Crossing Australia does something to you. There's a pull to it that's genuinely hard to explain to anyone who hasn't felt it. The sheer scale of the place, the red dirt, the silence, the sunsets that go on longer than they have any right to, it’s all utterly incredible.
This is part one of a two-part guide to crossing the continent. In this article, the routes and destinations. In part two, the gear and the hard-earned lessons to make sure you actually enjoy the thing.
Must-Do: The Nullarbor
A semi-trailer truck driving on the Nullarbor with a roadhouse in the background
I reckon every Aussie should cross the Nullarbor at least once. It cops a reputation as boring, but don't make the mistake of thinking it's just one long straight road with a distinct lack of trees. There's something seriously magnetic about it. Around 1,200 kilometres of tar, a handful of roadhouses, the Coat of Arms doing something bewildering in the middle of the road and a sky so big it legitimately messes with your sense of scale.
Why am I mentioning a blacktop run when we're here because we live and breathe 4X4s, though? Because the best way to do the Nullarbor is in a 4X4. Pull off the highway and the list of things worth doing is longer than most people realise.
Fowlers Bay is a dune drivers Mecca, then you’ve got Dog Fence Beach, Baxter Cliffs, Bilbunya Dunes, Twilight Cove, the Murrawijinie Caves, the ruins of the old Eucla Telegraph Station and the Koonalda Homestead preserved inside the Nullarbor National Park. During whale season, Head of the Bight is unmissable. If you're anything like me though, all of the above sounds good... but not as good as the Old Eyre Highway, the original unsealed crossing and a track I deadset adore.
A man standing over a cave with his 4X4 and caravan in the background
PRO TIP: The Balladonia Track deserves a special mention. This seriously remote 177km dirt route packs a serious punch and connects Esperance through Fisheries and Parmango Roads to the Eyre Highway at Balladonia, cutting hundreds of kilometres off the highway run. It requires a high-clearance 4X4, closes after rain and towing is a hard no. Don’t underestimate this track. It holds water late into the season and you will encounter deep mud and severe washouts.
Read our full guide here: Don’t Just Drive It: The Best Stops on the Nullarbor
Hard but has Heart: The Outback Way
two 4WDs parked in front of a Great Central Road sign
They call it Australia's Longest Shortcut and it earns that title. Nearly 2,800 kilometres of dirt connecting Laverton in WA to Winton in Queensland, cutting straight through the red heart of the country. This is a road that'll test your vehicle, your planning and your patience in equal measure, particularly after rain. It’s not a tough track, technically speaking. But it’s tough on gear.
You need long-range fuel tanks, adequate water reserves, quality rubber and the mechanical confidence to sort out problems a long way from anyone who can help you. Flats are common and the distances between anything remotely useful is humbling.
What you get in return is unlike anything else in this country. The landscape shifts constantly; remote roadhouses, camels cruising across ancient salt lakes and vast plains that look more like Mars than Australia. One of my favourite camps anywhere on earth is at the Giles Breakaway on the western end, perched on red cliffs with uninterrupted outback views and not another soul in sight. That true feeling of remoteness is genuinely hard to find.
Plenty of KMs, Plenty of Fun: The Savannah Way
A 4WD in front of a Savannah Way sign
Predominantly blacktop, it's more forgiving than the Outback Way but still has its own challenges, particularly in the wet season when creek crossings get serious and some sections become impassable. The free camps along the way are exceptional and the detours will keep the whole convoy entertained.
Starting from Cairns, make time for the Undara Volcanic National Park and its lava tube cave systems before pushing west through Cobbold Gorge, where you can do a boat cruise through the narrow sandstone walls of the gorge. Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park is also a must. ‘Yak your way to an incredible waterfall system for a swim then swing past the nearby Riversleigh World Heritage fossil site and checkout the stampede sight. Then head to Karumba for an outback-by-the-sea pitstop, famous for mud crabs and stunning gulf sunsets.
Heading into the Northern Territory, soak at the Mataranka Thermal Pools and make sure you check out Bitter Springs which is just up the road. Stop for a cold one and peruse some proper outback relics at the Daly Waters Pub, then push through to Nitmiluk National Park. From there, Broome is your finish line and it's a worthy one.
We've Laid out the Where, now Stay for the How
Stay tuned for Part Two, where we cover the gear you actually need and the tips and tricks that'll make the difference between a trip you talk about forever and one you'd rather forget.
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