From the changing leaves of rare and beautiful trees to swimming with whale sharks or heading on a truffle hunt, these road trips across Australia promise plenty of autumnal wonder.

Mist-laced valleys, avenues aglow with the golden leaves of trees, cooler days calling for crackling fireplaces and menus driven by seasonal spoils. Autumn is prime time for a road trip in regional Australia.

Whether you’re dreaming of heading for the hills, you’re drawn to the coast, or the outback beckons, here are 12 of the best scenic road trips to take this autumn.

1. High Country, Vic

The rarefied air of Victoria’s High Country is a delight in any season. But this bucolic pocket of Victoria really peaks in autumn. The distances between the top spots in this region are refreshingly small, often navigated by keen cyclists; but it’s also the perfect place to take a slow road trip, poring over the sights and spending a night or two in each town.

Drive from Beechworth to Bright, Myrtleford to Milawa, and enjoy warm country hospitality and cool misty mornings in the Ovens Valley and its surrounds.

Time it right, and you could also celebrate the harvest season in the chocolate box village of Bright, home to an annual 10-day autumn festival, complete with chestnut roasting, markets and music.

Don’t miss The Stanley Pub, a 10-minute drive from Beechworth. Dating back to 1854, this little local is awash with character and has been lovingly preserved. Nuzzle up by the fireplace, and feast on the modern pan-Asian fare.

2. Tasmanian Highlands, Tas

Delighting dendrophiles (people who love trees) from near and afar, the Nothofagus gunnii (also known as the ‘Fagus’ or ‘tanglefoot’) has become a calling card come autumn for Tassie. A small deciduous beech tree, the Fagus has the most arrestingly beautiful leaves, all shiny, crinkled and petite, that look as though they’ve been delicately hand-crafted by artisans. It’s the only native winter deciduous tree in Australia.

The so-called ‘turning of the Fagus’ typically takes place between late April and May, its canopy transforming from green to a riot of gold, red and brown. And most conveniently, this alpine beech tree is endemic to Tassie’s pristine highlands, meaning you can tick off some of the isle’s most iconic sights while admiring the tanglefoot’s autumnal coat.

On a six-day tour of Tasmania’s wild west you can take in both Mount Field National Park and Cradle Mountain, which are home to these fabled trees.

3. The Margaret River, WA

WA’s Margaret River is well known for its fanciful display of wildflowers each spring. But a lesser-known yet equally entrancing pageant of colour takes place here in autumn too, as the region’s rivers of vines turn golden before shedding their leaves. Some wineries even invite you to be a part of the harvest.

Admire the shimmering rivers of gold from a perch at one of the many celebrated local wineries, while savouring a glass of the regional speciality, cab sav. And with truffles now in season, you can also head off on a local hunt in Manjimup.

Take a four-day trip from Perth, down through the region’s coastline, and circle back to the City of Light again, cruising along the inland South Western Highway.

Don’t miss a pit stop at the Golden Valley Tree Park in Balingup on your way back to Perth. It’s Western Australia’s largest arboretum and features a litany of different deciduous tree species that put on a show in autumn.

4. The New England Highway, NSW

New England, USA has become something of a ‘fall’ icon, attracting hordes of leaf peepers each year for its pumpkin patches, apple orchards and fiery foliage. But closer to home we have our own eponymous rival, that’s also more than worthy of an autumnal road trip.

From Newcastle, it’s a leisurely five-hour drive (or 500 kilometres) to Tenterfield, the last big regional town before the border with Queensland.

En route, you’ll traverse historic country towns lined with heritage-listed buildings that come alive between March and May in a blaze of warm autumnal hues: streets lined with golden poplar trees and burgundy claret ash trees in Glen Innes and flaming hot red Virginia creepers that are draped over the Gostwyck Chapel, near Uralla. And don’t miss the Armidale Autumn Festival.

5. Alice Springs to Tennant Creek, NT

The Northern Territory might not immediately strike you as the number one destination for an autumn road trip; given that some 40 per cent of the NT is desert, it’s hardly the place for tossing crunchy golden leaves up in the air or enjoying a pumpkin spiced latte next to the fireplace.

But it does offer sun-seekers a spot of much-needed warmth as cooler days bite elsewhere. And thanks to the toasty days and cool nights, it’s considered one of the best times of the year to visit Alice Springs.

This four-hour journey through the thick of Australia’s heartland, will take you from the Aboriginal art galleries and cute coffee shops of Alice through to the curious ‘UFO capital’ of Wycliffe Well, the striking silhouette of the Anmatjere Man and one of the outback’s famous roadhouses, the Aileron.

The pièce de résistance on this trip is Karlu Karlu, or the ‘Devils Marbles’, where you’ll trade golden leaves for sunset’s golden glow as it hits the site’s mesmerising ochre granite boulders.

Don’t miss the Battery Hill Mining Centre in Tennant Creek, where you can take a subterranean tour.

6. Gold Coast to Brisbane via backcountry, Qld

Crisp air and dizzying heights might not be the first things you’d associate with the Sunshine State, but in the depths of autumn, you’ll find both in Queensland’s Scenic Rim.

This dramatically beautiful region of mountain ranges, hidden waterfalls, vast lakes and World Heritage-listed rainforests is a vision year-round, but you may find mid-autumn the prime time to visit, with cooler weather and that trademark Queensland blue sky allowing for hinterland hikes that don’t give you sunstroke.

Start in the Gold Coast, where you can enjoy waters still warm from summer’s spell, before venturing inland to Tamborine Mountain, Lamington National Park and more. Head northwest to end your trip in Brisbane.

7. Southern Tassie loop, Tas

A destination that experiences the raw beauty of every season, Tasmania is the ideal place for those who find joy in embracing all kinds of weather. And in autumn, you’ll find impossibly scenic vistas all over the state.

Hobart alone hosts some alluring autumn scenes across its parks and gardens. The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, for example, features a rich tapestry of colour at this time of year, its Japanese Gardens awash with the burnt orange and scarlet hues of the Japanese Maple.

The state capital also has a wealth of beautiful countryside on its doorstep. From Hobart cruise eastward, first through the Derwent Valley, host to an annual autumn festival, and later through the rolling hills of the Huon Valley, with its apple orchards and wineries.

Don’t miss a stroll along the banks of the lazy Huon River as it mirrors the surrounding gold and green trees.

8. Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges, Vic

Not just a regional hotspot for destination dining (hello the Lake House), Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges is the weekend trip of choice for Melburnians as the sweep of seasonal colours passes through the region each March through to May.

Take a dawn drive from Melbourne to the fabled Hanging Rock to stretch your legs, and you might be greeted by ‘roos and a morning mist that shrouds this mystical rock formation.

Then trundle onwards through the country roads, past farm gates and old stone homesteads, onto the cosy local pubs and homely cafes of Daylesford. A walk around the town’s lake, aglow with autumnal colours, is a non-negotiable.

Venture back via the charming streets of Kyneton. A visit to the town’s monthly farmer’s market is a great opportunity to stock up on local, seasonal produce.

Don’t miss Macedon’s Honour Avenue, also known as the ‘autumn leaves walk’. It’s lined with 150-plus towering pin oak trees, which were planted to honour those from the region who enlisted in the First World War.

9. The Ikara-Flinders Ranges, SA

With the trekking season open from April, autumn is a great time to head off on a road trip through the vast ochre landscape that is the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park.

From Adelaide, it’s a five-hour drive north to this otherworldly national park, where rock wallabies, emus and echidnas roam.

Here, you’ll swap the vibrant colours of the changing leaves for the warm tonal palette of rust-red earth and rock.

10. Southern Highlands, NSW

Once upon a time, the Southern Highlands was the summer retreat for Sydney’s elite. The cool highland air provided respite from the city heat, and the country estate for 16 consecutive NSW governors still stands and is today a boutique hotel.

But escape to the highlands in autumn and you’ll find a region ablaze with the season’s fleeting, ethereal colours and offering plenty of spots to experience that coveted ‘hygge’ feeling.

Drive just over 100 clicks south of Sydney and you’ll arrive at Mittagong, and Bowral shortly after, both home to inviting antiques shops, leafy parks, heritage hotels, quaint bakeries and independent art galleries.

A detour to Kangaroo Valley is well worth the additional mileage: soak up the serenity of the valley’s rainforests and waterfalls before making tracks to the picturesque village of Berrima.

Don’t miss Bendooley Estate, a schmick winery and restaurant just outside of Berrima that’s surrounded by copper-hued trees and yellowing vines each autumn.

11. Perth to Broome, WA

Not only does autumn bring a cool change with it to Broome (we’d recommend May, the first month of the dry season), but it also signifies the start of the resort town’s star attraction, the natural phenomenon, the Staircase to the Moon.

Moreover, at this time of year, stinger season has come to an end and the whale shark season on the Ningaloo Coast, where you can snorkel alongside these graceful giants, has begun.

On this 12-day road trip adventure from Perth, tracing the state’s coastline, you’ll find plenty of opportunity for quiet beach walks without the summer crowds, morning swims in temperate waters and wildlife aplenty.

12. The Epicurean Way, SA

Some of South Australia’s best autumn sights are also a breeze to reach from the state capital, Adelaide. And the Epicurean Way road trip might just number among the state’s best, perfect for a romantic weekend away.

On this four-to-five-day journey you’ll visit four of South Australia’s most established wine regions: the Adelaide Hills, Barossa, Clare Valley and McLaren Vale, all proudly parading their autumn glory in shades of mustard yellow, tomato red and tangerine.

Savour autumn’s rich bounty (figs! mushrooms! pumpkin! truffle!) at some of the region’s best restaurants, where farm-to-fork is the guiding principle behind the design of their seasonal menus. Or indulge in the hearty fare on offer in German-influenced Hahndorf, where many of the local restaurants feature fireplaces to cosy up to.

The Adelaide Hills is an obvious highlight this season. This undulating, wine-driven region is home to Mount Lofty Botanic Garden, which offers prime viewing of the leaf-changing spectacle.

Though the Barossa, as seen from the basket of a hot air balloon, promises a pretty impressive vantage point from which to admire nature’s show.