Australians often won’t travel internationally for less than 3 weeks. Not sure if you’re still working or not, but if you can 4+ weeks would be better for such a long trip. Jet lag will mess up your first week.
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I’d tell you to minimize time in the cities. You can see cities anywhere. You can see Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge in a day. Maybe knock this off your list on your first day when you’re jetlagged.
My dad and I drove from Darwin to Perth in about 10 days (too short) and it was really interesting and gave you a feel for the outback. Lots of neat landscapes. Exmouth might be a place to try and find snorkeling and diving options. Alternatively the Great Barrier Reef on the opposite side of the continent.
Going against my advice, I’d say go to Canberra (you can take Murray’s busline from Sydney to Canberra ~3 hours, alternatively, there’s train, plane or rental car) and do a night hike at Mulligan’s flat. You’ll need strong headlamps, but you’ll get to see lots of Aussie night time animals including several rarer species. Tidbinbilla nature reserve has plenty of shorter hikes, kangaroos, a few platypus and emus. Also lots of native birds. If you’rea museum person, Canberra has a few different national museums plus Parliament. A shorter drive might be to go from Canberra to Broken Hills to Melbourne. You’d probably see emus, kangaroos and the outback. Plus a massive mine. Driving south, you’re going along the Murray-Darling River which is important to the region.
Driving the Great Ocean Road west from Melbourne is nice. Great area to see wild koalas also the 12 apostles (sandstone pillars). Driving along the coast Sydney to Melbourne is also nice. Lots of beautiful beaches with no or few people. Beware of sharks. Many colourful Australian parrots at the rest areas.
Uluru is definitely worth a visit. I haven’t been to Tasmania, but it’s supposed to be good with many unique species and I think penguins. You might consider driving from Adelaide to Darwin or vice versa, stopping in Alice Springs, Uluru, and Coober Pedy. I believe Coober Pedy is near where the first mad Max movie was shot. Adelaide I believe has some decent wineries nearby.
Many rental car companies prohibit driving on highways at night due to the risk of encountering kangaroos. They also prohibit driving on dirt roads.
If you guys are hikers you should maybe look at getting a couple of appropriate CSIRO bushwalking guides. Also, make sure you have broad hats and get fly mesh. The flies will drive you nuts.
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thanks for putting that together and sharing with us
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Nit pick: it can mess up your first week. It’s also possible to have little impact. Planning your sleep schedule for the plane a bit will make it much easier to get adjusted within a day or two. Whether it’s two decent sleeps or lots of naps on the transpacific, you want to set yourself up for the first day to minimize napping, get fresh air and exercise, and stay up as late as possible.
Agreed that longer is better, but 2 weeks is fine if that’s what the schedule allows.