Our top tips

After you've picked up your vehicle head straight to Nimbin, a unique small hippy town in NSW, this will take you just under 2 hours. Once you've spent the morning wandering the streets drive 1 hour to the famous Byron Bay. Spend the evening watching the sunset at the lighthouse, have some fish and chips from Fishheads by the beach, or visit the famous Piano Bar.

Top tip: If you're in a car or SUV make sure your accomodation has parking as on-street parking in Byron is notoriously difficult, and even harder if you're in a campervan so make sure you have a campsite booked.

We recommend having a full day in Byron Bay and the surrounding areas as there's so much to do and see. You could take a surf lesson, go kayaking, take a yoga class, or spend the day browsing all the independent boutiques. You could also drive 12 minutes north of Byron and visit Brunswick Heads. Here you could visit Torakina Beach or spot some whales along the breakwater. If you drive a further 25 minutes north you'll reach Hastings Point which has a sandbar which rivals the Whitsundays!

This leg is a 4 hour drive along the East Coast. We recommend stopping at Coffs Harbour to see the iconic big banana, the Forest Sky Pier, Nambucca Heads, and Hat Head. There are lots of lovely small towns to visit along this stretch so leave early in the morning and allow yourself plenty of time to get to Port Macquarie.

We recommend visiting Woy Woy and the surrounding areas, it's a hidden gem on the Central Coast, a short distance from Sydney and 3.5 hours from Port Macquarie. You can eat some fresh fish and chips, take a boat cruise, watch the pelicans at Pelican Island & more. Alternatively, you can visit Newcastle, or the Myall Lakes region. Here, we recommend Seal Rocks, Nelson Bay, or Port Stephens.

The penultimate stretch comes in at just over 4 hours. If you're in Canberra in Spring make sure you visit Floriade in Commonwealth Park, Australia's biggest Spring festival. Over 1 million flowers are planted and it's a tulip lovers dream! They have bars, food, and live music. Also be sure to visit Mount Ainslie Lookout for a birdseye view of parliament. Canberra has lots of great street art so spend a morning wandering round the city with a coffee.

For a budget friendly option we recommend staying at the Ashton Motel, which is inspired by a Palms Springs motel and has been featured in Vogue & Architectural Digest. There's not a huge amount to do here but it's a great central point between Canberra and Melbourne, use the time to relax after days of driving!

The final stretch is just under 3.5 hours. Before you drop off your vehicle make the most of your time in Melbourne. If you have unlimited kms you could visit some of the nearby towns at the end of the Great Ocean Road such as Torquay, Anglesey, or Lorne, or just wander the streets of Fitzroy or Collingwood.

Whether you follow our itinerary or do your own thing, there's so much to do and see on this route! And for only $1 per day you can't go wrong.