup	Consumption	Fuel for 1,000 km	Cost at 225.4c/L	Extra vs no trailer
4WD, no trailer	9.5 L/100 km	95 L	$214	—
4WD + teardrop camper (700–1,200 kg)	11.5 L/100 km	115 L	$259	+$45
4WD + forward-fold camper (1,400 kg)	13.0 L/100 km	130 L	$293	+$79
4WD + 2,000 kg caravan	15.5 L/100 km	155 L	$349	+$135

A week of towing a teardrop costs about $45 more in fuel than driving the same route with nothing behind you, and about $90 less than the same week behind a caravan. In the Northern Territory, where diesel averages 266.3c/L, add roughly 18% to every figure in that table. The full breakdown of what weight does to consumption is in our teardrop camper weight guide.

The base-camp rule that changes every itinerary

Here is the structural advantage nobody writing campervan itineraries can use. A campervan is your bed and your car at the same time. Every side trip drags your kitchen, your water tank and your wardrobe along with it. A camper trailer detaches in under a minute once it is level.

	One-night hops (move daily)	Base camps (2–3 nights each)
Setup/pack-down per week	7 × both	3 × both
Time lost to camp admin	~3.5 hrs (teardrop)	~1.5 hrs
Fuel penalty on side trips	Every kilometre towed	Zero — unladen tow car
Campsites needed	7 bookings	3 bookings
Nights you sleep in the same bed	1	2–3

On a route like the Great Ocean Road, three base camps instead of seven overnight moves saves roughly two hours of setup, four bookings and around $25–35 of fuel on the day trips alone. It also means the good bits — the walk, the swim, the winery — happen with an empty tow ball.

Setup time is what makes or breaks this. A hard-shell teardrop opens in about five minutes because there is no canvas to peg out; a soft-floor camper can take 30–40. If you are still choosing a setup, our rooftop tent vs hard floor comparison covers the trade-offs.

The eight routes at a glance

#	Route	State	Total distance	Towing days	Terrain	Best window
1	Great Ocean Road & the Otways	VIC	~900 km loop	3	Sealed, steep, winding	Mar–May, Sep–Nov
2	Sydney to Byron Bay	NSW	965 km one way	4	Sealed highway + gravel spurs	Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov
3	Top End Loop (Litchfield–Kakadu–Nitmiluk)	NT	~1,300 km loop	4	Sealed + optional 4WD	May–Oct (dry)
4	Perth to Kalbarri & Shark Bay	WA	~1,600 km return	4	Sealed, remote	Apr–Oct
5	Adelaide to the Flinders Ranges	SA	~1,100 km loop	3	Sealed + gravel	Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
6	Tasmania’s East Coast	TAS	~700 km	4	Sealed, tight, hilly	Nov–Apr
7	Brisbane to 1770 & Bundaberg	QLD	~1,000 km return	4	Sealed + soft sand spurs	Apr–Oct
8	Great Alpine Road & High Country	VIC/NSW	~950 km loop	4	Sealed, high altitude	Nov–Apr

1. Great Ocean Road and the Otways (VIC) — ~900 km

The road itself is only 243 km from Torquay to Allansford, which is exactly why it works so well as a seven-day trailer trip: you spend almost none of the week towing. Three base camps put every attraction within 30 minutes of the trailer.

Days	Leg	Towed distance	Base camp
1	Melbourne → Anglesea	115 km / 1.75 hrs	Anglesea or Torquay
2–3	Anglesea → Apollo Bay	90 km / 1.5 hrs	Apollo Bay (Otways day trips)
4–5	Apollo Bay → Port Campbell	95 km / 1.5 hrs	Port Campbell (Twelve Apostles)
6–7	Port Campbell → Melbourne	285 km / 3.5 hrs	Home

Watch for: the section between Lorne and Apollo Bay is genuinely tight and cambered. It is fine with a short trailer and mirrors, unpleasant with a long one. Booking note: from 1 July 2026, several Great Ocean Road campsites moved from Parks Victoria to the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (GORCAPA) and must be booked on their own system — check before you assume a Parks Vic booking covers you.

Fuel estimate: ~$235 towing, at Victoria’s 220.4c/L average diesel.

2. Sydney to Byron Bay (NSW) — 965 km

The classic east coast run. Straight through it is 11.5 hours; over seven days it becomes four short towing days and three days of doing nothing in particular, which is the correct way to do it.

Days	Leg	Towed distance	Where to stay
1–2	Sydney → Port Stephens	210 km / 2.75 hrs	Beachside holiday parks, $30–60/night
3	Port Stephens → Crowdy Bay NP	160 km / 2.5 hrs	Diamond Head campground, ~$24/night for two
4–5	Crowdy Bay → Crescent Head	90 km / 1.5 hrs	Crescent Head Holiday Park
6	Crescent Head → Dorrigo	105 km / 1.75 hrs	Dorrigo Mountain, powered sites
7	Dorrigo → Byron Bay	210 km / 3.5 hrs	Reflections Clarkes Beach, $40–65/night

The catch nobody mentions: this is a one-way route. Either budget a second week to come home down the New England Highway (~800 km inland), or accept that day eight is a long day. Diamond Head and the NPWS coastal campgrounds are the highlight and the hardest to book — see our NSW camping spots guide for the 2026 fee tiers and which sites take trailers.

Fuel estimate: ~$225 one way at NSW pricing.

3. Top End Loop: Litchfield, Kakadu, Nitmiluk (NT) — ~1,300 km

Seven days is the sweet spot here, and the loop shape means no backtracking: Darwin south to Litchfield, east to Katherine, north through Kakadu, back to Darwin on the Arnhem Highway.

Days	Leg	Towed distance	Highlight
1–2	Darwin → Litchfield NP	120 km / 1.5 hrs	Wangi, Florence, Buley Rockhole
3	Litchfield → Katherine	260 km / 3 hrs	Nitmiluk Gorge
4–5	Katherine → Kakadu (Cooinda)	300 km / 3.5 hrs	Yellow Water, Nourlangie rock art
6	Cooinda → Jabiru/Ubirr	55 km / 1 hr	Ubirr sunset
7	Jabiru → Darwin	250 km / 3 hrs	Arnhem Highway

Season is not negotiable. Go May to October. In the wet, roads close, swimming holes are off limits and crocodile risk changes everything. You do not need a 4WD for the main sites in the dry, but Jim Jim Falls, Twin Falls and Maguk do — and those tracks are no place for a trailer, which is another argument for leaving it at a base camp.

Fuel warning: NT diesel averages 266.3c/L, the dearest in the country. Budget around $390 for the loop, and fill up in Darwin and Katherine rather than at roadhouses.

4. Perth to Kalbarri and Shark Bay (WA) — ~1,600 km return

Here is the honest version of a trip that gets sold badly. Perth to Exmouth is about 1,270 km each way — 2,540 km return. Doing that in seven days while towing means four days of 600 km-plus driving. It is a 10 to 14-day trip, not a seven-day one.

The seven-day version that works stops at Shark Bay:

Days	Leg	Towed distance	Highlight
1	Perth → Jurien Bay	220 km / 2.75 hrs	Pinnacles Desert
2–3	Jurien Bay → Kalbarri	350 km / 4 hrs	Nature’s Window, coastal cliffs
4–5	Kalbarri → Denham (Shark Bay)	390 km / 4.5 hrs	Shell Beach, Monkey Mia
6–7	Denham → Perth	830 km over 2 days	Overnight at Geraldton

Distances between fuel stops are the real constraint on the Coral Coast, not the driving. Towing cuts your range by roughly a fifth — a 700 km tank becomes 560 km. Carry water for the gaps too; our guide on how long you can stay off-grid covers the maths for a couple on an 80 L tank.

Fuel estimate: ~$390 return.

5. Adelaide to the Flinders Ranges (SA) — ~1,100 km

Wilpena Pound sits about 430 km north of Adelaide, roughly five hours via the Barrier Highway through Quorn and Hawker. That is a single relocation day, which leaves five days in one of the best base-camp regions in the country.

Days	Leg	Towed distance	Base camp
1	Adelaide → Clare Valley/Melrose	220 km / 2.5 hrs	Melrose
2–4	Melrose → Wilpena Pound	210 km / 2.5 hrs	Wilpena Pound Campground
5	Wilpena → Rawnsley Park/Blinman	60–100 km / 1–1.5 hrs	Optional second base
6–7	Return via Port Augusta	480 km over 2 days	Home

2026 costs: Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park requires a SA Parks Pass; expect a $12.50 vehicle entry fee plus $24 per night for a one-vehicle site ($34.50 for two vehicles). Wilpena Pound Campground powered sites run from $43–50 per night, unpowered from $30–31.

The gravel roads out to Brachina and Bunyeroo gorges are graded but corrugated. Corrugations are what kill trailers — why suspension matters explains what 1,300 impacts per kilometre does to a chassis, and why independent coil is not a luxury out here.

6. Tasmania’s East Coast (TAS) — ~700 km

The shortest route on this list and, per kilometre, the densest. Devonport to Bay of Fires to Freycinet to Hobart covers about 700 km in a week, which is barely 100 km a day.

Days	Leg	Towed distance	Highlight
1	Devonport → Launceston	100 km / 1.25 hrs	Cataract Gorge
2–3	Launceston → Bay of Fires	190 km / 2.7 hrs	Binalong Bay to Eddystone Point (50 km of coast)
4	Bay of Fires → Bicheno	110 km / 1.5 hrs	Penguin colony
5–6	Bicheno → Freycinet NP	45 km / 1 hr	Wineglass Bay lookout, 60–90 min return
7	Freycinet → Hobart	195 km / 2.5 hrs	Ferry or fly home

Budget the ferry properly. A car towing a caravan or trailer on the Spirit of Tasmania runs $224–452 one way depending on season and sailing time, plus passenger fares from around $100 each, plus the 15% fuel surcharge applied to bookings made from 31 March 2026. Round trip for two with a trailer: realistically $900–1,400 before you have bought a litre of diesel.

That cost is exactly why Tasmania rewards a small trailer. Fare bands are driven by length.

7. Brisbane to 1770 and Bundaberg (QLD) — ~1,000 km return

Brisbane to Agnes Water/1770 is 380 km, around 5.5 hours. Strung over a week with Noosa and Bundaberg, it becomes a relaxed coastal loop with the Southern Great Barrier Reef at the far end.

Days	Leg	Towed distance	Highlight
1–2	Brisbane → Noosa/Sunshine Coast	150 km / 2 hrs	Noosa NP coastal walk
3	Noosa → Rainbow Beach	130 km / 2 hrs	Carlo Sand Blow
4–5	Rainbow Beach → Agnes Water/1770	300 km / 3.5 hrs	Lady Musgrave Island day trip
6	1770 → Bundaberg	130 km / 1.75 hrs	Mon Repos turtles (Nov–Mar)
7	Bundaberg → Brisbane	370 km / 4.25 hrs	Home

Queensland national park camping is the cheapest in the country at $7.75 per person per night through QPWS. Beach access at Rainbow Beach and Inskip is soft sand and tidal — a place to leave the trailer, not tow it. More detail in our Queensland camping spots guide and, if the reef is the point, the best beach camping destinations guide.

8. Great Alpine Road and the High Country (VIC/NSW) — ~950 km

The Great Alpine Road runs 339 km from Wangaratta to Bairnsdale and is Australia’s highest year-round sealed road. As a loop from Melbourne it makes a superb summer week — and a genuinely demanding towing week.

Days	Leg	Towed distance	Base camp
1	Melbourne → Bright	310 km / 3.5 hrs	Bright
2–3	Bright (base camp)	0 km towed	Mt Buffalo, Harrietville day trips
4	Bright → Omeo via Mt Hotham	110 km / 2.25 hrs	Omeo or JB Plain
5–6	Omeo → Lakes Entrance	160 km / 2.25 hrs	Gippsland Lakes
7	Lakes Entrance → Melbourne	320 km / 3.75 hrs	Home

The Hotham climb is the hardest towing on this page. Sustained 8–10% grades, and fuel use on steep grades can rise 40% above the flat-road figure. Trailer brakes are not optional: any trailer over 750 kg GTM needs them under ADR38, and here you will actually use them — see our electric brakes guide. Between Omeo and Harrietville you must carry snow chains in winter, which is a decent reason to keep this one to November–April.

What to book, and what to wing

Seven-day trips fail on bookings far more often than on driving. Australian park systems release inventory on wildly different schedules.

System	Booking window	2026 notes
Parks Victoria	Rolling; summer released ~5–6 months ahead	Summer 2026–27 opened 6 July 2026, 10am AEST
GORCAPA (Great Ocean Road)	Separate system since 1 July 2026	Do not assume Parks Vic covers it
NSW NPWS	Up to 12 months	6-tier fee structure; coastal sites go fast
QPWS (Queensland)	Up to 6 months	$7.75 per adult per night
SA Parks	Up to 12 months	Parks Pass + vehicle entry fee separate
NT Parks	Mostly first-come	Dry season only for most Kakadu sites
Private holiday parks	6–12 months for school holidays	$30–65/night typical

Practical rule: book the two or three nights that are non-negotiable (Wilpena, Freycinet, Byron in peak) and leave the rest loose. A self-contained trailer is what buys you that flexibility — it means a free camp or a roadside rest area is a genuine option rather than a compromise. Our self-contained camper guide covers the CMCA rules and grey-water requirements state by state.

Matching the route to the trailer

Not every route needs the same setup. The honest version:

Route	Minimum sensible setup	Why
Great Ocean Road, East Coast NSW, QLD coast	Any hard-shell teardrop (from Breath Essential, $23,320, 700 kg)	Sealed roads, facilities everywhere
Tasmania	Short and light — ferry fares are length-banded	Cost, plus tight coastal roads
Flinders Ranges, Top End	Off-road suspension, dust sealing, 100 L+ water	Corrugations, gravel, distance between towns
High Country	Electric brakes, decent tow vehicle, low-range useful	Sustained 8–10% grades
Any route with no amenities	Interior bathroom — Breath Max, $47,190, the only teardrop in Australia under $50k with a full internal bathroom	Free camping without an amenities block

For a week away, the bathroom question decides more itineraries than terrain does. If your route depends on booked caravan parks because someone in the car needs a toilet at 2am, you are locked into the busiest and most expensive sites on the coast. If the trailer carries its own, the Breath Max and the free-camping options it unlocks change what a seven-day route can even look like. The full spec-by-spec breakdown across all four models is on our comparison page.

The seven-day prep list

Short trips get under-prepared precisely because they are short. The five that matter:

1. Tyre pressures, trailer included — check cold, before you leave, every time.
2. Wheel bearings if you are doing gravel: a Flinders or Top End week is a bearing-service week, not a “she’ll be right” week.
3. Water — 10 L per person per day is the working number. A couple for seven days is 140 L, which is more than most single tanks hold, so plan a refill.
4. Fridge and power — a 12V compressor fridge pulls 45–60 Ah a day in summer. Seven days off-grid needs solar, not just a battery. See how much solar you need.
5. The shakedown — if the trailer is new, do one local overnight before a seven-day trip. It is the cheapest fault-finding you will ever do.

If your week is a rehearsal for something longer, the Big Lap preparation guide covers the admin, budgets and service intervals that a seven-day trip lets you skip.

Frequently asked questions

How many kilometres a day should I drive when towing a camper trailer?

Plan on 300–400 km on a relocation day and no more than three of those in a week. Towing adds time in ways the map does not show: slower speeds, longer overtaking, more frequent fuel stops. A leg that Google says is 3.5 hours will occupy about five hours of your day.

Is seven days enough for the Great Ocean Road?

Comfortably, yes — the road is only 243 km. Seven days lets you use three base camps and still spend most days out of the car. Three to five days is the common recommendation for driving it; a week is what makes it a holiday rather than a drive.

Can you do Perth to Exmouth in seven days?

Not well. It is roughly 1,270 km each way, so a return trip means four days of long driving out of seven. Perth to Kalbarri and Shark Bay is the honest seven-day version; save Exmouth and Ningaloo for a 10 to 14-day trip.

How much extra fuel does a teardrop camper use?

Typically 15–25% more than driving unladen — around 2 L/100 km on a mid-size 4WD. Over a 1,000 km week at the July 2026 national average of 225.4c/L, that is about $45 extra. A 2,000 kg caravan on the same week costs roughly $135 extra.

Do I need a 4WD for these routes?

For routes 1, 2, 6 and 7, no — a competent 2WD SUV with the right tow rating is fine. For the Flinders gorge roads, Top End side tracks and anything unsealed after rain, a 4WD is the sensible choice. The tow rating matters more than the drivetrain: check the towing guide before you commit.

What does a week of camping cost in park fees?

Somewhere between $54 and $450 for two people, depending entirely on where you sleep. Queensland national parks are $7.75 per adult per night ($108 for a week for two); coastal holiday parks in peak season run $40–65 a night ($280–455). Mixing the two is how most people do a week.

The short version

Seven days is enough for any of these eight routes if you plan around driving days rather than destinations. Three relocation days, three base camps, and a trailer that sets up in five minutes rather than forty is the shape that works — and the fuel difference between doing it behind a teardrop and doing it behind a caravan is roughly $90 a week, which pays for two nights of camping.

If you are weighing up which setup makes those weeks possible, the model comparison lays out weights, tow ratings and prices side by side, or you can book a viewing and hitch one to your own car before you decide.

Recommended reading

• Camper Trailer Towing Guide (Australia) — tow ratings, ball weight and the legal limits that govern every route above.
• Teardrop Camper Towing Tips — load distribution, sway control and reversing, for the days you do have to move.
• Top 20 National Parks to Visit with a Camper Trailer — the parks these routes pass through, with access and booking notes.
• Best Teardrop Camper Destinations by State — 18 destinations with terrain ratings, if you want to build your own route.
• Must-Have Accessories for Off-Road Adventures — recovery gear, comms and tyre kit for the unsealed sections.