Scenic Spring Drives

Road trip destinations where you can soak up the best of spring, featuring flower festivals, wildlife and coastal scenery.

The sun is shining and the days are getting longer; it’s time to leave winter hibernation for a change of scenery. From wildflower road trips to weekend escapes from the city, there’s no shortage of scenic drives to choose from in Australia. Here, we add a few more spring destinations to your future travel itineraries, inspired by new-season blooms, newborn wildlife and new horizons.

An iconic coastal road trip (QLD)

While there’s no wrong season to visit Tropical North Queensland, springtime offers a glorious happy medium between the dry and wet seasons, when the days are warm (but not too warm) and the rain usually holds off until evening. The Great Barrier Reef Drive, from Cairns to Cape Tribulation, covers some of the region’s biggest drawcards in just 300km return. You can explore the trendy resort towns of Palm Cove and Port Douglas, walk through the ancient Daintree Rainforest (with its colourful array of just-hatched birdlife), swim at secluded beaches, and snorkel over the Great Barrier Reef (just in time for the yearly coral spawning event).

Getting there: Most Australian cities have direct flights to Cairns, where you can hire a car and head north, following the coastline towards Cooktown. Or, for a really epic road trip adventure, set aside a couple of weeks and head off from Brisbane to experience the Pacific Coast Way.

A spring getaway to Australia’s biggest flower festival (ACT)

Each spring, anthophiles from around the country head to our nation’s capital for Floriade, a horticultural festival held in Canberra’s Commonwealth Park. The 2024 event runs from 14 September to 13 October, with after-dark entertainment (NightFest) open from 3-6 October. As well as admiring the spectacular garden bed designs (showcasing no less than one million flowers), you can enjoy live dance and musical performances, and food by the likes of Agostinis (Italian), L'épi Artisan Bakery and Au Lac (vegan Vietnamese). The conclusion of the event sees ‘The Great Big Bulb Dig’ take place – so you can unearth your own Floraide bloom to take home. 

Getting there: Canberra is a three-hour drive from Sydney or seven-hour drive from Melbourne. If you have time, take the slightly longer scenic coastal route to explore charming beach towns such as Lakes Entrance (from Victoria) and Kiama (from Sydney). Flower-loving Sydneysiders should schedule a pitstop at Bowral, where the Tulip Time festival transforms Corbett Gardens with vivid floral displays, entertainment and market stalls.

The best spring travel destination for native wildlife (SA)

South Australia’s Kangaroo Island is renowned as a zoo without fences, and springtime is when you can spot adorable kangaroo and tammar wallaby joeys going about their business as they emerge from their pouches and begin exploring. It’s also the season to spy newborn koala joeys and an extraordinary variety of birdlife. Come September, the hiking trails begin to blossom with wildflowers and orchids, while the lavender farms turn purple and farm gates are stocked with new-season oysters and local honey. This is the best of spring for all the senses. 

Getting there: From Adelaide, it takes less than two hours to drive south to Cape Jervis, where you can catch the 45-minute vehicle ferry to Kangaroo Island. Self-driving is the best way to experience the island, with 1600 kilometres of sealed and unsealed roads leading to townships, breathtaking lookouts, secret beaches and walking trails.