Road trips are the ultimate way to experience Australia. Endless sunshine, wide-open roads, and golden sand beaches ready for you to bathe on. IMO, there’s nothing quite like hopping in a campervan, packing your bikinis, and setting off with no plans.

Days on the open road with nowhere to be, especially in Australia, are just some of the very vest.

After enjoying a week in Melbourne in early March, it was finally time to make our way up to Sydney – a journey of roughly 900 kilometres along the stunning East Coast. We were buzzing with excitement at the thought of seeing the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, but we also knew the trip would be about more than just the city we were arriving in. The drive itself was indeed packed with such incredible stops, from gorgeous little towns to scenic coastal lookouts and a road trip I can highly recommend!

In this 4 day Melbourne to Sydney road trip itinerary, i’m going to share with you the best places to stop, stay and explore on this 900km road trip!

A Melbourne to Sydney 4-day road trip itinerary

Renting a campervan or motorhome

We had rented our campervan from RatPack Travel and picked it up in Melbourne. It was such a seamless experience: we just shared our dates and locations, and they came back to us with all the best options to choose from.

We were travelling all the way from Melbourne to Cairns, and so we were very keen to find the best campervan deal out there, which we absolutely feel we did with Ratpack and their service was completely free!

One of the benefits of hiring a campervan is that you can visit all the hidden gems you probably wouldn’t otherwise see on a tour/organised trip.

The journey from Melbourne to Sydney would take around 11 hours, so we decided to split it into 4 days, with 4 stops along the way. The journey times are pretty long, so we split them up by stopping for food halfway, and some of the journeys we did in the evening so that we could wake up in our destination the next day with a full day of adventuring ahead. We did our research both online and by talking to the locals and managed to find the perfect 4-day itinerary, which didn’t disappoint one bit.

Melbourne to Sydney itinerary

Day 1: Melbourne – Phillip Island (Journey time: 1 hr 45 minutes)

Phillip Island was on my list of must-dos due to the nightly penguin parade, which they host on the island every evening at dusk. It’s a very friendly island, we met some locals who we chatted to for hours, who gave us so much great advice for the rest of our trip. The Penguin Parade was cute; the fairy penguins all come up out of the ocean at dusk after hunting for the day to head back to their burrows. They all start appearing in groups and waddle up the beach and it’s pretty amazing to see such large volumes of them. Unfortunately, you aren’t allowed to take flash photos, so these were the best I could get without flash!

We managed to find a pretty basic but 5-dollar campsite called Dalyston Recreation Reserve just off Phillip Island to stay for the night, which was a bargain as all the campsites on the island were pretty expensive.

Overnight stay at Dalyston Recreation Reserve

Day 2: Phillip Island – Lakes Entrance (Journey time: 3 hrs 45 minutes)

Lakes Entrance looks like something you would see on a postcard. The views are great and the water is pristine turquoise. As you drive into Lakes Entrance, there is a beautiful photo spot in the lay-by of the main road. You will probably spot it as there will be loads of tourists turning round and pulling up there, it makes for the perfect spot to take photos of where the lakes meet the ocean. Once you park up, be sure to take a walk through the lakes and onto the long stretch of beach.

Overnight stay at Lakes Entrance Tourist Park

Day 3: Lakes entrance – Bermagui Blue pool (Journey time: 4 hours)

We loved it here! It’s free, and kind of like the Bondi swimming pool but not as many people know about it and it’s not so manmade. The pool is filled with saltwater that has spilled over where the waves are so large. There’s a larger pool, and also a smaller pool if you just fancy a little dip. We went for a swim and even saw an Octopus climbing up the stairs! It was also amazing just to sit and watch the waves crash against the rocks. After about half an hour of swimming we were in need of food so we found a cute cafe with good wifi called ‘The River rock cafe’ – a great place to eat, drink milkshakes and upload your impressive photos.

Overnight stay at Bermagui South Coast Holiday Park

Day 4: Bermagui blue pool – Jervis Bay (Journey time: 2 hours 50 minutes)

Jervis Bay may have topped my list as the nicest beach I have ever been to. The sand is powder white and the water was really clear, a lot of the beaches in Australia which we have been to so far have yellowy sand, so this one was a treat! It is surrounded by a national park so we had to pay 11 dollars for a pass to get in, but it’s definitely worth it! There are plenty of barbeques in and around the national park, so we took a trip to Woolworths and stocked up on kebabs and burgers and whipped up our own barbie food in true Aussie style!

We found a free campsite called ‘Kevin Walsh Oval’ in a place called Jamberoo 1 hour north of Jervis Bay, which broke up the journey meaning we didn’t have so long to get to Sydney in the morning!

Overnight stay at Kevin Walsh Oval

Top tip: check out my Jervis Bay day roadtrip from Sydney here!

Final leg: Jervis Bay – Sydney (Journey time: 2 hours 50 minutes)

Welcome to Sydney!

Top tip: Whilst you’ve got your car consider extending your road trip and exploring the Blue Mountains / the Hunter Valley wine region.

Top tips for a Melbourne to Sydney road trip…

• Some of the best tips and hotspots will come from the locals when you get there!
• Complete this roadtrip in 4 days without rushing, but a week would be ideal if you have the time.
• The Waves at Lakes Entrance were great so we took body boards!
• For Jervis Bay grab some picnic/BBQ bits beforehand and utilise one of the many BBQ’s available around the national park.
• You could also add Canberra (the capital of Australia) to the road trip which is about halfway between Melbourne and Sydney.
• Get your road trip playlist at the ready as it’s a long drive!
• An in-car phone charger is so handy for charging phones/GoPros on the go!
• Make sure you get your phone unlocked so that you can grab a sim card and access data for GPS.

Have you been to Sydney?

What do you think are the best things to do in Sydney on a Sydney itinerary? I’d love to know!

Love as always + happy adventuring,

Mollie