by Lindsey
(Doha, Qatar)
We will be traveling from Perth to Brisbane from mid august - please could you recommend a route and if there are any licenses that we may have to obtain - we will hire a motorhome.
Answer
Wow - what a trip! Perth to Brisbane is over 5000km so would take over 50 hours of straight driving.
Travelling in August means you have a few options as the top end is accessible at this time (it's the dry season).
The most direct route would be straight through the centre but I wouldn't recommend this. It would take you right through the desert - great if you are really adventurous but you would have to have a 4WD motor home to do this as some of the roads are unsealed.
If you are looking for the shortest route then it's probably via the Outback Way - Brisbane-Winton-Boulia-Alice Springs-Uluru-Docker River-Laverton-Kalgoorlie-Perth.
The only problem with this route is that there is a section in Queensland from Boulia which is 4WD. Will you be hiring a 4WD motorhome?
An alternativen with no unsealed roads would be to go via central New South Wales via Narabee, Broken Hill-Port Agusta-Across the Nullabor-Norseman-Kalgoorlie-Perth.
If this is about seeing as much of Australia as possible then I would consider hugging the coast for as long as possible. Otherwise there are large sections with nothing to see.
There is really 2 options for this - Top or Bottom
The Top
You could go Brisbane-Cairns-Alice Springs-Ayers Rock- detour back up to Darwin via Kathrine and Kakadu-Broome-Exmouth-Monkey Mia-Perth
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The Bottom End
Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne-Mornington Peninsula-Great Ocean Drive-Robe-Adelaide-Kangaroo Island-Cross the Nullabor Desert-Esperance-Albany-Margaret River-Perth
View Larger Map
The best route really depends on what you want to see most. The top end gives you The Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu National Park, Ayers Rock and some stunning rock formations/gorges. It also gives you a lovely trip down the less crowded west coast of Australia.
The bottom trip covers more cities, the beautiful and popular East Coast and you get to cross one of Australia's deserts before hitting Esperance, which is absolutely stunning.
Some travel Watch Outs
I hope you have a wonderful trip. Let me know which route you decide for your Perth to Brisbane road trip and how it was.