Leg by leg
Plan the trip one leg at a time
How far each leg is, how long it takes, and the ways to do it: the bus pass, a campervan, a flight or a tour that covers it. Plus the stops worth making and the tours to book on the way.
Sydney to Byron Bay about 770 km · 8 to 9 hours driving The first big leg north. Overnight coach, three days in a van, or the start of a tour. Ways to do it → 
Byron Bay to Noosa about 310 km · around 4 hours driving Four hours up the coast, with the Gold Coast and Brisbane in between. Ways to do it → Brisbane to Noosa about 140 km · around 2 hours driving Two hours to the Sunshine Coast. The shortest hop on the coast. Ways to do it → 
Noosa to Rainbow Beach about 130 km · around 2 hours driving Two hours to the K'gari gateway. Where the 4WD part of the trip starts. Ways to do it → 
Rainbow Beach to Airlie Beach about 1,000 km · 11 to 12 hours driving The longest leg on the coast. Most people sleep through it on the overnight coach. Ways to do it → 
Airlie Beach to Cairns about 620 km · around 7 hours driving The home straight: Magnetic Island, Mission Beach, then the reef. Ways to do it → 
Brisbane to Cairns about 1,700 km · around 20 hours driving The whole Queensland coast: K'gari, the Whitsundays and the reef. Ways to do it → 
Sydney to Cairns about 2,600 km · around 30 hours driving The full East Coast, the trip most backpackers come for. Ways to do it → 
Sydney to Melbourne about 880 km · around 9 hours driving Nine hours inland, or a couple of days down the coast. Ways to do it → 
Melbourne to Adelaide about 730 km · around 8 hours driving The Great Ocean Road and the Grampians on the way to Adelaide. Ways to do it → Rather we sorted the whole thing?
Tell us where you're starting, how long you've got and what you want to do. We'll put the legs together.