Australia Motorcycle Tour: Darwin to Melbourne

Your Australia motorcycle tour begins with your arrival in Darwin in the tropical north. After the transfer to the hotel you have time to settle in before picking up your motorcycle and starting the tour the following day.

On this Darwin to Melbourne motorcycle tour you pick up your motorcycle and ride to Kakadu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with extraordinary flora and fauna at the edge of Australia's tropical north.

On your free day you explore Kakadu National Park independently. A boat trip through the wetlands offers good chances to spot crocodiles and many other species on this individual Australia motorcycle tour.

The route takes you to the approximately 20-million-year-old Nitmiluk National Park near Katherine. A boat trip through Katherine Gorge reveals impressive rock walls and provides a calm contrast to the previous Outback motorcycle stage.

You continue towards the red centre of the continent, optionally via the Gorrie/Dry River Highway or directly via the SH1 to Daly Waters, where a true Australian roadhouse awaits at the legendary Daly Waters Pub.

The Stuart Highway motorcycle tour continues south with stops at the windmills of Newcastle Waters and the Aboriginal art gallery in Tennant Creek. In the evening you reach the striking rock formation of the Devils Marbles.

Via the Stuart Highway you reach Alice Springs, the heart of Australia in the Outback and an important base for the onward ride to Uluru. This Devils Marbles motorcycle stage marks the transition into the central Outback.

Use the free day to explore Alice Springs, visit art galleries, or take a trip to Owen Springs Reserve or MacDonnell National Park – entirely at your own pace as a self-guided Australia motorcycle tour.

Kings Canyon is one of the most spectacular destinations on the route. At sunset a walk through the canyon is well worth it before the motorcycle tour continues to its best-known stage destination the following day.

About half a day's ride brings you to one of the most impressive natural phenomena in the world: Uluru. This Uluru motorcycle stage ranks among the highlights of the entire journey.

The free day offers options including a ride to the Olgas, a hike through the Valley of the Winds, a helicopter flight or a camel ride – plenty of time to experience Uluru from different perspectives.

From the centre of the continent you continue southward; the typical Outback scenery remains unchanged. Near Marla the opal fields begin and you see the first cave dwellings along this Outback motorcycle stage.

Coober Pedy, the stronghold of opal hunters, awaits you today. After arriving it is worth learning about the fascination of opals, admiring jewellery in local galleries and visiting the underground cave dwellings of the town.

The day starts with a visit to the Old Timers Mine and Museum, a former opal mine. At midday you ride the famous Oodnadatta Track and stop at the legendary Pink Roadhouse in the middle of the Australian Outback.

You leave William Creek, Australia's smallest town, and continue along the Oodnadatta Track. A dip in the warm waters of Coward Springs and a pass through Mutonia Sculpture Park round out this stage of the Melbourne motorcycle route.

The contrasts could hardly be greater: you start in the dry Flinders Ranges and arrive in the world-famous green Barossa Valley wine region. This Barossa Valley motorcycle stage shows Australia from its fertile side.

The Adelaide Hills offer another highlight for motorcycle riders. After the mighty Murray River, crystal-blue lagoons, dunes and lakes in Coorong National Park welcome you as the route heads on towards the Grampians.

The over 400-million-year-old Grampians National Park impresses with deep fern forests, lakes, rivers and wetlands – and offers some of the finest motorcycle roads on this Australia north-to-south crossing.

After impressive viewpoints in Grampians National Park you ride south towards the Great Ocean Road – one of the most celebrated motorcycle routes in the world and the next major destination of this Northern Territory to Victoria motorcycle tour.

The Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and the London Bridge accompany you along the Great Ocean Road motorcycle tour. A detour to Cape Otway is well worthwhile before the journey ends in Melbourne.

After 21 eventful days your Melbourne motorcycle tour ends with returning your rental motorcycle and departing from this vibrant city – time to reflect on an extraordinary north-to-south crossing of Australia.