Melbourne to Brisbane road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time

Overnight stops between Melbourne and Brisbane: Byron Bay

The next leg of the Melbourne to Brisbane road trip is the short drive from Ballina to Byron Bay.

Just north of Tintenbar, there’s waterfall action at Killen Falls and a kid-pleasing wildlife park at Macadamia Castle.

Alternatively, the coast offers a series of top surf spots along the coast. Lennox Head, Whites Beach, Kings Beach, the Broken Head Reserve and Arakwal National Park are all massively underrated compared to Byron.

Whites Beach is one of the quietest beaches in Byron Bay. Photo courtesy of Destination NSW.

The Pacific Motorway, however, goes past attractive Newrybar and food-centric Bangalow.

If planning to stay in Byron Bay, come off the motorway Ewingsdale. This is home to The Farm Byron Bay, where Byron Bay hot air ballooning tours depart from.

8 amazing Byron Bay experiences worth booking today

Experience the region’s glorious natural landscapes from above – on a hot air balloon ride.
Go kayaking with dolphins – and get much closer to them than on a boat tour 🐬.
Learn to surf – on a half day surf lesson 🏄‍♀️.
Discover the local secrets – let a guide show you the hidden beaches and waterfalls 🏖️.
Go on a three habitat wildlife safari – spotting koalas, kangaroos and flying foxes 🐨🦘.
See glowworms light up the World Heritage-listed rainforest.
Explore the Byron Bay hinterland – including the rainforest walk to Minyon Falls.
Taste craft beers and spirits – on a tour of Byron’s breweries and distilleries 🍻.
Also try… Skydives | Sea-kayaking | Whale-watching.

Good Byron Bay activities include brewery tours, art and wine classes and turtle snorkelling tours.

For Byron Bay accommodation, take a look at the beachside Cavvanbah, the Bayview Beachfront Apartments and the Ingenia Byron Bay holiday park.

Melbourne to Brisbane road trip itinerary: Brunswick Heads and the Tweed Coast

It’s another 45 minutes from Byron Bay to Tweed Heads, NSW’s most northerly town.

The drive initially goes past Belongil Beach and the Tyagarah Nature Reserve.

Here’s why you should stay in Brunswick Heads – four fantastic experiences

Take a snorkelling tour to the protected subtropical paradise – at the marine life-packed Julian Rocks.
Take an eco-cruise through the rainforest – in the day time or on a sunset cruise.
Watch migrating humpback whales between June and October – on a whale-watching cruise with a marine biologist guide.
Take a nature kayaking tour along the river – choose from sunrise, daytime and sunset tours.

Further along, Brunswick Heads has a tremendous beach. You can also kayak or cruise on the Brunswick River and enjoy a snorkelling tour to Julian Rocks.

Brunswick Heads accommodation picks include the stylish Brunswick and the pool-centred Sails Motel.

Mooball National Park, Pottsville, Hastings Point, Cabarita Beach and Tropical Fruit World in Duranbah present more exploration options. The latter offers a farm tour and boat cruise.

Five fabulous Tweed Coast experiences to at least consider booking

Tweed River lunch cruise – with wildlife viewing in the rainforest.
Crab-catching tour in Tweed Heads.
Farm tour at Tropical Fruit World – with wildlife spotting cruise.
Progressive four course meal across four top Kingscliff restaurants.
Husk Distillers distillery tour – with tastings.

Rum-tasting at the Husk Distillery in Tumbulgum is another option before the motorway rejoins the coast at Kingscliff. Here, Watersports Guru hires out kayaks.