Embrace lengthier days, blooming fields and the annual whale migration with the country’s most-loved spring road trips.

There’s no better time to explore our own backyards than when winter-coddled bodies begin thawing amid rising temperatures. Whether you’re keen to spot the annual humpback migration, combing mountain ranges for blooming wildflower flushes or aching for outdoor adventure sports, spring road trips will often take your breath away – as long as you know where to steer. Here, a handful of our favourites, renowned for their jaw-dropping moments.

1. Bowral to Canberra, NSW to the ACT 

Chase the rainbow to not one but two dazzling spring flower festivals with the two-hour journey from Bowral to Canberra. First up, you’ll spy vivid colour at the Southern Highlands’ Tulip Time Flower Festival, staged for a little over three weeks each year and home to more than 80,000 plantings and a marketplace. Once you’re done, hit the Hume Highway, past Goulburn (but do drop in for a house-baked triple chocolate cookie at Grit Cafe), before hitting our roundabout capital for the most spectacular green thumb extravaganza of all: Floriade. Expect staggeringly beautiful flowers, live entertainment, sculptures, artworks, and so much more.

2. Avon Valley 500 Loop, WA 

Stretching roughly 392 kilometres in length, about 30 kilometres east of Perth, the Avon Valley 500 Loop winds through tiny towns and Western Australia’s first national park, the John Forest National Park. But arguably its prettiest highlights (and there are many) are the canola fields found along the Great Southern Highway portion of the trip – otherworldly yellow spreads that intensify at the end of winter and into the first month of spring. Additionally, the heritage town of York, where you should most definitely spend the night, offers antique stores, galleries and stunning architecture.

3. The East Coast, Tas 

Ready to see a whale? Drift along the east coast of Tasmania, starting from the beach town of St Helens to the like-minded sleepy Swansea before turning into Freycinet National Park for Wineglass Bay, where humpbacks are spotted seeking warmer waters from June to November. If you don’t catch them the day you’re there, don’t despair – the entire eastern coastline is renowned for top-notch whale-watching until November as the majestic giants migrate north and south to breed and birth.

4. The Red Centre Way, NT 

While Northern Territory headliners Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa National Park pull crowds all year round, the iconic Red Centre Way shines in spring amid blossoming wildflowers. The vivid blooms pop against the region’s famed red dirt, creating some of the most extraordinary scenes on the planet. It’s a mammoth trail, notching up 835 kilometres in total, so it’s common to tackle small portions, like the unsealed Mereenie Loop Tourist Drive.

5. Adelaide to Kangaroo Island, SA 

Hit the M2 from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island’s ferry stop in Cape Jervis to experience world-famous wine country before descending on wildlife heaven. You’ll need to turn off the freeway to sample McLaren Vale’s famed drops, but don’t linger too long because Kangaroo Island is just a 45-minute ferry ride off the coast. In spring, the island bursts with wildflowers and orchids while kangaroos, sea lions, baby koalas and joeys are also known to emerge.   

6. Kosciuszko Alpine Way, NSW

Located within the Snowy Mountains, the Kosciuszko Alpine Way really turns the table on its moniker during the warmer months. The 100-kilometre stretch from Jindabyne to the Victorian border is flanked by wildflowers, making for a scenic trail dotted with activity. Scale Jindy Rock with rock-climbing experts, skid with the best of them at Thredbo Mountain Bike Park, and uncover historic alpine huts at Geehi Flats, just off the pristine Swampy Plains River.

7. Capricorn Way, Qld

If you’re a foodie, the Capricorn Way is calling your name, particularly at the beginning of September. Encompassing 600 glorious kilometres, the road trip starts in Rockhampton. There you’ll sample the region’s finest seafood, spring produce and arts scene, before you should really keep on trucking to the astonishing limestone tunnel network of Capricorn Caves, secret swimming holes warm enough to bathe in, and a giant Van Gogh ‘Sunflowers’ replica. Your final destination? Barcaldine in the Queensland outback.

8. Silo Art Trail, Vic

A 200-kilometre scenic route through western Victoria, the Silo Art Trail is Australia’s largest outdoor art gallery, dotted with 23 enormous murals created by international street artists. Starting in Rupanyup, the cultural awakening is also littered with wildflowers in spring, crafting an ongoing visual feast unlike any other in the country. You can navigate in two directions, but both visit a string of totally charming rural towns

9. Nullarbor crossing, SA

Go big or go home with a bucket list journey across the Nullarbor Plain. Tackle it in spring to spy wildflowers popping out along the grand 1256-kilometre trail, which takes in remote campsites and pubs, gigantic rock formations, spotless beaches and sand dunes, and Australia’s longest and straightest road, the 90 Mile Straight. A journey for the ages, whether you do it in full or take smaller bites. 

10. The Great Ocean Road, Vic

You’ve probably driven its winding routes more than a few times, but spring is arguably the best time to explore the Great Ocean Road. Waterfalls are flowing, wildflowers are blooming, and the mercury sits at just the right point – a rarity in Victoria. Pit stops include the iconic Twelve Apostles, trendy Lorne and watching the waves at Bells Beach and Torquay. 

11. Pacific Coast Way, Qld

Taking advantage of Queensland’s 300-odd days of sunshine per year, the Pacific Coast Way goes from the Gold Coast to Cairns, offering up quintessential Sunshine State experiences. From the Glitter Strip’s glitzy wining and dining scene and one of only two Everglades systems in the world, to more seasonal whale-watching and easy access to the Great Barrier Reef, the 1800-kilometre road trip offers non-stop sunny season thrills.