Kickstart Your Sydney Self-Drive Tour with Insight from a Local Guide

Kickstart Your Sydney Self-Drive Adventure With a Wild Local Welcome

Start with kangaroos, koalas, coastlines and a bit of bush wisdom - then kick off your Sydney self-drive tour with confidence. Let’s face it — most visitors to Australia want to see the wild stuff. But not everyone wants to be tied to a tour bus schedule.

 If that sounds like you, here’s a local tip: start your adventure with a private wildlife tour, then hire a car at Sydney Airport and hit the road. It’s the best of both worlds - and the perfect way to launch a Sydney self-drive tour that’s rich in freedom, insight and unforgettable landscapes.

Step 1: Get to Know the Land (and Its Locals)

As the founder of Sydney Guided Tours, I’ve spent most of my life in the bushland around Sydney - first as a curious kid sleeping in caves, now as a guide showing people the wild side.

My private tours are small, flexible, and designed to give you a genuine introduction to the landscapes, wildlife, and natural stories that make this place unforgettable.

You’ll meet kangaroos where they actually live, discover how to read the landscape’s hidden signs, explore beautiful coastlines untouched by hordes of tourists — and learn which Aussie plants have evolved to eat insects. (Yep, that’s a real thing.)

It’s not just sightseeing—it’s insight. And it’ll change the way you experience the rest of your trip.

Learn to speak marsupial - it's easy!

Step 2: Hire a Car at Sydney Airport & explore Sydney on a Self Drive Tour

Once you’ve had your boots on the ground with a local, you’ll be ready to explore on your own.

Whether you're heading to the Blue Mountains, down the South Coast, or off to lesser-known gems, hiring a car gives you the freedom to travel at your own pace — and chase the kinds of places most tours never touch.

Many guests arrive in Sydney, take a taxi or public transport into the city to stay at their hotel. They do my wildlife tour the following day, then later pick up their rental car straight from Sixt at the airport when they’re ready to explore Sydney on a self drive tour. Getting back to the airport from the city is a breeze — you’ve already done it once when you arrived, and returning is just as easy.

Their location is right at the terminal, so collecting your car before the next leg of your adventure is simple and stress-free.

Please don't drive like this.

Worried About Driving in Australia? Don’t Be.

If you're visiting from the U.S., you've probably Googled: “Do Australians really drive on the other side of the road?” (Spoiler: Yep, we do.) But here’s the good news: it’s much easier than you think. If you’re confident behind the wheel back home, you’ll be just fine here. Our roads are well marked, speed limits are clear, and Aussie drivers are generally calm and predictable.

And once you’ve spent a day out with a local guide, you’ll already feel more in tune with your surroundings. That bird call? A kookaburra. Not a monkey. That twisted gum tree? An angophora. That slow-moving lizard with the blue tongue? Completely harmless (but best left alone).

So Here's The Plan:

You don’t have to pick between a guided experience and going it alone — you can do both. Spend a day discovering the wild side of Sydney with someone who’s spent decades exploring it. Then grab a car and see what else this vast, beautiful country has to offer.

It’s not about cramming everything into one day.


It’s about starting strong — with a real connection to the land — so that everything after that feels deeper, richer, and more rewarding.

Start local. Get wild. Then go wherever the road takes you.

Ready to explore?


Book one of my private nature and wildlife tours. Then pick up a car from SIXT at Sydney Airport and take your adventure further.