If you’re looking for a route down the east coast of Australia but you’re not sure where to stop or where to go then this is what we did. We used the Greyhound buses and brought the 90-day pass from Cairns to Sydney. Not all the stops were worth it but I think we did the majority of the stops and it was definitely the best way to experience the east coast of Australia. We fitted this in in 35 days to be precise but it can be shorter (we filled it out with extra stops because of our hostel start date in Sydney) or it can be the full 90 days.

We were pretty nervous about arriving in Australia so found this was a really good way to get into it and we made friends along the coast who we met up with again in Sydney and elsewhere! You can of course just to do the route in reverse, but don’t forget you can only travel in one direction so decide which way you want to go first!

What we paid may be a little out-dated by now, but just for a ball park figure we paid $469 each for our tickets, which you have a year to use. Top tip – if you book through Ratpack Travel, they offer a discounted price. To use your ticket, you just download the Greyhound app, log in and book on the bus journey time you want. Booking on is essential as without, you’re not guaranteed a seat as most of the buses are full. The driver will check your pass and ID too before you’re allowed to hop-on.

Quick Disclaimer: We were in Australia from November 2019 to February 2020. Pre-covid and all that drama, so things might have changed/not be open etc! So please check before you head there.

Cairns

Time spent here: 3 days/3 nights

Our flight into Australia brought us into Cairns and its always a good place to start. Nice city, not too big but a good point for excursions and nights out. We had a few days here before we started our bus route which gave us time to do what we wanted to do get over any jetlag! This was a good stop for planning some next hostels, buying our Greyhound bus pass and some excursions further down the coast that fill up quickly (we booked it all with Ratpack).

Hostel: we stayed in Mad Monkeys Village Backpackers and it was a great first hostel in Australia. Good deals on drinks with free entry to places and they were big on encouragement to go for nights out. Plus a bar, nice staff, free dinners on certain nights and a pool.

What we did: Here we did the Great Barrier Reef boat trip with Passions of Paradise which was one the most insane things I’ve ever done in my life. I mean we’d landed in Australia about 12 hours before and suddenly we were out on this amazing boat off to see the Great Barrier Reef! It was pretty surreal. The options varied on the excursion and obviously may have changed since we were there but for us, we opted for lunch being included – it was delicious, and just the snorkelling option. Scuba diving is an option too and whilst it’s definitely something I want to try I just wasn’t sure I was ready and for me and my galpal to be able to stick together snorkelling suited us best. You’re not left alone or disadvantaged in the slightest by just snorkelling either, we saw so much of the reef, loads of fishes and still had the famous underwater photo.

The staff, tour, amount of time in the water, food and whole experience was just amazing for us. We were provided with stinger suits as it was jellyfish season and snorkelling equipment and there were also floating aids if you required! It was nice to be able to relax on the woggles and I’d definitely use them again. If you’re worried about seasickness, which I can suffer with pretty badly, load up on the motion sickness tablets before getting on the boat and stick to the outside decks. Being out in the air stopped me from feeling poorly and the boat was still during lunch when we had to go below deck and I wasn’t even slightly queasy.

Make sure you take with you a GoPro if you have one or a waterproof bag for your phone/camera if you’re wanting to get photos of your own!

Other things to do in Cairns:

• Head down to the lagoon! The beaches aren’t particularly nice so everyone heads here instead where there’s a man-made beach and grassy banks to chill on! It was a really lovely spot to chill and soak up the sun before heading out on the Greyhound.

• Excursions to the Daintree Rainforest were really popular and sounded amazing. Best place to do river cruises and spot crocodiles.

• Skyrail Rainforest Cableway: A scenic cable way over the Barron Gorge National Park – this looks absolutely insane! It’s just north of Cairns and something that I would 100% do if I get back to Aus.

Townsville and Magnetic Island

Time spent here: Townsville – 1 day. Magnetic Island: 3 days/3 nights

This was our first stop on the greyhound bus and it was only a short 5 hours and 55 mins’ journey! We came to Townsville for one reason only and that was to hop on a ferry and head to Magnetic Island. If you can time it better you might not need to stay a night in Townsville but if you’re not in a rush, it can be worth the stop in case there’s journey delays.

Hostel: We stayed our one night in Townsville in the Reef Lodge Backpackers. Was alright for one night, clean enough but odd hostel for sure. The next morning, we headed to the ferry terminal and went over to the island for 3 days. The return ferry ticket and our hostel – Base (there’s only a couple on the island so worth booking in advance) were arranged through Ratpack.

Base was a party hostel, loads of socialising and drinking games, a really fun hostel to stay in. Plus, the accommodation was cute beach hut style rooms with a pool too which is always a bonus. Only slight downside, it’s a prettyyy pricey hostel but trust me, it is worth it for the beauty of the island. Top Tip: an island bus loops past the hostel so it’s the cheapest and easiest way to get there, and (did) cost $2 each way.

What we did: If you’re fancying Magnetic Island then the one classic thing everyone does is hire a Barbie car. These little open top cars – (be warned you’ll probs burn), which have hardly any gears and no doors, are just the highlight of this island. Zooming about in one of these is the only way to explore (there is a bus if this isn’t your thing) and they give you access to all the other things you want to do whilst you’re there. And of course, getting a classic car photo had to be our priority! We booked this on the island in the ferry terminal’s tourist centre.

Other things to do on Magnetic Island:

If you hire a Barbie car or you just want to bus around the it there’s plenty of things to do:

• Visit the Rock Wallabies. Head over to Geoffrey Bay late afternoon/around sunset loaded up with a bag of carrots and these lil’ cuties will become your best friends.

• The Forts Walk. Heading up here is absolutely something to do in the Barbie car as it gives you complete flexibility of when you want to head there to give you the best chance of seeing…. Koalas!

• Beaches. It’s an island so there are loads of beaches, so if you’re fancying a chill you can walk to one, or reach the further ones with the car or bus. The first one we headed to was Picnic Foreshore, not far from base and had a stinger net up so you could get into the sea to cool off. The tide was out when we arrived and we could spot the shipwreck just off the rocks down the left side of the cove which was pretty cool. Alternatively, past Forts walk on the top of the island is Horseshoe bay. Again, a net to provide stinger free swimming and a lovely beach to chill and get an ice cream.

I’ve written more about Magnetic Island as its too good to fit in one paragraph!

Airlie Beach

Time spent here: 2 days/3 nights

Our next stop down the coast was Airlie Beach for a Whitsundays tour (also booked for us by Ratpack). If you don’t know about the Whitsundays, google and you’ll see why everyone heads there. With a pretty lively town and nightlife plus some the most stunning beaches in the world it’s easy to see why its backpackers crazy.

Hostel: We stayed in Magnums backpackers whilst in AB. Really nice accommodation, wooden style huts were the dorm rooms we got and there was an en-suite bathroom which was really handy. It’s also the first hostel we cooked in! Decent kitchen and right next to a woolworths too. There’s food venues in the hostel, plus an area of BBQs. The Wi-Fi was limited to a specific spot but it was fairly decent and had charging points. Just watch out for the bush turkeys.

What we did: We had a full day trip to the Whitsundays booked with Ocean Rafting that included snorkelling, visiting Whitehaven beach and lunch if you wanted it (costs extra, so we took our own and ate it on the beach). The trip was absolutely hilarious and I honestly cannot recommend it enough. The boats are so fast and you get to experience what they can do when you’re out on the open sea. Because the boat can be pretty bouncy your bags get tucked away under the seats and its best to put hats and non-waterproof valuables away. We first headed for a pick-up of more people joining the tour before making our way to the biggest island and doing a walk up and through the hills (it wasn’t far) to the view-points. Then we had time on one of the most insanely beautiful beaches in the world and it was just unreal. The sand is so precious to the beaches – it was produced by a volcanic eruption, so you’ve got to rinse yourself off really well before you get back on the boat to protect it. The rest of the afternoon was snorkelling at the bottom end of Great Barrier Reef, as amazing as it was in Cairns, before heading back to dock around 4pm. Top Tip: there were snacks and drinks available on the boat, just needed cash!

Other things to do in Airlie Beach:

• Visit the lagoon. Spent our first full day here in the sun and it was v appreciated.
• Fairly big for nightlife, lots of bars and some clubs too.

Agnes Water and the Town of 1770

Time spent here: 3 days/3 nights

Stopping at Agnes Water (also called the Town of 1770 as it was ‘discovered’ by Captain Cook in that year) was purely for the Kangaroo Sanctuary. A really small hippy town with lovely beaches, surf schools, and a few shops was a really good stop on the east coast.

Hostel: Stayed our time in the 1770 YHA Beachside Backpackers in a 10 bed mixed dorm. Cute hostel, with a local dog that came to visit, decent sized kitchen, free bedrooms, a private access to the beach and hostel run tours – one of which was the kangaroo sanctuary. If the YHA isn’t your kind of hostel, loads of people we met stayed in Cool Bananas and said it was pretty good (don’t take my word for it though).

What we did: the main reason for stopping here was for Horizons Kangaroo Sanctuary. Run by a local couple who are so loved by the roos (who when healthy are free to come and go as they please) that they quite often stay nearby so they’re around for feeding times and cuddles. We went with the organised trip by our hostel who shuttle bussed us both there and back. It was free to visit but a donation was heavily suggested and I mean how can you not donate to help look after these precious angels?! We arrived slightly late and missed the intro of session but it was pretty self-explanatory: stay fairly still, let them come to you and if you’ve got some sweet potato (the sanctuary guy handed it out) then they’ll happily come and munch from your hand. The whole thing was just so amazing and there is the downside that they’ve adapted to humans and are very used to human contact so much so a fair few are pretty dependent on the sanctuary for their survival, BUT without the sanctuary more would die as its where locally found injured or sick roos are taken.

Other things to do in Agnes Water/1770:

• Surfing. A fair few surf schools and pretty decent waves for beginners seems to be a pretty big attraction for backpackers here. We didn’t do a surf school or lesson, we just hired one (big mistake, definitely don’t recommend it) so there’s that option too if you’re already a pro! If you’re lucky, turtles can often be seen too.

• Agnes Water/1770 is on a tip of the east coast where you can see both the sunrise and sunset around the headland of Bustard Bay. Our hostel did a tour to watch the sunset and said the half hour before the sunset and the half hour after were the most spectacular and worth getting there early and staying later for.

Hervey Bay

Time spent here: 3 days/2 nights

Hostel: Flashpackers Hostel. Pretty nice hostel, about 10 mins to the beach. OK rooms with an en-suite, a pool, free pancakes on the weekend, decent Wi-Fi, pool tables and big (actually comfy) sofas. Top Tip: if you do find yourself heading here, get confirmation for the shuttle bus they offer, no one wants a 45-minute walk from the Greyhound bus stop.

What we did: Apart from getting some ice cream and petting the campers who lived on the grounds of the hostels cat, that’s just about all we got up to in Hervey Bay. There weren’t many stops that weren’t worth the while but this one, is one I wouldn’t be heading back to. However, it is fairly cute town with nice beaches and a couple of ice cream parlours so is great for recuperation if need. We found that there was nothing that appealed to us to do but we spent the few days here chilling, making the most of the decent Wi-Fi to facetime boyfriends and family and embrace a good Netflix binge. The day we did venture out to see what we could find, Planet 72 Icecreamery which boasts the largest display of scooped ice cream in Australia was pretty tasty. So this might be a place to stop if you want to chill out by the beach and eat some tasty ice cream. Otherwise id head on down to the next stop, Noosa.

Other things to do in Hervey Bay:

• Hire a bike and cycle along the promenade
• Head down to the beach to catch some rays
• Head out on a boat tour!

Noosa & Fraser Island

Time spent here: 5 days

Noosa is one of my fave fave fave spots of Aus. With beautiful walks in the national park and a chance to see dolphins, it really is so lovely. Plus, the trip to Fraser Island was the best excursion of Australia. We headed here purely for the trip to Fraser island but wished we could have stayed for so much longer. If you skip Hervey bay stay in Noosa for that length of time because it is SO worth it. Top Tip: You can do tours from elsewhere to Fraser Island but the tour (and best place in my opinion) is the nomads tour going from Noosa.

Hostel: Nomads. We stayed in Nomads because we were on the Nomads tour to Fraser Island. Good hostel, but absolutely grim kitchen with like 2 hobs and no cutlery. But there was a pool, and a bar and en-suite rooms. Bar/club area was really fun, nice staff and secure locker storage.

What we did: Fraser tour: I cannot recommend this enough. If you’ve got license you can drive, if not you can just be a passenger, but either way the experience of driving on the sand on an island is so fun. I don’t want to spoil it here, so I’ll just say bushfires, dingo’s, camping, lakes, river swimming, sand driving, lots of goon. I have written a longer blog about it, as it was just the 10000% the best tour of the whole trip. So if you want more information on what you could get up to, have a look at this one.

Other things to do in Noosa:

• Walks through the national park, visit dolphin point and the fairy pools. Most amazing thing. Fairy pools are natural rock pools that change with the tide. Such a cool thing to do and the nicest spot to watch the sunset. Swimming in a rock pool with little fishes!

Brisbane

Time spent here: 3 days/3 nights

Probably my favourite city of Australia and I don’t even really know why. Just got such a good feeling in the city and loved the 3 days there. Could have spent longer for sure but I know a lot of other people didn’t love it, so it’s worth booking a hostel for a few days and seeing how you feel before committing to a longer time but we would have absolutely stayed for longer.

Hostel: stayed at Bunk. Pretty nice hostel. Separated by a bar and a really tiny but cute pool. Once side is the hostel, feels like a hotel mixed with a school. This was our first 20 bed dorm and it was surprisingly fine. Lockers were provided in the room and there were toilets (although a bit questionable) and the toilets and showers outside the dorm were decent. Other side of the club/bar/pool area was the kitchen which was really big, good sized fridges and v clean. Nights out and hostel entertainment was good. And tours can be booked through the hostel/done with the hostel.

What we did: lots to do in Brisbane but the main reason we went was for the Koala sanctuary. From Brisbane you can get the greyhound bus to Australia Zoo with a separate return ticket, however it worked out too expensive for us as we weren’t bothered about the whole zoo, so  the sanctuary suited us loads better. We went with the trip organised by the hostel which involved a stop at Mount Coot view point before being dropped at the sanctuary.

Other things to do in Brisbane:

• Visit the city beach and lagoon. This was such a lovely lagoon, really popular with families and seemed a popular place to meet up and hang out.
• The famous Brisbane sign (which is an excellent photo spot).
• Eat Street Market in Northshore is excellent. Hop on the ferry down there and discover!
• Mount Coot-tha is fairly close if you’re looking to do some hikes.
• Australia Zoo is close to Brisbane. Its a popular stop off place for people wanting to see the zoo.

If you want more info on what to do in Brisbane, check out my blog here!

Surfers Paradise – Gold Coast

Time spent here: 4 days/3 nights

There’s not masses to do in surfers, its more about beach chilling and partying. Which we did both of! 2 days if you’re just wanting a look around and maybe 3 if you’re thinking of a night out. We did fill our days by chilling and making the most of the beaches, which are fairly nice! Surfers is a strange city, felt a bit like being in Benidorm, which made more sense when we found out its where the Aussies come for hen and stag parties.

Hostel: Stayed at Budds In which had a free breakfast, a pool, bar, friendly staff, good kitchen and events such as nights out! Rooms were pretty basic but the showers/toilets were some of the cleanest and were actually pretty nice for a hostel bathroom.

What we did: We took the opportunity to do very little. Made the most of sunshine and warm weather, topped our tans up – was actually really nice just chilling and not feeling that need to be on the go continuously. As well as doing a little bit of shopping and we also went on, possibly the weirdest, night out of my life. The night out was organised by the hostel staff and included a drinks deal at the hostel and entry to “Sin City” supposedly the best night out in Australia. It was a themed night of ‘Ladies Night’ and we paid an additional $10 – for the females only, and had unlimited drinks all night. I still can’t work out if I think this is a benefit or whether its dodgy encouraging the girls to get absolutely trashed in a club filled with men. The club itself was bizarre, all the bar staff were female and were dressed in lingerie, the entertainment involved naked butlers doing strip teases and lap dances, but the worst was the twerking competition. They did ban the use of phones during it but no words, just no words. It was a funny night, but very different to a night out at home.

Other things to do in Surfers Paradise:

• Lots of shops from chains to local indepedent boutiques
• Endless beaches
• Hard Rock Café

Coolangatta

Time spent here: 2 days/1 night

Coolangatta was a random but a stop worth-while doing. Although there isn’t much to do, the beaches are lovely and can be another stop for relaxing and sun soaking. We stayed just a night as we had a late bus the next day but unfortunately it poured so we only got half a day of exploring and to be honest, you don’t need more than that to see the town.

Hostel: hostels were odd in this city, and the one we stayed in ‘Komune’ was more of a really cheap hotel/beach club. There was a pool, bar and if there when there was an event then it was probably a really good place to stay. It was super quiet whilst we were there, so we made the most of the pool and Wi-Fi in the bar. Not far from Komune was the Pink Hotel which looked adorable and we wished we’d known about as it would have been worth the extra money to stay there but if that doesn’t appeal, Komune serves perfectly well. Just be aware there is no kitchen or fridge access for guests but we spoke to the receptionist and she very kindly offered to store some of our essential bits in the staff fridge.

What we did: Our half-a-day exploring involved a wander around the town, use of the post office – always good to know, a wander along the front, ice cream, the pool at Komune and the best of all, the time zone landmark. Coolangatta is in the twin town zone as situated on the border of Queensland and New South Wales and is split with the town Tweed Heads. Coolangatta is on the time zone as the rest of QLD whilst Tweed Heads, is an hour ahead on the NSW time. Visiting this spot means you can hop between the two, something which locals have to adjust to if they live in one-time zone and work in the other.

Other things to do in Coolangatta:

• Dominos! Because of the no kitchen drama, we decided pizza was the much better option. $5 pizza is good, but $5 domino’s pizza is just great.
• Ice cream shop called Gelatissimo which we visited a few times whilst in Australia and offers v good gelato!
• Surfing! Coolangatta offers some of the best beaches on the Gold Coast for swell
• Point Danger – a famous Captain Cook memorial,
• In the right season, Coolangatta is good for whale watching.

Byron

Time spent here: 6 days/5 nights

Welcome to Byron! Okay, so you’ve left Queensland and entered the state of New South Wales woo! You’ve also left the Gold Coast and almost hit Sydney territory. Byron is such a classic stop on the coast and its pretty special. We did so much here, it was a jam-packed few days. The only tiny downside was the hostel. On arrival we weren’t too sure what we were going to do, but a few friends we had made along the coast were also stopping in Byron at the same time and so we decided to wait and make plans with them. The main plan we made was a trip to Nimbin which is a small ‘hippie’ town which is worth a trip, for a few different reasons.

Hostel: We stayed in Nomads which had good reviews, but in reality was not good. At all. There were spacious dorms, clean bathrooms and kitchen with good communal spaces but the crowd that the hostel attracted was not the good kind of crowd. We had noisy companions in the hostel room, one night someone randomly came into our bedroom from the balcony which they’d accessed from another room. This was not a fun night and we reported it to reception who were very apologetic but there wasn’t much that they could do.

Other things to do in Byron:

• Take a walk along the coast to Cape Byron
• Have a night out!
• Explore the beaches and try surfing
• Watch a sunset and dolphin spot from one of the cliff spots.

We had the best time in Byron so I have written more about it here!

Yamba

Time spent here: 2 days/2 nights

We had no idea what to expect here but if you can, you HAVE to stop in Yamba. There’s only one reason to stop here and it’s so so worth it.

Hostel: YHA. There’s only one hostel in Yamba and it’s this one. Run by a lovely local family, nice and spacious with clean amenities and a café/bar downstairs. We were supposed to stay in a 4 bed dorm but got upgraded to a private room so not sure what the dorms were like but the room/bed was lovely, even got towels and free soap!

What we did: Shanes Tour. You can’t miss it. I can’t talk about it tooooo much, rules of the tour are what happens on tour stays on tour. Shane is a character, absolutely bonkers, so funny and you’ve just got to go with the flow. It was the most dramatic, exhilarating and crazy experience ever and if you do it, name drop Hannah and Phoebe from England and hopefully he’ll remember us. If you do the tour and stop in Yamba, please let me know, I’d love to hear what you thought of it! That’s all I can say about it…

Other things to do in Yamba:

• Walk around and explore the town, there’s an old local cinema which looks really cute and worth stopping in if you fancy watching something on the big screen.
• Surfing is also really popular here and some of the world’s most famous surfers live here – hostel owner Shane runs his own surf school and it also comes highly praised.
• Finally, dolphin watching is possible at sunset and sunrise.

Coffs Harbour

Time spent here: 2 days (ish)/1 night

If you’re pushed for time, I’d skip Coffs Harbour. We stopped to spread the journey to Sydney out and break it down – some people go direct from Byron to Sydney, but it’s totally personal preference.

Hostel: We stayed in ‘Hoey Moey Backpackers’ and it was possibly the worst hostel I’ve ever stayed in. Do not stay here. It’s a motel with a bar/restaurant open to all the locals and it was awful. We felt totally uncomfortable, didn’t have a nice experience when we went back to our dorm to go to bed, the kitchen was grim, as were the rooms and bathroom and pretty rubbish staff. If you do happen to go to Coffs Harbour, our friend stayed at the YHA and actually enjoyed his visit to the town and said the hostel and it’s staff were really nice.

What we did: Walk to the Big Banana Fun Park. The theme park was closed when we walked to see the huge banana and if its open it could be worth a visit, if not, it’s pretty famous and a good photo opp. Be warned, it’s a 40 minute walk either way, so decide if a photo of a big plastic banana is worth the trek!

Other things to do in Coffs Harbour:

• The jetty and pier are worth a stroll if you decide to stop off. Heading down the Jetty takes you to Mutton Island Nature Reserve which at the top offers a nice view back across the town and its beaches.

Port Macquarie

Time spent here: 2 days/1 night

This was our final stop before Sydney! If you’ve got time to kill, it can be worth stopping over night to break up the journey and it saved us a nights hostel charge as we left here early evening and arrived in Sydney around 3am the next morning. The main reason for stopping, was the Koala Hospital which made the it worth the visit.

Hostel: The hostel we stayed in was Port Macquarie Backpackers and was pretty nice. A fairly big kitchen, lovely staff, free pancakes on the weekend, clean bathrooms, a pool with hammocks, a TV and a Games room. Because it’s not the most popular spot the hostel was pretty chill and not too far a walk from the bus stop, pub or supermarket.

What we did: A big reason for stopping in Port Macquarie was for the Koala Hospital. The hospital is built in the grounds of an old house which is open for public access and is dedicated to the 24-hour care of sick and injured koalas, as well as looking after those who are unable to be released back into the wild. It is completely run on donations so if you visit please donate what you can as visiting during the awful bush fires showed how needed the hospital is for saving these cuties. The daily tour is at 3pm and really popular as its free and the only way to see around the grounds.

Other things to do in Port Macquarie:

• Take a wander to the Douglas Vale Vineyard for a free wine tasting. It wasn’t too far from the hostel and was a good walk and was a nice way to spend a few hours in Port Macquarie.
• There seems to be loads more to explore in Port Macquarie then we found, but it seemed to be a popular holiday destination for locals. To name a few: an observatory, mountain biking course, mini golf, a koala sculpture trail and Billabong zoo.

Finally, we arrived in Sydney after the best month and few days exploring down the east coast. It was such a fab way to see this part of Australia and took so much stress out of planning to get around. I’ve included just a list of the stops we did in case you want to refer back to a skeleton route at the bottom and if you want tips for Sydney, then check out my blog ‘What to do in Sydney’ here.

And just because this is a wholeeee load of information to take in, I’ve popped a list of our stops below!

1. Cairns

2. Townsville and Magnetic Island

3. Airlie Beach

4. Agnes Water

5. Hervey Bay

6. Noosa

7. Brisbane

8. Surfers Paradise

9. Coolangatta

10. Byron Bay

11. Yamba

12. Coffs Harbour

13. Port Macquarie

14. Sydney

If you’ve got this far, thanks for sticking with it!

lots of love,

Han x