Australia South to North — Melbourne to Darwin (Self-Launched)

Land at Tullamarine and take the SkyBus to Southern Cross Station (~£11 / A$22) or a cheap shared shuttle, then walk or tram to a hostel in the CBD or Fitzroy. Melbourne has countless backpacker hostels; book a 4-6 bed dorm (Space Hotel and similar run £20-28/night). In the evening do what the tour group does: hit a rooftop bar, then find a karaoke place in Chinatown — Blue Moon-style cheap-eats-and-beer karaoke bars are easy to find yourself. Grab a free tram in the CBD grid and sort a Myki card for tomorrow or later in the trip.

🚌SkyBus airport transfer + free CBD tram zone

🛏Backpacker hostel dorm, Melbourne CBD (~£22)

• →SkyBus transfer from Tullamarine
• →Rooftop drinks in the CBD
• →Chinatown karaoke bar

The Great Ocean Road is best done as a full-day tour if you're solo, since self-driving means an overnight hire plus fuel. Book a small-group Great Ocean Road day tour via GetYourGuide or Klook (~£65-80) which covers Torquay, Lorne, Apollo Bay, the Great Otway rainforest walk and the 12 Apostles at sunset — effectively the same inclusions as the tour. If you'd rather go slow, take the V/Line train to Geelong and a connecting bus, but public transport won't reach the Apostles properly. Optional: the 12 Apostles helicopter flight (A$145 / ~£75) booked on the day. Stay overnight in Port Campbell or Apollo Bay in a hostel or motel-style backpackers.

🚌Small-group day tour from Melbourne (~£70)

🛏Backpackers dorm, Apollo Bay or Port Campbell (~£28)

• →Victoria's Surf Coast stops at Lorne and Apollo Bay
• →Great Otway National Park rainforest walk
• →Twelve Apostles sunset viewpoint

Morning at Loch Ard Gorge and the Razorback before heading inland. Today's the day a shared rental car pays off — pick up a car in Warrnambool or book a one-way transfer with a backpacker shuttle. Stop at Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve near Warrnambool (free entry, koalas and emus in a volcanic crater, easy self-guided walk) then continue to Halls Gap in the Grampians (~2.5 hrs). Hostels and caravan-park cabins in Halls Gap start around £25-30 for dorms.

🚌Shared rental car or backpacker shuttle hop (~£30-40 share)

🛏Backpackers dorm, Halls Gap (~£27)

• →Loch Ard Gorge
• →Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve self-guided walk

Early start for the Grampians highlights: the Pinnacle or the Balconies lookout walk with views across the Victoria Valley, plus Mackenzie Falls — all free, well-signposted and self-guideable. If you have the car, continue inland to Adelaide (~5 hrs); otherwise return the car in Halls Gap/Ararat and take a V/Line train from Ararat or Stawell to Adelaide (~£25-35, 4-5 hrs). Arrive Adelaide in the evening and try the nightlife around Peel Street or Rundle Street.

🚌V/Line train Ararat/Stawell to Adelaide (~£30) or shared car

🛏Hostel dorm, Adelaide CBD (~£22)

• →Balconies lookout and Mackenzie Falls hike
• →Indigenous rock art sites in Grampians NP

Free day in Adelaide. Walk the laneways, visit Adelaide Central Market (free entry, breakfast from ~£6), and consider a half-day Barossa or McLaren Vale wine tour booked through GetYourGuide (~£75-110) if you want the Yarra/Barossa equivalent. Cheaper alternative: the Adelaide Hills by public bus. Optional extras from the original: dolphin swim and cruise at Glenelg (~£60-70), or a Kangaroo Island day trip if you have a spare day (~£150).

🚌Walking + MetroCARD day pass (~£5)

🛏Hostel dorm, Adelaide CBD (~£22)

• →Adelaide Central Market
• →Laneway and street-art wander
• →Optional Barossa Valley wine tour

Hire a car from Adelaide (about £30-40/day split between two) or join a two-day Flinders Ranges tour from Adelaide (~£200-260 including accommodation) — this is the practical self-launch option, since public transport to Wilpena Pound is basically nonexistent. En route stop in the Clare Valley for a cellar-door tasting and a pub lunch (the tour's 'foodie moment'), then continue north to Rawnsley Park or Wilpena Pound Resort. Budget cabins and campsites are the norm here; a swag or tent site is ~£10-15.

🚌Hire car share or small-group 2-day tour

🛏Campsite or budget cabin, Wilpena/Rawnsley Park (~£18)

• →Clare Valley cellar door and local food stop

Walk into Wilpena Pound — the natural amphitheatre sacred to the Adnyamathanha people — via the Wangara Lookout or Hills Homestead track (free, 2-3 hrs). Stop at the Ikara-Flinders Ranges interpretive centre and Old Wilpena Station for settler history, and look for rock-art sites. An optional scenic flight over the Pound is ~£65-90 if you want the aerial view.

🚌Walking + short drives

🛏Campsite or budget cabin, Wilpena (~£18)

• →Wilpena Pound hike to Wangara Lookout
• →Ikara interpretive centre
• →Optional scenic flight

Drive the Stuart Highway north (~5 hrs), stopping at Lake Hart — the salt lake with old railway ruins makes a great free roadside break. Glendambo is the classic outback overnighter: a roadhouse with a small motel, caravan park and campsite. Expect nothing fancy; fuel up, cook dinner and watch the stars. If you don't have a car, this leg is impractical without Greyhound/Stateliner coaches from Port Augusta — check current schedules since outback coach services change seasonally.

🚌Self-drive Stuart Highway (~£20 fuel share)

🛏Roadhouse campsite/motel, Glendambo (~£18)

• →Lake Hart salt lake stop
• →Outback roadhouse night

Continue north to Coober Pedy (~2.5 hrs). Book a local opal mine tour direct with one of the town's operators (Tom's Working Opal Mine or Old Timers Mine, ~£15-20) — the same inclusion the tour covers. Then do as the locals do and escape the heat by staying in an underground 'dugout' hostel or motel: Radeka Downunder and similar do dorms from ~£22-28. In the evening, look for the drive-in cinema or a sunset on the Breakaways (free with your own car).

🚌Self-drive (~£18 fuel share)

🛏Underground dugout hostel dorm, Coober Pedy (~£25)

• →Guided opal mine tour
• →The Breakaways lookout

The big Outback day: ~6 hrs north past Marla to the NT border and on to Curtin Springs/Kings Creek Station. Fuel stops are sparse — top up at Marla. Kings Creek Station runs safari tents, campsites and a swag experience nearly identical to the tour's (A$30-45 for a swag on the platform, ~£18). Optional extras: quad-biking over the cattle station (~£55) or a camel ride. Cook on the campfire and sleep under the stars.

🚌Self-drive (~£25 fuel share)

🛏Swag hire at Kings Creek Station (~£18)

• →Outback driving day
• →Optional quad biking or camel ride

Do the Kings Canyon Rim Walk early (~3 hrs, free, park entry pass required) or the easier Kings Creek Walk — be off the trail before midday heat. Then drive ~3 hrs to Yulara and buy your Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park pass (A$38, ~£20, valid 3 days). Catch sunset over Uluru from the official sunset viewing area with a supermarket bottle of bubbly rather than the tour's champagne toast. Ayers Rock Resort campground and hostel dorms are ~£30-35.

🚌Self-drive (~£20 fuel share)

🛏Yulara campground cabin or hostel dorm (~£32)

• →Kings Canyon Rim Walk
• →Uluru sunset from the viewing area

Sunrise at Uluru, then the Mala Walk (free, self-guided with signage) past Kantju Gorge and on to the Cultural Centre to read up on Anangu creation stories — exactly what the tour's guided Mala Walk covers. In the afternoon drive out to Kata Tjuta for the Valley of the Winds walk (11 km, do the shorter Walpa Gorge if it's hot). Optional: Outback Astronomy tour (~£30-35) or a Uluru helicopter flight (~£85+), both bookable locally or via GetYourGuide.

🚌Self-drive within the park

🛏Yulara campground cabin or hostel dorm (~£32)

• →Uluru Mala Walk and Cultural Centre
• →Kata Tjuta Valley of the Winds
• →Optional astronomy tour

Drive the Lasseter/Stuart Highway to Alice Springs (~4.5 hrs), or if you've dropped the car take a Greyhound coach (~£45). In Alice, swing by the Royal Flying Doctor Service museum (~£9) and the Alice Springs Desert Park if time allows (~£15-22). Optional hot-air ballooning next morning can be booked direct (~£165). Hostels in Alice are plentiful at ~£20-25 dorm.

🚌Self-drive or Greyhound coach (~£45)

🛏Hostel dorm, Alice Springs (~£22)

• →Royal Flying Doctor Service museum
• →Town wander / Todd Mall

Two options. Scenic and iconic: the Ghan train Alice Springs to Katherine (~£120-180 depending on how far ahead you book, seated or Gold class) — a genuine rail adventure. Cheap and fast: a Jetstar/Qantas flight Alice to Darwin (~£90-140) then a Greyhound bus to Katherine (~£35). Overnight in Katherine — backpackers and caravan parks from ~£22-30.

🚌The Ghan (~£150) or flight + coach (~£130)

🛏Hostel dorm or cabin, Katherine (~£25)

• →Optional Ghan rail journey
• →Katherine town evening

Katherine Gorge is best from the water: book a Nitmiluk Tours flat-bottomed boat cruise through the gorge (~£48), or hire a kayak and paddle the first gorge yourself (~£40-45). The Baruwei Lookout loop walk is free and gives the big panoramic view. Mataranka Thermal Pools are ~1 hr south if you have a car — an easy free soak, the tour's 'wellness moment'.

🚌Local shuttle or hire car (~£20)

🛏Hostel dorm or cabin, Katherine (~£25)

• →Nitmiluk Gorge boat cruise or kayak
• →Baruwei Lookout walk
• →Optional Mataranka hot springs

Pick up a small-group Kakadu 2-3 day tour from Darwin or Katherine (~£300-380 including park fees, accommodation and a Yellow Water cruise) — self-driving in Kakadu without a 4WD is limiting and solo park fees/cruises add up. If driving yourself: buy the Kakadu park pass (A$25, ~£13), then do Ubirr rock art and the sunset lookout, Bowali Visitor Centre and a Yellow Water billabong cruise (~£55). Camp or cabin at Cooinda or Jabiru lodge from ~£25.

🚌Touring vehicle (small-group tour or hire car)

🛏Kakadu lodge/campsite cabin or tour camp (~£30)

• →Ubirr rock art and lookout
• →Yellow Water billabong wildlife cruise
• →Bowali Visitor Centre

The 'wetland nature cruise in crocodile territory' from the original: Yellow Water or the South Alligator River are the spots; cruises run ~£50-60. Visit an Aboriginal art and craft centre (Injalak Arts at Gunbalanya or the Warradjan Cultural Centre) and Nourlangie Rock for more rock art and the Anbangbang shelter. Overnight again in Jabiru or Cooinda.

🚌Touring vehicle

🛏Kakadu lodge/campsite cabin or tour camp (~£30)

• →Wetlands croc-spotting cruise
• →Nourlangie rock art
• →Warradjan Cultural Centre

Drive south-west to Litchfield (~2.5 hrs from Jabiru) or join a Litchfield day tour (~£105-130). See the magnetic termite mounds, then swim at Florence Falls, Buley Rockhole and Wangi Falls (free, park pass not required). Continue into Darwin (~1.5 hrs) for sunset at Mindil Beach markets if it's a market night. Darwin hostels ~£22-28 dorm.

🚌Hire car share or Litchfield day tour (~£110)

🛏Hostel dorm, Darwin (~£25)

• →Magnetic termite mounds
• →Florence Falls and Buley Rockhole swims
• →Mindil Beach sunset markets

Lazy final morning: swim at the Darwin Waterfront lagoon, visit the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (free — excellent Aboriginal art and Cyclone Tracy exhibit), and grab a coffee on Mitchell Street. Airport is 15 min by shuttle (~£10) or public bus (~£2). Trip ends.

🚌Airport shuttle (~£10)

🛏—

• →Museum and Art Gallery of the NT
• →Waterfront lagoon