When it comes to going big, it's hard to find a place that goes bigger than Australia. And that includes Texas. Everything about Australia has that 'go big or go home' vibe to it, from the people to the food the the nature. There are no half measures here.
That includes the road trips, specifically the Big Lap. Highway 1 runs around the outer edge of the island nation, hitting pretty much all of the capital cities of each state and territory. From beginning to end, the route is roughly 14,500 kilometers or 9,050 miles long.
The entire run is called the Big Lap. People have been known to spend up to a year on this road, which means they definitely took in the sights. And the fastest it's ever been done is one week, which means stopping only for gas and bathroom breaks. You don't need to go that fast, though.
On the road
The Big Lap isn't one complete highway so much as it is a series of highways that connect around the edge of Australia. Collectively, they are referred to as Highway 1. You can follow it almost exactly or make a number of detours along the way. One will take you into the center of the country.
If you want to do all the detours and alternate routes, you can basically double the trip. But you will see a lot of Australia along the way. That includes cities like Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, and Cairns. If you really want to get crazy, you can add Hobart to the list.
On top of that, you'll pass by some incredible beaches, parks, and natural preserves. This is a massive road trip around one of the most interesting countries in the world. But if you're going to pull it off, it will require a significant amount of planning on your part.
Planning the Big Lap
Time on the road can range rather dramatically, from as little as a week to as much as a two years or more. Ultimately, it depends how much time you have spend and how much you want to see on your trip. You have a lot of choices to make on this one.
Three months is reputedly a good time frame to plan for. You can complete the route while still spending healthy amount of time in different cities and other destinations along the way. It also depends if you want to take any detours, like the ones into the middle of the country.
The first step in planning this adventure is deciding where you actually want to go on it. There are a lot of potential places to stop on the trip and you may not be able to hit every one of them. If there are three words that could help you with this, they would be prioritize, prioritize, and prioritize.