The East Coast Run: Melbourne to Cairns

The gentlest big trip in the country and the classic first long lap. All sealed, holiday parks the whole way, and warm water waiting at the top. A good shakedown before anything harder. ## The route, leg by leg ### Leg 1: Melbourne to the Sapphire Coast Melbourne → Merimbula · roughly 550 km · 4–5 nights Lakes Entrance, Gippsland, the far south coast. ### Leg 2: South Coast NSW Merimbula → Kiama · roughly 400 km · 5–7 nights Jervis Bay, Ulladulla. Easts Beach at Kiama is a good base. ### Leg 3: Mid North Coast Sydney → Coffs Harbour · roughly 540 km · 5–7 nights Port Stephens, Hawks Nest, Nambucca. Beach parks all the way. ### Leg 4: Northern Rivers to the Gold Coast Coffs Harbour → Gold Coast · roughly 430 km · 4–6 nights Byron hinterland, then the theme-park coast if the kids are aboard. ### Leg 5: Sunshine Coast to the Whitsundays Brisbane → Airlie Beach · roughly 1,100 km · 2–3 weeks nights Rainbow Beach and K’gari, Bundaberg, the reef. BIG4 Airlie for the Whitsundays. ### Leg 6: Tropical north Airlie Beach → Cairns · roughly 620 km · 1–2 weeks nights Townsville, Mission Beach, then the Daintree beyond Cairns. ## Planning notes Total distance is around 3,000 km and we would allow about 56 days to do it without living in the driver’s seat. Best months: Apr–Jun heading north; avoid the wet season above Townsville. Distances and timings here are a starting point — how long you actually take depends on how often you find a spot you do not want to leave.