Destination: Australia

Itinerary: East Coast Run

ONE MONTH/SYDNEY TO CAIRNS

Hordes of travellers stay on the beaten track on Australia's sun-loving east coast, following a beach-sprinkled route from Sydney to Cairns.

Shed the big-city trappings of Sydney and meander along the Pacific Hwy through central and northern New South Wales (NSW) towns with idyllic beach locales. Soak up the serenity of Port Stephens, the watersports-mad Myall Lakes National Park and the plateau-top rainforests of Dorrigo National Park. Join the feral and famous in Byron Bay, then head over the Queensland border into the brown-skinned state capital, Brisbane, via the kitsch party town of Surfers Paradise.

Bruce Hwy then wends along the coast into the far north. Nature lovers should visit the whale-watching haven of Hervey Bay and, further north, the blissful Whitsunday Islands, the coral charms of the Great Barrier Reef and the scuba-diving nexus of Cairns.

Most travellers fly into Sydney and head north, but there's no reason why you can't tackle the route from the other end and work your way down.