Thanks to its immaculate beaches and tropical temperatures, the east coast of Australia is a popular tourism destination. Backpackers and high-end travelers alike flock to this stretch of coast from Byron Bay to Cairns year-round. It takes about 25 hours to drive straight through. If you’re curious how I navigated the area, I can tell you in one word: Greyhound.

Other backpackers I’d met (most, in fact) had traveled with Greyhound and reported it was the easiest way to see the coast. So I approach the company to inquire about blog sponsorship. Greyhound doesn’t usually offer comp trips for bloggers, but they like my photos and agree to host my east coast travel in exchange for photography. Done and done! I am only too thrilled to visit this part of the country with my camera and share my work.

Here is Greyhound’s extensive bus network around Australia:

[image via]

And here is my route — from Byron Bay to Cairns, with stops in Surfer’s Paradise, Brisbane, Noosa, Fraser, Hervey Bay, Agnes Waters, Airlie Beach, and Mission Beach. This takes me about one month to complete.

Here’s a closer look:

I use a Mini Traveller Pass, which retails for $389 (or $349 for students). You can hop-on / hop-off as you please, so long as you complete the route within 90 days. Back-tracking is not allowed.

My first stop is Byron Bay, where I stay at the Arts Factory Hostel and hike to the Byron Bay Lighthouse.

My next stop is Surfer’s Paradise, where I endure my least-favorite hostel but wake up to these views:

I then spend two perfect days in Brisbane partaking in an epic walking tour and swimming in a lagoon.

I visit Noosa on a cloudy day but still enjoy a beach walk.

I take an adventurous side trip to Fraser Island where I camp under the stars, swim in champagne pools, spot sharks, and bathe in the tea-tree-laced waters of Lake McKenzie. It’s my favorite part of the whole east coast trip.

I sign up for my first surfing lesson in Agnes Waters.

And cruise the Whitsunday Islands and visit Whitehaven Beach:

After much debate, I skip Magnetic Island. I mention it here because it sounds like a nice way to spend two days and it’s conveniently located between Airlie Beach and Mission Beach.

[images via here, here, here, and here]

While in Mission Beach, I take the plunge and jump out of an airplane with Skydive Mission Beach:

While in Cairns I visit its sprawling lagoon and tour the Daintree Rainforest.

I ride a helicopter over the Great Barrier Reef:

And earn my Open Water dive license:

The past month of travel has been an absolute blast. I will treasure these memories (and photos) forever.

If you’re planning a similar trip, I would recommend Greyhound. Their website makes it easy to book tickets (even on a mobile device), every bus I rode was on-time, and I only encountered friendly drivers. I experienced no drawbacks.

Many thanks to Greyhound for sponsoring my east coast bus trip in exchange for photography and my review. Opinions, as always, are my own.