A themed add-on, not a whole new lap
The Casino Circuit
One casino-hotel stop is a good night. Several, strung together along the coast, turn into their own quiet thread through the Big Lap.
- Style
- Add-on thread, not a standalone lap
- Typical stops
- 4–6 casino hotels
- Best paired with
- The Big Lap or an east-coast leg
- Vehicle
- Any rig — every stop is a serviced city or town
How this one works
The Casino Circuit isn't a route in the way the Big Lap or the Red Centre Loop are — it's a set of city stops you weave into a leg you're probably already driving. Most of Australia's major casino resorts sit in or near a capital city, and most capital cities are already on the standard lap route, so the "circuit" is really just a decision to stop properly at each one instead of driving past.
An east-coast version
Heading north or south along the coast, a natural run is The Star Gold Coast → Treasury Brisbane → The Star Sydney (or Crown Sydney) → Crown Melbourne. Each leg between them is a stretch most lappers are already driving as part of the standard coastal route, so the only real change is booking a night or two in the city instead of camping on the outskirts.
A full-lap version
If you're doing the whole Big Lap, the circuit can extend to bookend the trip: Crown Perth either side of the Nullarbor, SkyCity Adelaide on the way through South Australia, the east-coast cluster above, and Mindil Beach Casino Resort in Darwin if your lap takes in the Top End. Wrest Point in Hobart slots in naturally if you're already doing the Tasmania Circuit as a side trip.
Pacing it sensibly
Treat each stop as a genuine rest day rather than a same-day drive-through — the point of this thread is contrast with the camping legs either side of it, not another item to rush. Two nights at each stop, with a full day spent not driving at all, is what most people who do this circuit actually settle on.
Free account, real perks
Save the Casino Circuit alongside your main route
- Save routes, camps, gear and casino-hotel stops — pick them back up from any device
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- A free Route Season-Check (normally AU$59) the first time you save a route