This itinerary for one month in Australia, travelling the east coast from Cairns to Melbourne, covers some of the country’s most beautiful scenery and charming cities, from the Great Barrier Reef in the north to the Great Ocean Road in the south.

This travel itinerary covers Australia‘s three largest cities, four state capital cities and four states. There is so much more to see in Australia, but these are the parts of the country I know best, and are accessible to each other in a short amount of time – Australia is an enormous country, around the same size as the USA and 32x the size of the UK!

Dreaming of a trip to Australia? Read my Australia Travel Guide for more ideas!

Itinerary: One Month in Australia

• Cairns (2 Nights)
• Townsville (1 Night)
• Airlie Beach & Whitsundays (2 Nights)
• Sunshine Coast (3 Nights)
• Brisbane (3 Nights)
• Gold Coast or Byron Bay (2 Nights)
• Sydney (4 Nights)
• Hobart (2 Nights)
• Melbourne (4 Nights)
• Great Ocean Road (2 Nights)

This is a pretty tight itinerary, to give you an idea of what is possible if you have a month to spend on Australia’s east coast. Australia is a long way to come for many international travellers, so I totally understand wanting to see as much as possible while you’re in town!

This itinerary starts in Queensland, in tropical Cairns. Cairns is the perfect base for exploring natural wonders like the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. Heading south down the east coast of Australia, stop over for a night in Townsville, island hop in the Whitsundays archipelago before exploring the Queensland’s southeast in Noosa, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Alternatively, swap the Gold Coast for Byron Bay, before spending a few days exploring Australia’s biggest city, Sydney. Fly straight from Sydney to Hobart, the tiny capital of Australia’s island state, Tasmania.

Read more: Queensland Travel Guide

From Hobart, take a short flight back to the mainland to Melbourne, and find out once and for all whether you’re a Sydney person or a Melbourne person. Spend a few days exploring “Marvellous Melbourne”, including a day trip to the Yarra Valley, one of Australia’s best wine regions. Your last leg of the trip is a road trip along the fabled Great Ocean Road, which is the most beautiful scenic drive in Australia.

Inspo: The Most Beautiful Beaches in Australia

Cairns & Great Barrier Reef (2 Nights)

Start your Australian odyssey in Cairns, which is the largest city in Queensland’s tropics and the perfect base for exploring some of the country’s most precious natural treasures.

Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef

Australia’s most famous natural treasure, the Great Barrier Reef is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the largest coral reef in the world. You can arrange a day trip to a station in the Outer Reef, which you can snorkel and dive from, or you can do a day trip on a boat, or do as I did and take a day trip to gorgeous Green Island, and snorkel the reef straight from the beach.

Explore the Daintree Rainforest

Make sure to stop at Cape Tribulation, which is the only place in the world where two UNESCO World Heritage sites collide – at the point where the Daintree Rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef.

Ride the Kuranda Skyrail & Scenic Railway

The journey along the Kuranda Skyrail & Scenic Railway are as much of a reason to visit mountaintop village of Kuranda as the village itself. On the journey up, glide over the treetops on the Kuranda Skyrail and on the return journey, weave your way down the mountain aboard the historic Kuranda Scenic Railway. While you’re in Kuranda, take a rainforestation tour or visit the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary.

Read more: Itinerary for one week in Cairns & the Whitsundays.

Townsville (1 Night)

Since there aren’t direct flights between Cairns and Airlie Beach, take a Greyhound Bus and go via Townsville. The bus trip from Cairns to Townsville will take most of the day, but you’ll have the late afternoon/evening free. When I did this trip, after I checked in to my hotel I took a the quick ferry ride from Townsville to Magnetic Island and had fish & chips for dinner on the beach at Horseshoe Bay. The sunset here was spectacular. Get the bus to Airlie Beach the next day.

Airlie Beach & The Whitsundays Islands (2 Nights)

Airlie Beach is a backpacker town, with beautiful turquoise water that has to be seen to be believed, and honestly not much in the way of a beach. Save your swimming for the Whitsundays, an archipelago of 74 islands just off the coast of Airlie Beach.

Visit Whitehaven Beach

Whitehaven Beach is the most beautiful beach in Australia, if not the world. It’s blindingly white sand is composed of silica, and it’s the only beach in the region like this. Freak tidal patterns millions of years ago crushed silica on the shore, to create a brilliantly white beach. You can’t stay on Whitsunday Island, which keeps the beach clean and pristine. If you have a full day here, make sure your tour includes the hike up to Hill Inlet for the famous view of the white sand swirling between the turquoise water.

Visit Hamilton Island

Hamilton Island is one of a handful of inhabited islands in the Whitsundays, and so the atmosphere is very different to isolated Whitsunday Island. You can take a day trip with Cruise Whitsundays that takes you to both islands, with lunch on Hamilton Island and time to swim and relax at Catseye Beach. The only downside of including Hamilton Island in your day trip is that there is no time for the walk to Hill Inlet on Whitehaven.

Noosa, Sunshine Coast (3 Nights)

Fly from Proserpine (the Airlie Beach airport) to Noosa, and enjoy a few more days on Queensland’s glorious beaches. The Sunshine Coast is a collection of beach towns and beautiful coastline, just north of Brisbane. Noosa is the most developed and most popular town in the area, but it’s a great place to stay because of its proximity to Noosa National Park. Other towns to stay in include Mooloolaba or Caloundra.

I strongly recommend hiring a car for this part of the trip, since you can drive to Brisbane, and then on to the Gold Coast or Byron Bay.

Read More: The Most Beautiful Beaches on the Sunshine Coast

Brisbane (3 Nights)

Brisbane is the third-largest city in Australia, and also my hometown. It might not be as cosmopolitan as Sydney or Melbourne, but lots of international visitors like visiting Brisbane precisely because it is so different to the older and more European larger Australian cities. It feels younger and has a lovely laidback atmosphere in contrast to the two bigger cities.

Eat Street Northshore

The Eat Street Markets quickly became Brisbane’s favourite way to spend an indulgent evening when they opened a few years ago. The markets is a collection of shipping containers, converted into market stalls from all around the world. Take the CityCat (high speed ferry) from the city to Hamilton, where the markets are. It’s a beautiful trip down the river at night, plus Hamilton is a bit of a drive from the city otherwise and parking is a nightmare. Come hungry, bring cash and wear comfy pants.

Brunch, boutiques & antiques in Paddington

I grew up in this part of Brisbane, and I still think it’s one of the most charming parts of town. Start for brunch at Naim, my favourite cafe in Brisbane, and then wander down Latrobe Terrace towards the Paddington Antique Centre (have a trawl!). Browse the fashion boutiques, homewares stores and antique shops, and by the time Latrobe Terrace has turned into Given Terrace, it will probably be time for lunch. Grab a bite or a drink at Darling & Co, a beautiful bar & restaurant at the end of Given Tce. If you want to keep bar hopping, check out Lefties on Caxton Street.

Dining & culture Southbank & West End

Southbank parklands is one of the most popular parts of Brisbane for visitors. Across the Brisbane River from the Brisbane CBD, Southbank is a pretty urban parkland that’s worth a wander.

Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) is the most popular art gallery in Australia. Check out an exhibition, they’re nearly always free, and then wander through Southbank in the afternoon. Southbank has a man-made lagoon and beach called Streets Beach, if it’s a hot day (so..September – May), bring your swimmers and go for a swim in the middle of the city.

Behind Southbank is West End, an eclectic and gritty neighbourhood with some of the best cheap and cheerful Greek and Asian restaurants in town, lots of op shops & cafes.

Gold Coast or Byron Bay (3 Nights)

Choose between Australia’s two most famous beach towns for the next part of your trip. On the Queensland side of the border is the Gold Coast, which is a sea of skyscrapers and long stretches of beaches with rolling surf. Another hour south of the Gold Coast, across the border in New South Wales, is Byron Bay. Byron Bay is probably Australia’s favourite beach town, so it’s often very crowded and has prices to match. It’s still a beautiful part of the world, and certainly a bit more mellow than the Gold Coast.

Sydney (4 Nights)

No trip to Australia would be complete without visiting Sydney, Australia’s biggest and most famous city. Sydney can be challenging for travellers because it is a sprawling city with poor public transport. If you plan on doing a lot of sightseeing all over the city, stay centrally in the city or in Surry Hills, near a train station. Last time I stayed in Sydney, I stayed in Bondi, which I much prefer – but be warned, the public transport from Bondi is not very good, and I spent most of the weekend in Ubers.

See the Opera House

Circular Quay, where the Opera House is located, is probably the least charming part of Sydney and yet also the most striking at the same time. Circular Quay itself always has an undercurrent of chaos and confusion, and it’s basically just full of tourists all the time, yet the setting of the Opera House and Darling Harbour is undeniably beautiful. Be blinded by the white shells of the Opera House, and grab a drink at Opera Bar to spend a bit more time enjoying the view.

Catch the Manly Ferry

If the weather is clear and calm, jump aboard the Manly Ferry to enjoy the stunning ride across Darling Harbour and then spend an afternoon in Manly. Manly is one of my favourite parts of Sydney, check out Manly Wine Bar and nearby Shelly Beach.

Do the Bondi to Coogee Walk

This is my favourite thing I’ve ever done in Sydney. The Bondi to Coogee Walk, also sometimes known as the Bondi to Bronte walk which is the shorter version, is a six km (3.7 mi) walk with million dollar views over the ocean and Sydney’s renowned beaches. We started at Coogee, and walked north so we ended in Bondi. Try The Bucket List for lunch in Bondi.

Hobart (2 Nights)

Hobart is the charming capital of Australia’s tiny island state, Tasmania. Hobart is one of my favourite small towns in the world – it just has small town down to a fine art. People are friendly, the tiny city centre is very walkable and it’s historic buildings are carefully preserved and the food, wine & spirits in Hobart are first rate.

Eat & Drink

Hobart is particularly known for it’s seafood and distilleries, so make sure you try some salmon, oysters and locally-made whiskey from Lark Distillery (in the city centre) while you’re there. If you go to MoNA, make time to visit the Moorilla Winery cellar door behind the museum, before you hop back on the ferry.

MoNA

The Museum of Old & New Art (MoNA) put Hobart on the map. Opened by eccentric and generous billionaire David Walsh, MoNA is a privately owned art gallery/museum, so it’s programming always errs on the wild side. There are several ways to get to MoNA from Hobart, but make sure you take the MoNA ferry. The trip down the Derwent River is stunning, and the perfect start and end to your day.

Melbourne (4 Nights)

Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia, but is considered the country’s capital of arts, culture, food & fashion. I’ve lived in Melbourne since 2015, and count myself very lucky to live in a city that was named the Most Liveable City in the World for seven years running.

Street art

Melbourne is famous for it’s street art, which can be found all over the city. The most popular spots are Hosier Lane, and other laneways branching of Flinders Lane, Little Collins Street & Little Bourke Street. You’ll also find a high concentration of street art in Fitzroy, Richmond, Windsor & Brunswick.

Shopping

Melbourne is Australia’s top shopping destination, but skip the behemoth Chadstone Shopping Centre and instead check out the boutiques and op shops along Chapel Street. The boutiques tend to be higher end at the South Yarra end of Chapel Street, with more affordable shops the farther south you go towards the St Kilda end of Chapel Street.

Read more:  South Yarra neighbourhood guide

Culture

Melbourne is Australia’s cultural capital, and there is always something on. Go to a musical, play, opera or ballet at one of Melbourne’s major theatres like the Arts Centre, the Princess Theatre,  Regent Theatre or the beautiful Palais Theatre in St Kilda, or time your visit with a festival like the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Melbourne International Jazz Festival or the Melbourne International Film Festival. Museum-wise, you can’t miss the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), which has two outposts – one for international art on St Kilda Road ( my favourite) and one for Australian art in Fed Square. There’s also the Melbourne Museum & the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) which both have great exhibitions year-round.

Sport

I sound like a broken record and totally biased, but Melbourne is not just Australia’s sporting capital, but it’s recognised as one of the world’s greatest sporting capitals. If you’re here between March-September, experience an AFL game at the MCG and see what a sports mad city really looks like. Throughout the year, you can also catch the cricket, the Melbourne Cup in November and the Australian Open in January.

Bars & Restaurants

Melbourne is the most food obsessed city in Australia – Melburnians dine out more regularly than anyone else, and the city is home to Australia’s best restaurant, Attica. Even if fine dining isn’t on the cards, make sure you go beyond the familiar chains and try something new. Melbourne has a strong cafe culture, so it’s very hard to go wrong for breakfast, and every high street of each neighbourhood is lined with more fantastic restaurants than you could ever get around to trying. Don’t know where to start? Try one of my favourite restaurants in the Melbourne CBD.

Markets

I love how much Melbourne loves its markets – no doubt it helps make it such a food-obsessed city. Melbourne has three major fresh food markets, as well as dozens of other smaller ones. The big kahuna is the Queen Vic Markets, just north of the Melbourne CBD. The Queen Vic Markets are the oldest in Melbourne as well as the largest market in the southern hemisphere.

My favourite market in Melbourne is the South Melbourne Market – make sure you come hungry so you can eat lunch or breakfast at one of the food stalls lining the edge of the market. The third, and no less charming, is the Prahran Market in South Yarra. If your arteries can handle it, try the best grilled cheese sandwich at the cart in the middle of the market.

Yarra Valley (Day Trip)

The Yarra Valley is the most popular wine region in Victoria, and amongst the best in Australia. You can reach the Yarra Valley within around an hour’s drive from Melbourne and there are plenty of operators offering day tours of the wineries. My favourite wineries are De Bortoli, Dominique Portet and Tokar Estate.

Great Ocean Road (2 Nights)

The Great Ocean Road is the most scenic drive in Australia, famous for the crumbling Twelve Apostles rock formations. There’s so much more to the Great Ocean Road than the Twelve Apostles though, so give yourself enough time and spend two nights in Lorne. You physically could drive the GOR in a day, but it would be dangerously exhausting and you’d miss a lot.

Lorne

Stay in Lorne, a beach town near the start of the Great Ocean Road. I love Lorne, it’s one of my favourite beach towns in Australia. Make sure you have breakfast at the surfboard hire shack near the beach. The best!

Twelve Apostles

Despite being the most over-photographed part of Victoria, nothing prepares you for the raw beauty of the Twelve Apostles. I admit, I wasn’t even that excited to see them, because photos of them didn’t excite me at all, and I was surprised by how enchanting I found them in person.

Port Campbell National Park

The Twelve Apostles are part of Port Campbell National Park, which spans much of the Great Ocean Road. There are stops all along the road, and it’s worth stopping at each and seeing where the next trail takes you. Loch Ard Gorge is a particularly beautiful swimming spot, if it’s warm enough to swim.

After you’ve finished seeing the Great Ocean Road, drive back to Melbourne, from where you’ll fly home.

Have you been to Australia, or are you planning a trip here? Let me know what you loved the most or are most excited to see in the comments. If you have any questions about travelling in Australia, comment below or email me.