---
type: "Article"
title: "Travel itinerary for a one month trip to Australia"
description: "For those looking at a one month stay in Australia we suggest the following itinerary that we traveled ourselves as a couple from mid November to mid December."
resource: "https://travelmemo.com/site-review/travel-itinerary-australia-one-month-trip"
author: "Walter Schaerer"
publisher: "Travelmemo"
photo_count: 10
tags: ["Itinerary", "Nature", "Rainforest", "Road Trip", "Sydney", "Review"]
entities:
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/places/sydney"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/places/australia"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/places/queensland"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/review"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/itinerary"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/nature-tourism"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/road-trip"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/air-travel"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/lodge"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/vehicle-rental"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/boutique-hotel"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/excursion-tips"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/author/walter-schaerer"
generated: { by: "human:https://travelmemo.com/author/walter-schaerer", at: 2026-07-04T13:41:58+00:00 }
verified:
  - { by: "human:https://travelmemo.com/author/katja-birrer", at: 2010-11-11T02:13:42+00:00 }
timestamp: 2026-07-04T13:41:58+00:00
---

# Travel itinerary for a one month trip to Australia

> A one-month couple's itinerary covering eastern and southern Australia, taking in Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne, the Great Ocean Road, the Grampians, and Kangaroo Island, travelled from mid-November to mid-December.

## Destination
Eastern and southern Australia: Sydney, Brisbane, Fraser Island, Byron Bay, Cairns, Daintree National Park, Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne, Great Ocean Road, Grampians National Park, Adelaide, and Kangaroo Island.

## Getting there
The route involves flying into Sydney, then taking domestic flights to Brisbane (1.5 hrs), Cairns (2 hrs 20 min from Brisbane), Melbourne (3.5 hrs from Cairns), and Adelaide, with rental cars used for road sections.

## When to go
Mid-November to mid-December (as travelled by the authors).

## Why visit
The itinerary combines rainforest, reef diving, dramatic coastline, wildlife-rich islands, and vibrant cities into a single month-long journey across Australia's most iconic regions.

## What to see
- **Great Barrier Reef** — Three-day live-aboard dive trip aboard the Spirit of Freedom departing from Cairns.
- **Daintree National Park** — Accessed via the Captain Cook Highway; base at Silky Oaks Lodge with a day trip to Cape Tribulation.
- **Great Ocean Road** — Driven by rental car from Melbourne; described as a stunning coastline not to be missed in southern Australia.
- **Grampians National Park** — Two-night stay at Meringa Springs Lodge, highly recommended by the authors.
- **Kangaroo Island** — Two-day trip from Adelaide, described as the perfect final highlight of the trip.
- **Fraser Island** — Day trip north of Brisbane by rental car.
- **Byron Bay** — Visited on the drive south from Fraser Island back to Brisbane.

## What to do
- **Live-aboard diving on the Great Barrier Reef** — Three days on the Spirit of Freedom exploring the reef.
- **Rainforest exploration in Daintree** — Day trip to Cape Tribulation from Silky Oaks Lodge.
- **Road trip along the Great Ocean Road** — Self-drive by rental car from Melbourne along the southern coast.

## Good to know
The authors recommend Bill Bryson's 'In a Sunburned Country' as entertaining reading while planning the trip or on the long flight to Australia.