Trip Planning
A fan's guide to the 2027 Supercars season: what to book first
Quick answer
1Every round and what to book
This plan is built from Sydney, and most of it carries across from the other east coast cities. A blank cell means there is no particular urgency for that part of the trip.
Tickets for the 2027 rounds go on sale soon. The Gold Coast and Adelaide grandstands sell out the quickest and they are the best value, so they are the two to be ready for the day they open. Melbourne runs with the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, so it needs a Grand Prix ticket, and those are some of the toughest to get. The New Zealand grandstands were busy in 2026, Christchurch most of all in its first year.
- get onto it as soon as you can.
- have it sorted in the next one to two months.
- worth doing, but you can get by without it.
- either way, it doesn't really matter.
- we wouldn't worry about it.
2Flights: Darwin and Townsville first
Darwin and Townsville have the fewest flights, so book them first. There are only so many direct flights a day, and the ones home on Sunday night or Monday morning go quickly. Flying Sydney to Brisbane to Darwin is another way in, and it suits anyone chasing frequent flyer points or status credits.
Plenty of people leave Darwin on the red eyes between midnight and 2am on the Monday. Book a room to freshen up, or leave your bags in the hire car, head out after the race and go straight to the airport.
Book Melbourne SuperSprint flights now too. It runs with the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, so fares are already up.
Tasmania is harder than it used to be. Since Virgin Australia stopped sponsoring Supercars, flying in Saturday morning and out Sunday night after the race has got a lot tougher. Without a decent fare it turns into a four day weekend, which is a lot of Launceston for one race.
New Zealand is next. For the double header there is a week between Christchurch and Taupō, so the flight between the two is easier to sort. Perth is third from the east coast, with the same Sunday night red eyes as Darwin. Melbourne has two airports, so it is the least stress.
3Accommodation: Taupō and Phillip Island first
Book Taupō first, then Phillip Island. The island has a lot of Airbnbs and not many hotels, and an Airbnb can get cancelled on you closer to the date. Camping works, or hire a motorhome in Melbourne and drive it down.
Be very careful with Airbnbs. You can book it one minute, and the next minute they cancel.
For the Melbourne SuperSprint you are already paying a premium, because it is a Grand Prix weekend and it is late to be booking. Look north towards Preston, or out at Dandenong, and catch the train in: there can be cheaper beds there. If you can stretch it to Wednesday to Tuesday, you miss the crowd who are only there for the weekend and get time for the other car things in Melbourne.
At Bathurst, book a campsite as soon as they open.
The Bend is the same story as Phillip Island. Staying in Adelaide gives you far more choice and something to do after the race, but it means early starts and late finishes.
Launceston, Darwin and Townsville are smaller, and there is nowhere else to stay and travel in from, so book early for anything decent. Launceston has a capsule pod hotel for a budget or last minute stay. Darwin has hostels, which can get pretty wild with backpackers.
4Hire cars and getting around
- Darwin is the dearest hire car of the year. Stay downtown and you can skip it: shuttles run to the track and most things happen in town. A car is for the national parks.
- Tasmania is better with a car, and there is no need to book it early. Compare picking up at the airport with picking up in town: a taxi into town and a pick up there can be cheaper.
- Townsville needs no car in town. Taxis and Ubers are hard to get at peak times, so pre book one for an early flight.
- In Perth, stay anywhere on the train line and catch the shuttle. In 2026 there was no shuttle on Friday, so Friday was a car or an Uber.
- For The Bend, a car is recommended, and you can pick one up in Adelaide.
- Bathurst needs a car for the campsites.
- For Phillip Island, pick up at Melbourne Airport, in the Melbourne CBD or at Avalon.
- Both New Zealand rounds are better with a car. Christchurch has cars at the airport and in town. For Taupō, fly into Auckland or Hamilton and compare the two.
- Adelaide, Sandown, the Gold Coast and the Melbourne SuperSprint need no car.
5Last minute? Sydney, Sandown and the Gold Coast
Three rounds work as a last minute trip. They are in big cities, so there are always flights and more than one airport to fly into.
- Dunlop Sydney Super440: fly into Sydney Airport or the new Western Sydney International. Stay in the city, in Parramatta or in Blacktown. There is no need for a hire car, and tickets are generally still there.
- Penrite Oil Sandown 500: fly into Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) or Avalon, and stay in Melbourne or closer to the track. There is no need for a hire car, and tickets are generally still there.
- Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500: fly into Brisbane and take the train down. Stay on the Gold Coast, down towards Gold Coast Airport, up north at Helensvale, or even in Brisbane. There is no need for a hire car. The grandstands sell out, so a last minute trip usually means missing out on a grandstand seat.
