The Southern Highlands is just a 90-minute drive south of Sydney, which makes this road trip super accessible. Time your visit to coincide with the annual Tulip Time Flower Festival when more than 80,000 blooms billow out over the landscape. Recommended is the leisurely route that will take you from Moss Vale to Bowral. You can also get out of the old jalopy and stretch the legs along the Best of Bowral and Bong Bong Track. Bowral remains one of the best regional towns in NSW to visit in spring when its gardens are blanketed in colour. Visit the Southern Highlands, one of the best regions in Australia for eating and drinking, when the flowers are peaking for the region’s new Horizontal Festival.

The canola fields around Cowra and the Weddin Mountain Region are buttered yellow in spring, making it a top time to take the 35-kilometre-long drive to Canowindra. Take a scenic flight with Fly Oz to get a wedge-tailed eagle’s view of the fields, laid out in a vivid green and gold mosaic. And stop en route at Rosnay Organic, which produces olives, figs and natural wines. The charming country town on the banks of the Galari Bila/Lachlan River is also home to the Cowra Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre. Take a gentle stroll along the Cowra Heritage Walk to see the old 1860 stone flour mill and Cowra’s oldest home, Ilfracombe, built in 1879.

Embark on a scenic 57-kilometre drive from Bathurst to Orange to loop in as many pendulous blooms as possible. This is one of the best spring road trips in Australia especially if you hit the road for the Bathurst Spring Spectacular on October 25-26. Mild weather and the vibrant blooms lining village verges shows the Central West at its seasonal best. Visit the Bathurst Farmers Market and take part in the Millthorpe Garden Ramble on November 1-2, when you can purchase pickles, preserves and local produce.

Tropical North Queensland is not the place to see pendulous blooms like tulips. Instead, the Jurassic jungle that tumbles down to the highway hugging the coast between Cairns and Port Douglas comes alive with the bright red flowers of the native waratah shrub or the pretty pink Cape York lily. A drive time of about an hour separates these two dots on the map, so you may well bide your time at Cairns Botanic Gardens where spring is made special by the jade vine’s timely profusion of purple blooms. Bookend your road trip by dining at the all-new leafy-green The Vine Room at DoubleTree by Hilton Cairns and Jungle Foul in Port Douglas.

Spring is the ultimate time to road-trip around WA. And you’ll cover a lot of ground – 570-odd kilometres to be precise – over one wildflower-filled week exploring this scenic stretch of Western Australia. If you prefer to be the passenger princess that you are, take a seven-day guided tour with AAT Kings, which gives you the freedom to soak up this floral spectacle without the stress of driving. The seven-day Wildflower Wanderer itinerary includes the opportunity to geek out in Coleseam Conservation Park near Geraldton with a local wildflower expert and to join an Indigenous-led tour of Kalbarri National Park to learn about native flora. Flick to p95 of As We Wander Road Trip Australia for more inspo for the best Australian road trips in spring.

The Western Australian Christmas tree looks like it was engineered by AI. It’s blinking outrageous. Nuytsia floribunda is the largest mistletoe in the world and would undoubtedly see attendees at the annual Plantcon conference frothing over its fiery orange flowers. The tree is one of the star attractions in Cape Le Grand National Park, which comes alive in spring with stunning wildflower sprays. Try the Frenchman Peak Trail for a mix of blooms and brilliant views or wander along the Wineries and Wildflowers trail. Settle petal. Petrophile fastigiata is not a fancy Italian pasta, it is in fact one of the flashiest flowers on show in Fitzgerald River National Park.

There’s an indefinable sense of freedom and possibility when you hit the open road between Adelaide and the Clare Valley as the state’s wildflowers burst into bloom. Baby bloomers behind the wheel of their new shiny Star RV motorhome should bring along their e-bikes to tackle South Australia’s iconic 33-kilometre-long Riesling Trail. You’ll forget the niggles and frets of daily life when you immerse yourself in this lovely landscape while weaving through rolling vineyards and native bushland. Cycle to Skillogalee for lunch at The Barrel House. Or join Tour De Vines to discover the best of the trail while the season’s first buds are on the vines.

You will find plenty of places to punctuate your spring road-trip along the Coastal Way in South Australia. The winter rains resulted in a profusion of flowers being embroidered to the earth around the Yorke Peninsula. One of many highlights of the Coastal Way, which loops in 700 kilometres of coastline, is the Salt Lake Trail, which turns Barbie pink in the spring sunshine and attracts migratory birds. Continue to the tip of the Yorke Peninsula to the Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park which is crisscrossed with trails and offers cracking coastal views.

The Mornington Peninsula is pint-sized. But all that stands between you and the promise of exploring this little pocket of foodie paradise is the one and a bit hours it takes to drive from Melbourne to Merricks, on the peninsula’s south-eastern extremity. Along the way you’ll pass the Brighton Bathing Boxes, Frankston Waterfront & Arts Centre and Arthurs Seat. Keep on trucking until you get to The Dining Room, Lancemore Lindenderry Red Hill, which offers a true taste of the terroir. This regional gem led by executive chef Nick McGonigal provides the ultimate sensory escape in spring with its lavender terrace in full bloom.

It’s about 150 clicks from Launceston to Sheffield, a convenient base for exploring Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. Pick up some pastries at Manubread, one of the best bakeries in the state, before heading to Bridestowe Lavender Estate, one of the most Instagrammed spots in all of Tassie. The flowers at the estate, just an hour’s drive from Lonnie, actually peak in December. Take a detour to Derby to get a dose of colour therapy at turquoise-tinted Little Blue Lake. Then, follow the path around Lake St Clair in Cradle Mountain where you can get lost in the textures of the alpine landscape lit up with snow daisies, pandani and native orchids. Rest your weary legs with a stay at Leighton House.

Step off that dreary corporate treadmill and buckle up for a road trip that literally inspires you to stop and smell the flowers. Spend a long weekend in Canberra with a stay at the East Hotel so you’re in position to explore the living canvas that is Floriade, the largest flower festival in the Southern Hemisphere. Enjoy a lazy lunch at Pialligo Estate before heading out on the highway, past patchworks of vineyards and orchards, bound for Mt Kosziusko. Expect pops of pink and yellow and red in all the shades and tones along the Main Range Track, one of the best places to see wildflowers in Australia in spring.