Melbourne's laneways, Sydney's harbour, Byron's surf and Brisbane's river: four cities down the east coast, linked by cheap trains and overnight buses, with a hostel bed in each. The backpacker artery, done properly.
Per person
14 days · 4 cities · 27h 38m in transit
$1,207
Excludes international flights
Between cities
$248
2 buses and 1 train
Beds
$959
13 nights across 4 cities
Estimated for a 1 Jan 2027 start. Pick your dates and it all reprices.
Melbourne
🇦🇺 3 nights · Day 1–3 · MEL
3
Train · NSW TrainLink XPT · 11h 18m · $99
Sydney
🇦🇺 4 nights · Day 4–7 · SYD
4
Bus · Greyhound overnight · 13h 20m · $90
Byron Bay
🇦🇺 3 nights · Day 8–10 · OOL
3
Bus · Greyhound · 3h · $34
Brisbane
🇦🇺 3 nights · Day 11–13 · BNE
3
Full itinerary
Stay · 3 nights · Day 1–3
Melbourne
Your accommodation
Space Hotel
from $50/night
$165 · 3 nights
Free things to do in Melbourne
Free
State Library of Victoria
Up to the sixth-floor balcony for the view down into the dome, free and open late.
Free
Laneway art + coffee crawl
Hosier Lane to Degraves via every flat white that matters.
Free
Queen Vic Market graze
Closed Mondays and Wednesdays, and best before ten for the deli hall.
Day 4
$99 est.
Melbourne → Sydney
Train · NSW TrainLink XPT · 11h 18m
Two a day: 08:30 in, 19:48 out. Or the 19:50 overnighter into Central at 06:47. The day train reads, the overnighter saves a bed. Book early and a limited-quantity Saver fare can bring economy under $80.
Stay · 4 nights · Day 4–7
Sydney
Your accommodation
Stoke Beach House
from $79/night
$316 · 4 nights
Free things to do in Sydney
Free
Bondi to Coogee clifftop walk
Six beaches and one path, with the Icebergs pool at the start if you're brave.
Free
Opera House steps & Circular Quay
Walking around it costs nothing, and the postcard shot is from the Botanic Gardens headland.
Free
Art Gallery of NSW
Free, and now two buildings joined by a land bridge over a buried wartime oil tank.
Day 8
$90 est.
Sydney → Byron Bay
Bus · Greyhound overnight · 13h 20m
The overnighter saves a night's bed: it leaves Sydney in the evening and gets into Byron after breakfast. Early Bird is a fixed allocation per coach: when it's gone the next fare is Flexible, which costs a great deal more and can be changed.
Stay · 3 nights · Day 8–10
Byron Bay
Your accommodation
Wake Up! Byron Bay
from $74/night
$244 · 3 nights
Free things to do in Byron Bay
Free
Cape Byron lighthouse at dawn
Mainland Australia's easternmost sunrise. Dolphins most mornings.
Free
Swim or surf Main Beach
Byron's whole point, and it costs nothing. Main Beach is patrolled and right in town.
Free
Whale watching from the headland
June to November the humpbacks pass close enough to watch from the Cape Byron walk.
Day 11
$34 est.
Byron Bay → Brisbane
Bus · Greyhound · 3h
Straight up the coast, a few services a day and all of them direct. The chip above is the one actually running on your date, which is two to three hours depending on the season. Early Bird is the cheap fare and sells out per coach; Flexible costs more and lets you move it.
Stay · 3 nights · Day 11–13
Brisbane
Your accommodation
Tequila Sunrise Podstel Brisbane
from $78/night
$234 · 3 nights
Free things to do in Brisbane
Free
South Bank & Streets Beach
A free inner-city beach, genuinely. Bring togs.
Free
Mount Coot-tha lookout & gardens
The whole city and the bay from one free terrace, best in the last hour of light.
Free
City Hall clock tower tour
A 1930s cage lift takes eight at a time up to the clock face, free from the Museum of Brisbane desk.
The trip ends here
Fly out, or stay longer. The booking links stop, you don't have to.
Before you go
The gaps the itinerary above doesn't cover.
Data that works on landing
An eSIM activates before you fly, so maps and transport apps work the moment you land instead of after finding wifi.
Travel insurance
13 nights in Australia. Policies differ on cancellation cover and on whether the activities on this itinerary are included.
We don't recommend one over the other and we're not licensed to advise on insurance. Read each Product Disclosure Statement against your own trip and circumstances.