Best of Down Under

Fifteen days from Sydney to Melbourne the long way round, with Tasmania in the middle and the Great Ocean Road saved for last. It is a well-shaped itinerary that keeps the best bit for the end rather than spending it on day two.

Nowra comes first through the Royal National Park, then Jindabyne in the Snowy Mountains, then Wangaratta across the Great Dividing Range and the Australian Alps. These are proper mountain roads rather than the flat emptiness most people picture of Australia, and the alpine section holds some of the best riding on the mainland.

Dandenong and Geelong follow, and then an overnight ferry carries bikes and riders to Devonport in Tasmania. Several days are spent on the island, including Freycinet National Park with its pink granite peaks and a rest day at Hobart. Tasmania is compact, mountainous and has barely any traffic, and a good number of Australian riders rate it above anywhere else in the country. The return ferry goes to Melbourne, and the trip closes with a loop along the Great Ocean Road past Bells Beach and the Twelve Apostles sea stacks.

Edelweiss include a choice of BMW motorcycle, fourteen nights in comfortable middle-range hotels, both ferry crossings to and from Tasmania, a guide and a tour book. Flights are separate, into Sydney and out of Melbourne, and the inclusions are not itemised in full on the operator’s page. Prices are per person for 2026. Including Tasmania is what lifts this above a straightforward coastal run, and the ferry nights are part of the trip rather than dead time.