Best Australian Campervan Road Trips in Spring — 13 Routes for September, October & November

This is the one. Australia's most iconic outback road trip, and it belongs firmly in September when the waterfalls are still running and the gorges are dripping green after the wet. The Gibb is a corrugated red dirt road through the ancient Kimberley — swimming holes, gorges, remote cattle stations and some of the most extraordinary scenery on the planet. Do it before the heat arrives.  4WD ONLY 

• Windjana Gorge & Tunnel Creek — ancient freshwater croc country in Devonian reef limestone
• El Questro Wilderness Park — hot springs, gorge walks, station hospitality
• Bell Gorge & Manning Gorge — tiered waterfalls and crystal swimming holes
• Horizontal Falls — a natural tidal wonder (day trip from Derby or Broome)
• Mt Hart Homestead — remote cattle station stay, extraordinary night skies
• Drysdale River Station — the midpoint, cold beer and a hot meal earned

Pick up in Darwin, drop in Broome — one of Australia's great one-way drives. You'll cross the NT/WA border through some of the most sparsely populated country on earth, passing through Katherine Gorge, the ancient landscape of Purnululu (Bungle Bungles) and the red pindan cliffs of the Kimberley before arriving in Broome in time for a sunset camel ride on Cable Beach.  - Image Purnululu - Tourism WA

• Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge — 13 gorges carved through ancient sandstone, boat tours and canoe hire
• Keep River NP — underrated Kimberley gorge country right on the WA border
• Purnululu (Bungle Bungles) NP — extraordinary beehive domes, a World Heritage wonder that genuinely exceeds expectations
• Lake Argyle — Australia's largest man-made reservoir, sunset cruises, freshwater croc spotting
• Broome — pearling history, Cable Beach sunsets, extraordinary tides and Japanese cemetery

Family canoeing through the historic gorge, Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park | transformational Queensland experiences

The Savannah Way connects Cairns to Broome across the top of Australia — 3,700 kilometres of remote outback, tropical savannah, ancient gorges and a near-complete absence of other tourists. This is a proper expedition, best tackled early in spring before the heat makes outback driving punishing. Not for first-time RV travellers — absolutely extraordinary for those who are ready for it.  Image - Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park - Tourism Outback Queensland.

• Undara Volcanic National Park — extraordinary lava tube caves in north QLD
• Gulf of Carpentaria coast — crocodile country, fishing towns and big sky
• Lawn Hill (Boodjamulla) NP — stunning gorge oasis, paddleboat hire
• Cobbold Gorge — intimate gorge cruise in remote Queensland
• Katherine and Nitmiluk — the halfway mark, with gorge swims and hot springs
• Purnululu and the Kimberley for the final stretch

Darwin as a campervan hub is underrated by international visitors. This return loop covers three of Australia's most extraordinary national parks — Kakadu (the country's largest), Litchfield and Nitmiluk — plus the hot springs at Douglas Daly and the chance to swim in waterfalls that most tourists never find. September is ideal: the wet season waterfalls are still flowing and the heat hasn't peaked yet. - Image - Gunlom Falls - Kakadu,  Credit Tourism NT/ Ben Savage

• Kakadu NP — ancient rock art at Ubirr and Nourlangie, Jim Jim Falls (accessible Sep–Oct)
• Yellow Waters Billabong cruise — the best wildlife-spotting experience in Australia
• Litchfield NP — Wangi Falls, Florence Falls, termite mounds and swimming holes
• Nitmiluk Katherine Gorge — 13 gorges, boat tours, canoeing
• Douglas Hot Springs — a beautiful thermal spring on the return leg

WA in spring is a revelation. The wildflower season — September in particular — covers the state's Midwest in yellow, purple and gold in one of the world's great natural spectacles. This route heads north from Perth through the flower fields to the ancient landscapes of Kalbarri, across to Monkey Mia for dolphins on the beach, then loops back through the outback.

• Wildflower season — Coalseam Conservation Park, Mount Lesueur NP, roadside displays through the wheatbelt
• Kalbarri NP — the gorges and coastal cliffs are spectacular; the new skywalk adds a thrilling perspective
• Monkey Mia — wild dolphins hand-fed on the beach every morning, Shark Bay World Heritage Area
• Francois Peron NP — red cliffs, turquoise bays and abundant birdlife
• The Pinnacles (Nambung NP) — haunting limestone formations rising from yellow desert sand
• Wave Rock (Hyden) — an extraordinary geological feature on the return leg south

This is one of Australia's most surprising road trips — the red ochre country north of Adelaide is genuinely extraordinary, and Coober Pedy is like nowhere else on earth. An underground opal-mining town where people live, eat and worship below ground to escape the heat. A World Heritage landscape at the Breakaways, eerie moonscapes and vast open sky. Do it in spring when the temperature is kind.

• Flinders Ranges — Wilpena Pound and the ancient ABC Range, red hills and golden light
• Coober Pedy — underground homes, opal mines, the bizarre landscape of the Breakaways
• William Creek — Australia's smallest pub, in the middle of nowhere, on the edge of Lake Eyre
• Painted Desert — vivid banded geology in remote South Australia
• Lake Hart (near Pimba) — vast salt lake reflection photography, extraordinary at dawn

The magnificent red rock of Uluru. Photo by Wikimedia

The great north-south traverse — Adelaide to Darwin through the Red Centre. You'll drive through the Flinders Ranges, across the Stuart Highway through Alice Springs, past Uluru (a detour that is non-negotiable) and up through Katherine to Darwin. This is a big drive with genuinely world-class landmarks every few days.

• Flinders Ranges — gorge walks and golden hills before the landscape goes red
• Alice Springs — Todd River, Telegraph Station, and the gateway to the Centre
• Uluru-Kata Tjuta NP — the sunrise and sunset are not optional. Do the base walk
• Kings Canyon (Watarrka NP) — the rim walk is one of Australia's great day hikes
• Devils Marbles (Karlu Karlu) — extraordinary granite boulders balanced on the highway

Picture: www.margaretriver.com - Cape to Cape Hike

Western Australia's South West is dramatically underused by international visitors — and spring is its finest season. Margaret River's world-class wine region, towering karri forests, dramatic ocean coastline and the ancient cave systems around Augusta and Pemberton. October brings warm days and empty roads before the summer crowds. Stunning for couples and foodies.

• Margaret River wine region — cellar doors, world-class surf beaches at Prevelly and Yallingup
• Cape Leeuwin — where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet, Australia's most south-westerly point
• Ngilgi and Jewel Caves — extraordinary limestone cave systems near Augusta and Yallingup
• Valley of the Giants — the Tree Top Walk through ancient tingle forest, near Walpole
• Denmark and the Bibbulmun Track — tall timber, rivers and the Great Southern coast
• Albany — one of Australia's most scenic coastal towns, whale watching through October

The Eyre Peninsula is South Australia's best-kept secret. Pristine beaches, world-class seafood, swimming with sea lions and whale sharks (in season), and the extraordinary lunar landscape of the Gawler Ranges. The drive around the peninsula is one of the most scenic coastal routes in the country — and spring means warm days without the summer heat.

• Port Lincoln — tuna farming, Boston Bay oysters and the gateway to the Eyre
• Coffin Bay NP — pristine oyster-growing waters and empty white-sand beaches
• Baird Bay — swim with wild Australian sea lions; great white shark cage diving season
• Streaky Bay & Murphy's Haystacks — unusual pink granite outcrops on the Nullarbor edge
• Gawler Ranges NP — ancient volcanic landscape, wildflowers in spring, stunning drive to Lake Gairdner

Driving south-east from Adelaide opens up one of the most underrated corners of the country: the Coorong's vast lagoon wilderness, the sinkholes and underground lakes of the Limestone Coast, the penguin colony at Victor Harbor and the world-class Coonawarra wine region. A gentler pace to balance the big outback routes.

• Victor Harbor & Granite Island — horse-drawn tram to the island, little penguins at dusk
• The Coorong — 130 km lagoon system behind Younghusband Peninsula, pelicans and migratory birds
• Mount Gambier & the Blue Lake — volcanic crater lake that turns a surreal cobalt blue in November
• Naracoorte Caves — World Heritage fossil caves with excellent ranger tours
• Coonawarra wine region — Australia's finest cabernet sauvignon country

The stunning coastline of Fraser Island. Photo by Wikipedia

The east coast drive — one of the most popular routes in Australian campervanning, for good reason. Stunning beaches, the Great Barrier Reef, and rainforest and reef within an hour of each other in tropical Cairns. Spring means warm QLD weather without the Christmas crowds, and humpback whales are often visible offshore through October.

• Fraser Island (K'gari) — the world's largest sand island, crystal-clear perched lakes, dingo spotting
• Airlie Beach — gateway to the Whitsundays, sailing trips to Whitehaven Beach
• Townsville & Magnetic Island — wildlife sanctuary, ferry across to a tropical island
• Mission Beach — quiet beachside town, cassowary spotting in the surrounding rainforest
• Cairns — the reef, the rainforest, the night markets — a worthy finishing city

Sydney in spring is one of the world's great urban campervan starting points. The southern coast run takes in Royal National Park, the Illawarra escarpment, Jervis Bay (whale watching peaks October–November) and the wild coastline of Ben Boyd National Park near Eden. Gentle, beautiful and easy — a great first Australian campervan trip.

• Royal National Park — the world's second-oldest national park, coastal walks and surf beaches
• Kiama & the Illawarra — blowhole, sea pools and the dramatic coastal escarpment
• Jervis Bay — the whitest sand beaches in Australia (Hyams Beach), whale watching in October
• Batemans Bay & Murramarang NP — kangaroos on the beach, excellent prawns
• Sapphire Coast and Eden — humpback whale watching season wraps here in November

The inland route between Melbourne and Sydney is the road less travelled — most visitors hug the coast. The inland route delivers the Victorian High Country, the Snowy Mountains, Canberra and the Southern Highlands. Spring wildflowers carpet the alpine areas; the high country roads are clear and quiet.

• Mansfield & the Victorian High Country — alpine villages, horse country, walking trails
• Khancoban & the Snowy Mountains — spectacular alpine scenery, Kosciuszko National Park
• Canberra — world-class galleries, lakeside dining and excellent day trips
• Southern Highlands — historic townships of Berrima, Bowral and Mittagong
• Falls Creek / Mount Hotham — ski resort towns that come alive as hiking destinations from November

The Great Ocean Road is Australia's most famous coastal drive — and the Grampians complement it perfectly as an inland counterpart. Spring brings wildflowers to the Grampians' rocky ranges, and the dramatic sea conditions of the Southern Ocean make the Twelve Apostles even more spectacular in the cooler months when summer haze clears.

• Great Ocean Road — one of the world's great coastal drives; Lorne, Apollo Bay and the Otways
• Twelve Apostles — the most photographed coastline in Australia, spectacular at sunrise
• Port Campbell NP — Loch Ard Gorge, The Arch, London Bridge — extraordinary rock formations
• Grampians (Gariwerd) NP — wildflowers in spring, Mackenzie Falls, Halls Gap kangaroos at dusk
• Ballarat & Sovereign Hill — a genuinely excellent gold rush heritage experience on the return leg

Tasmania is a compact island — about 370 km from tip to toe — but it rewards slow travel. A full loop from Hobart covers the World Heritage wilderness of the South West, Freycinet Peninsula's Wineglass Bay, Cradle Mountain, the lavender fields of Bridestowe and the food-and-wine heaven of the Tamar Valley. One of Australia's best campervan experiences.

• Freycinet NP & Wineglass Bay — the hike to the lookout may be Australia's most photographed view
• Bay of Fires — burnt orange lichen on white granite boulders meeting turquoise water
• Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair NP — World Heritage alpine wilderness, wombats at dusk
• Strahan & Macquarie Harbour — gateway to the Gordon River and Southwest Wilderness
• Arthur River & the Tarkine — ancient temperate rainforest, river cruises
• Launceston — a charming city, Cataract Gorge and the Tamar Valley wine route

Northern Territory Kings Canyon Hiking Australia

The Red Centre loop is on many visitors' Australia bucket lists — and rightly so. Alice Springs is a more interesting base than it gets credit for, and the drive south-west to Uluru via Kings Canyon is extraordinary. The light at Uluru — particularly at dawn and dusk — is unlike anything else on earth. Do the base walk. Get up for sunrise. It will be the highlight of your trip.

• Alice Springs — Telegraph Station, Anzac Hill, the Olive Pink Botanic Garden, Araluen Arts Centre
• West MacDonnell Ranges — Standley Chasm, Ellery Creek, Ormiston Gorge for day hikes
• Kings Canyon (Watarrka NP) — the rim walk rewards big effort with extraordinary views
• Uluru — the base walk (10.6 km) at sunrise; Field of Light installation in the evenings
• Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) — the Valley of the Winds walk is one of Australia's great hikes