Perth to Brisbane Road Trip

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.

Road Trip Ladies

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

View Larger Map

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

Don't forget to stock up on water and fuel whenever you can. Believe the signs that say "Last stop for 750km"

Avoid driving at night, especially through the Nullarbor. There are heaps of Kangaroos and hitting one of these will wreck your car or motorhome

Pack a good first aid kit, just in case - you could be a long way from a hospital!

In terms of your question about Licenses, you will need an International Driving License to be able to travel on Australia's roads. You should be able to get this in Qatar before you leave. If you are from the US or the UK your license is OK but any non English speaking country is advised to get an International license.

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.

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