Off the Main Road Travel Stories and Australian Roadtrip Guides
Welcome to Off the Main Road
Hi there, glad you found us. We’re Neil, Cameron and Zoe, and we’re slowly wandering Australia one side road (and the occasional highway) at a time. Off the Main Road is where we share our stories, photos and the odd detour along the way.
From rugged coastlines to red-dust plains, quiet country pubs to swimming holes, we’ve seen a bit of everything in the three years we’ve been travelling full-time, and we’re still looking. It’s not all sunsets and postcards. Sometimes it’s flat tyres, long drives and too many flies.
Here you’ll find slow travel tales, photos that tell their own story, and a few handy tips picked up somewhere between the outback and the ocean. So pull up a chair, pour a cuppa, and come travelling with us off the main road, where the best stories begin.
Not sure where to start? Wander over to our Start Here page. We’ll show you around!
From rainforest pools to outback springs and shaded rockholes, these are the waterfalls and swimming spots that shaped our journey across Australia. Cool water, easy tracks, and quiet corners worth slowing down for.
Everyone has a list of towns to avoid. We’ve got one too, except we went anyway. From Alice Springs to Port Augusta, these “tough” towns prove reputation isn’t always reality.
From chicken races to jetty-less jetties, Australia’s full of surprises. These offbeat stops are the ones that made us laugh, pull over, and remember why we love the road.
We’ve racked up a few extra kilometres chasing curiosity through Queensland. Side quests that started as quick detours and turned into full-blown adventures. A few wrong turns we’d happily make again.
From Dundee Beach to the Sapphire Caost, these five Australian beaches made us stop for a while. Real coastal favourites that are relaxed and worth the drive every time.
From drive-in towns to riverside camps, these are our hidden gems of Outback Queensland. Small places with big character, strung along quiet highways where the days stretch long.
From red cliffs to waterfall gullies, these are our top five Northern Territory favourites! A mixed of big names and quiet corners that made us stop, stay longer, and fall a little bit in love with the NT.
Photography slowed our travel down. By staying longer, noticing light, and relying on simple techniques, we learnt to photograph with more intention. Sometimes the best images arrive quietly, once a place feels familiar.
Slow travel isn’t about distance or aesthetics. It’s about rhythm, familiarity, and staying long enough for places to reveal themselves. A reflective look at what slowing down actually feels like, from life on the road.
The Holden Museum in Echuca has since closed, but we’re glad we visited when it was still open. A quiet retrospective on everyday Australian cars, regional passion projects, and noticing things before they disappear.
Exploring the mouth of the Hopkins River near Warrnambool, from calm water and dog beaches to coastal walks, fishing spots, historic graves, and wide ocean views. A lived-in stretch of coast best discovered slowly.
Just offshore from Warrnambool, guardian dogs quietly protect a colony of little penguins. The Middle Island Maremma Project is a thoughtful conservation success, best understood from the mainland, where learning matters more than access.
Those concrete domes near Warrnambool’s breakwater aren’t public art. They’re the remains of an underground aquarium built in 1971 and closed in 1997, a small coastal curiosity with an unexpected past.
2025 wasn’t about ticking boxes. It was about slowing down, paying attention, and letting the road lead. A reflective look back at the places and moments that shaped our year, in the order they unfolded.
With just one day in Adelaide, we crammed in all our favourites! Art, museums, botanic gardens and a market dash. North Terrace delivered its usual magic, reminding us why this city always feels good to return to.
Hahndorf gave us a relaxed day of wandering, snacks and a few too many condiments from Beerenberg. Between gin tastings, strudel and leafy streets, this Adelaide Hills favourite is an easy, enjoyable stop with plenty to explore.
McLaren Vale became a favourite during our Port Willunga stay. Art at the Cube, pizza at Chalk Hill and a few essential Fruchocs for the road. A relaxed mix of wineries, food and rolling vineyard views.
The Barossa Sculpture Park and Whispering Wall made for a simple, memorable stop between the valley and Adelaide — big views, strange acoustics and a few fun moments we’ll save for our next Top Secret Dispatch.
A relaxed Barossa morning at Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop gave us scones, lake views and a visit to the kitchen from The Cook and the Chef. Peaceful, friendly and a must-stop for Maggie fans.
Adelaide’s best days are the slow ones. Museums, galleries, gardens and the Central Market make up our top five things to do in the city — an easy, walkable loop we return to every time.