Australia Itinerary 3 Weeks – Sorted!

If you’re visiting Australia but can’t manage a full one-year working holiday visa, three weeks is still an ideal time to experience our country without the hassle of working. And while we’re sure you’d love to spend more time here, we get not everyone can just up and leave their lives back home.

So, whether you want to dive deep into the Great Barrier Reef, take sight of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge or cruise down the Great Ocean Road, there’s so much you don’t want to miss in a country full of beauty, nature, and adventure. 

The best thing for your three weeks in Australia is to plan and budget accordingly. While it doesn’t sound like the wildest thing to do, it’s the best way to ensure you make the most of your adventure without any dramas. 

What is the best way to travel around Australia? 

If you’re not aware yet, Australia is humongous! To be precise, it’s 32 times bigger than the UK (3,078% bigger)! So, you can’t just jump on a bus or train and be at the next big city in a few hours. 

The solution? 

The quickest way to cover long distances is to fly. But flying’s expensive and lacks the experience you’d get from a road trip with friends.

As a wise man once said, “It’s not the destination. It’s the journey.” 

Hiring a campervan to travel from place to place not only gives you the wheels to move. It provides a home to cook up a storm for the night. 

A camper will also save you a few £££ too, and you get to see the country for what it is on the ground compared to looking out a plane window 30,000 feet above the clouds. 

Now for the exciting part. 

The first thing to think about is your route. What do you want to see, and what kind of experience are you after? 

For example, do you want to party?

Or witness nature like never before? 

Maybe a bit of both? 

It’s all possible, but to see it all will require rushing around and flying. Because of the sheer size of Oz, we recommend choosing between the East or West while avoiding being stranded in the middle. 

East coast or West coast?  

The East Coast of Australia promises the most action, with the lively states of Queensland, New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria from top to bottom. This route offers incredible coastlines and popular places like Cairns, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sydney, and Melbourne. 

Over to the West in WA (Western Australia), we have places like Perth, Exmouth, the Margaret River, and Bremer Bay. The West has fewer cities than in the East. It’s much less hustle and bustle and ideal for a more laid-back camper experience. 

But, with a five-hour flight from Sydney to Perth, you can still capitalise on your three-week visit by reaching both sides of the country. After all, heaps of campervan hire companies allow you to pick up your campervan and drop it off in another city where you can go catch a flight. 

Start in Sydney: 3-4 days

Sydney is Australia’s largest city and boasts multiple attractions, such as the exquisite harbourside, Bondi Beach and the Royal Botanic Gardens. 

It’s an ideal place to arrive and has all you need to start your Aussie adventure. 

If you also enjoy the finer things in life, Sydney has numerous restaurants and cocktail bars in areas like Surrey Hills, Darling Harbour and the Inner West or Eastern Suburbs. 

Aim to stay in Sydney for about three days and soak up the atmosphere of Australia’s most vibrant and famous city.

Our favourite way to travel is by campervan!

of course!

Drive North or South: 14-16 days 

Now, after soaking up the Sydney life, you might encounter a fork in the road in whether to travel north to Cairns and the home of the Great Barrier Reef or head south to Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road. 

Both trips are similar distances and offer multiple stops on the way. Heading north along the coast down the A1 and M1, you will encounter Port Macquarie, Byron Bay, the Gold Coast and Brisbane before reaching the Sunshine Coast into Queensland and Cairns. 

Epic! 

This route is a popular camper road trip for good reason and can be achieved at relative leisure within three weeks after spending some days in Sydney. 

Expect captivating coastlines, surfing paradises and constant good times. And with some beachside locations providing free campervan parking  you can save money as you travel to afford a few more beers as you sit back and savour the experience. 

In the other direction from Sydney, you can drive South to Melbourne, visiting a few national parks along the way. From one metropolis to the next, you’ll arrive in (arguably) Australia’s trendiest city, where you can enjoy a similar city lifestyle to what you had in Sydney. 

From Melbourne, you can head down the iconic Great Ocean Road, marvelling at the 12 apostles and sunning some stunning beaches on your way to Adelaide.

Perth or Uluru (Ayres Rock) 3-4 days 

Finally, with just a few days left, it’s up to you whether you want to go west for some more incredible coastline or travel inland to Uluru and see one of the greatest natural wonders in the world.  

Because after travelling the East Coast, you probably won’t have enough time to visit the Northern Territory and West Coast unless you break up your campervan hire with flights along the way.

Standing taller than the Eiffel Tower at 348 meters high above the surrounding plain, Uluru remains one of Australia’s most recognisable icons. From Melbourne or Cairns, you can fly to Alice Springs, where you can enjoy a night or two in a lively outback town before making your way to Uluru. 

Alternatively, you can experience some of the clearest water and whitest sandy beaches in the world with another road trip but this time along the West Coast, starting in Perth and heading north or south.

Either way, get stoked for a sick time!

Now you have your Australia 3-week itinerary sorted, it’s time to book your campervan.

At RatPack Travel, we prioritise your experience with a personalised service that can guide you on your way with the best spots and the most reliable campervan providers. 

And the cherry on top? We’ll do our utmost to make your booking cheaper than any online comparison site and have earned over 2,000+ 5* reviews.

So, if you’re ready for a campervan experience of a lifetime down under, get in touch today and speak to one of our friendly crew.