Not sure whether to travel Sydney to Cairns or Cairns to Sydney? It can be a tough call trying to decide which way to travel East Coast Australia is best for you!

No worries though – we run through the main factors you’ll need to keep in mind to decide which Australia plan will be the best option…

Sydney to Cairns or Carins To Sydney? The Best Way To Travel East Coast Australia

Best Spots to Visit On The East Coast

First off lets put everything into perspective. The Sydney to Cairns route is over 2,900km so you’ve got a lot of distance to cover! If you want to tick off the main stops these are our personal favourites;

Sydney
Yamba
Byron Bay
Gold Coast
Brisbane
Noosa
Rainbow Beach – including access to Fraser Island
Airlie Beach – including access to the Whitsunday Islands
Magnetic Island
Mission Beach
Cairns
Cape Tribulation

…and if you want to do the whole thing Melbourne is a great addition too!

The Time Of Year

The time of year you’re heading to Australia is something you should definitely something you should keep in mind when travelling to Australia – as believe it or not Australia does actually have a winter season!

And weather in Sydney and Melbourne can vary A LOT during the winter – yes, Australia can get cold and rainy! In fact winter weather in Melbourne can be as low as 6 degrees with frosty night times!

Summer = December to February

Autumn = March to May

Winter = June to August

Spring = September and November

November to April also marks the monsoon season in Queensland (with the northern part of it being the most affected) so also take this into account when planning your route too. Chances are you’re going to hit some rainy season up towards Cairns – but perhaps start there and move south towards the better weather, or spend more time between Sydney and Rainbow Beach.

Key Events

Another starting point for planning your trip are any key events you want to hit up on the way – such as Xmas and New Year in Sydney, Bluesfest in Byron Bay or the Australian Open in Melbourne.

As we’ve said before, Australia is HUGE place and unless you’re looking at getting internal flights these events could dictate where you’ll need to start!

For example if you land in Australia 10th December and want to do Sydney for xmas you wont want to be starting in Cairns, you simply wont have enough time to travel down the coast without rushing through it heaps!

Onward Travel

I know we’re trying to help you figure out Australia right now, but it’s also worth keeping in mind your onwards travel plans too!

If you’re flying internationally sometimes finishing in Sydney works out better for flight routes and prices, or for stops like New Zealand flying out of Cairns is really easy to do.

It’s not a huge deciding factor but certainly something to keep in mind.

Again – you can use internal flights to connect the dots in your travel plans, but make sure you price everything up as well so you know all your options!

The Best Way To Travel

Along with everything else you also need to keep in mind how you’re going to be travelling too! Greyhound Passes are the most popular, but you’ll need to know which way around you’re going for the point to point passes (so don’t change your mind!) whereas the WHIMit Passes dont have any restriction on route (only length of time) so you can mix things up with those!

Campervans are also fixed with the route once you’ve reserved one and the prices do vary on length of time but also the route as well – so you may find out it’s much cheaper to go with a different starting point – and this may well have a huge impact on your decision.

Which Way Does Everyone Else Travel?

So do most people travel Cairns to Sydney or Sydney to Cairns?

Yes we deal with a lot of travellers plans and yes people do both routes.

We have to say though most people do tend to opt for the Sydney to Cairns option – which is usually because there are better flights into Australia via Sydney or even Melbourne.

However, dont let this put you off doing it the other way – you’ll still meet heaps of people and it may well work out the best option for you.

Again – the internal flight option is there if you price it all up and realise you need to start in Cairns, but flights into Sydney are heaps lower.