Category Archives: road trip

Discover the wine regions of Victoria

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Wine Regions of Victoria app

Wine Regions of Victoria app

The best holidays aren’t all about the destinations – they’re all about the detours. And some of the best detours can be had at the fantastic wineries around Victoria’s 22 wine regions.

Tourism Victoria’s Wine Regions of Victoria, available as a free smartphone app on Google Play and the iTunes store, is the easiest way to find these wineries. This easy-to-use app contains information on over 240 wineries across Victoria’s 22 wine regions, so you can discover a region from the barrel up.

We’re not sure whether it’s coincidence or conspiracy, but many of these wineries are situated on picturesque country roads and boast spectacular views of the local region – as well as, of course, some wines that will send your tastebuds on their own journey.

You can use the enhanced mapping in the app to navigate your way to each winery or locate wineries near you. Wine Regions of Victoria also includes details on which wineries offer more for visitors such as great dining options and food and wine-related events.

Add a winery to your itinerary, or save it to a favourites list. The app has instant click-through access to wineries, including websites, phone numbers and addresses, so no matter how picturesque, you’ll never be lost on a country lane. Once you’re at a winery, you can add tasting notes to the app.

For an even more comprehensive guide about what to see and do in Victoria’s wine regions, download the free ebook version from iTunes or Amazon .

     

Top 5 attractions to stop for along the Hume Highway

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Park next to the Murray River in Albury, Tourism Victoria

Park next to the Murray River in Albury, Tourism Victoria

As anyone who has completed the trip before will tell you, the Hume Highway isn’t the most exciting stretch of road in Australia. It’s a smooth drive that takes you from Melbourne to Sydney alongside stretches of golden countryside, bypassing all of the major towns along the route. But there are plenty of things to see near the Hume Highway – you just have to know where to look. Here are the top five attractions we always stop for when driving between Melbourne and Sydney.

Dog on the Tuckerbox, Gundagai, New South Wales (approx. 3.5 hours from Sydney)

The Dog on the Tuckerbox is an unassuming statue that sits off the Hume Highway to the north of Gundagai. Although it is quite small, travellers have been known to travel across the country to see this famous monument. The Dog on the Tuckerbox, unveiled in 1932, marks the pioneering efforts of teamsters and their dogs. Originally mentioned in the poem Bill the Bullocky by Bowyang Yorke, the dog has firmly taken hold in the Australian imagination. It’s also celebrated in the song ‘Where the Dog Sits on the Tuckerbox’ by Jack O’Hagan. A large complex of eateries has grown up around it and started to overshadow the statue, but it’s still faithfully sitting just off the highway, waiting to greet visitors.

Big Merino, Goulburn, New South Wales (approx. 2 hours from Sydney)

The Big Merino is exactly what is sounds like. It’s a giant statue of a sheep that stands in the town of Goulburn. And out of all of Australia’s Big Things, at 15 metres high and 18 metres long, the Big Merino would have to be one of the biggest. It was built to commemorate Goulburn’s wool industry, and inside it are three floors with information on the history of the wool industry in the town.

HMAS Otway, Holbrook, New South Wales (approx. 4.5 hours from Sydney)

The small town of Holbrook is not where you would normally expect to find a decommissioned navy submarine. But that’s exactly what you’ll find marking the main street in town. A bypass was recently built around Holbrook, which means the highway no longer passes directly by the submarine, but the submarine and related museum are well worth a detour into town. HMAS Otway was once commanded by Norman Holbrook, and the submarine was purchased by the town using funds gifted from his widow. You can run around the inside and see what a proper submarine looks like.

Ned Kelly statue, Glenrowan, Victoria (approx. 2.5 hours from Melbourne)

Just as the spectre of Ned Kelly metaphorically looms over the town of Glenrowan, so the surprisingly large statue of Ned makes its physical presence felt in town. Famous as the place where Ned made his last stand, Glenrowan has embraced this heritage, with multiple museums dedicated to the Kelly gang, as well as the statue. You’ll have to detour into town to see the statue and related Ned attractions. Glenrowan is also well known as a wine-producing district, but that won’t be as much of an attraction for those doing to long haul from Melbourne to Sydney.

The Murray River

Marking the border between Victoria and New South Wales, as well as the divider between the twin towns of Wodonga (in Victoria) and Albury (in New South Wales), the Murray River is the best-known and best-looking state marker in the country. It’s also our favourite place along the Hume Highway to take a break. Substantial parklands along the river provide a great selection of places to stop on either the Albury or Wodonga side.

Check out our list of the top 5 rest areas along the Hume Highway here.

     

Ultimate Australian dream trips

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Sunset at Uluru, Tourism NT

Sunset at Uluru, Tourism NT

What trips are on your Australian bucket list? Do you want to climb Big Red on the Birdsville Track in a 4WD? Or do you want to island hop in the Whitsundays in your own boat?

Here are six Australian trips that have captured our imaginations and catapulted to the top of our must-do lists.

Taking time off to travel Highway 1

Want to circumnavigate the world’s largest island, on one of the world’s longest highways, in one epic trip? Look no further than Highway 1.

This highway includes many iconic Australia drives, such as the Nullarbor crossing and the drive down the east coast. This isn’t a drive you should rush, as there’s much to see and do along the route. In fact, you won’t get to see everything even if you take six months the complete it.

But no matter how much time you have, things you must see include the Daintree, Cable Beach in Broome, Kalbarri National Park, the Valley of the Giants, the caves and cliffs of the Nullarbor, the beaches of Jervis Bay, dolphins off Byron Bay and the calm Gippsland lakes.

There are also sections of the road that, while not technically Highway 1, head in the same direction and are much more exciting than the main route. We recommend detouring down the Great Ocean Road in Victoria and also, if you have a 4WD, taking a drive along the Savannah Way in Queensland.

Travel the Development Road to the tip of Australia

You can’t go any further north on mainland Australia than Cape York. After travelling the bumpy and often wild Peninsula Development Road (complete with crocs and river crossings), there’s nothing more satisfying than hopping out of your 4WD and seeing the sign that announces you’ve arrived at the northernmost point of Australia. A 4WD or dirt bike are the only vehicles that can reach the tip.

Once you’ve snapped a few photos, you can stay at Punsand Bay Camping Resort, only 5 kilometres away from the tip, which has campsites lining the beautiful coast.

And after your stay, there’s nothing left to do but turn around and go back the way you came. But not without stopping at a few iconic stops along the road, including Musgrave Roadhouse. Maybe it’s time to head to the southernmost point?

Camp next to Uluru

Everything seems bigger in the centre of Australia, including Uluru. We’ve all heard stories about how big it is, but you can’t truly anticipate the scale of the rock until you’ve seen it in person.

You’ll need a bit of time to take it in, so why not set up tent at Ayers Rock Campground? Once you’ve marvelled at Uluru, keep on looking up – on a clear night in the true outback the sky gives a whole new meaning to the word big.

Spending the night at Uluru will also give you some extra time to explore other natural wonders in the region, including Kata Tjuta. After all, it’s a five hour drive back to Alice Springs, so make the most of your time at what could almost be called the spiritual heart of the country.

Houseboat on the Murray River

Houseboat on the Murray River, Tourism Victoria

Houseboat on the Murray River, Tourism Victoria

If Uluru is the heart of Australia, then the Murray River is one of its arteries. This graceful river stretches from the Australian Alps, along the border between Victoria and New South Wales, before finally ending where the river meets the sea in Goolwa, South Australia.

And the best way to experience the Murray River is on it. You can rent houseboats from many of the towns along the river and all you need is an unrestricted car license to drive a houseboat.

Meander along the river by day and park next to the riverbank at night to experience one of our greatest rivers as never before.

Tackling Overland Track in Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park

Overland Track, Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park

Welcome to the Tasmanian wilderness, an area of unparalleled beauty. Many of the places in the Tasmanian Wilderness Area remain virtually untouched. And the best way to see these places (without leaving much of a trace) is by walking in with everything you need on your back.

The Overland Track is the most famous of these walks. Traversing Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park for 65 kilometres, the walk normally takes around six days. You need to book the walk, as well as the huts along the route, as places are strictly limited. Walking through the ancient landscape, past mountains and valleys and rainforests and lakes (you really do see a lot a scenery), will give you the time to truly appreciate the landscape.

If you want to go on a walk that’s a little bit more wild, both the South Coast and Port Davey tracks trek through the protected wilderness of Southwest National Park, at the bottom of Tasmania. These walks don’t have the facilities of the Overland Track – there are no huts, visitor centre or even boardwalks. Just a lot of hard graft and spectacular nature.

Travel like the Man From Snowy River in Victoria’s High Country

Victoria’s High Country might not be home to the highest peaks in Australia (that honour goes to nearby Kosciuszko National Park, over the border in New South Wales), but it is home to some of the best outdoor adventures you’ll find in the country, including walking, mountain-biking, rafting, fishing, horse-riding and cross-country skiing, if you’re there in the right season.

Bush camping is allowed in most sections of Alpine National Park, so you can camp next to your chosen adventure.

 

     

Top 5 road trips off the beaten track

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Great Alpine Road, Tourism Victoria

Great Alpine Road, Tourism Victoria

From the Great Ocean Road to the Stuart Highway, Australia’s most spectacular road trips are becoming increasingly well known around the world, so you might find yourself looking for road trips that aren’t on everyone’s radar.

Luckily, there are still a number of trips around the country that are well travelled, but feel more undiscovered, more intrepid, yet are just as incredible. From inland New South Wales to outback of Western Australia, here are our picks for road trips that feel a bit off the beaten track.

Savannah Way from Cairns to Normanton, Queensland

Gulf Savannah Country, Tourism Queensland

Gulf Savannah Country, Tourism Queensland

Starting in Queensland’s tropical capital of Cairns, the Savannah Way meanders through the north of the state to Normanton. This is a drive of spectacular contrast, from the beautiful and lush coast to the rock caves of Undara and beyond.

Although the Savannah Way technically stretches all the way from Cairns to Broome, the road is only consistently bitumen up to Normanton, so it’s recommended that 2WD vehicles turn around at this point. After that outpost, the road occasionally turns into gravel or even dirt. No matter how far you are travelling, this route is best undertaken during the dry season.

There’s plenty to see and do along the route, as well as surprising patches of verdant land, even after you pass through the lush Atherton Tableland. Stop in Undara Volcanic National Park where a lava explosion millions of years ago formed a series of underground tunnels, see the historic buildings from Croydon’s goldmining history, and treat yourself to a meal at the Purple Pub in Normanton before visiting the nearby lakes. You can also detour slightly off the route to visit Karumba on the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria, to see the sunset.

Darling River Run, New South Wales

Menindee Lakes, Destination NSW

Menindee Lakes, Destination NSW

When visiting New South Wales, most people tend to hug the coast and the scenic driving routes of the Pacific and the Princes highways. But if you want to get away from the crowds, why not head inland and explore the outback on the Darling River Run? This road trip travels through the heart of New South Wales’s outback, passing through famous towns such as Broken Hill and Bourke.

Starting on the border with Victoria in Wentworth (just over the border from Mildura) and travelling 730 kilometres up to Walgett in New South Wales, this route, as the name suggests, follows the meandering path of the Darling River. This means that you’ll take more than just a detour through the outback.

The first detour is taking the Wentworth–Pooncarie Road out of Wentworth instead of the Barrier Highway. Visit Kinchega National Park and the spectacular Menindee Lakes, which break up the dry land with a surprisingly fertile lake system that attracts myriad birdlife. You can also detour into the incredible Mungo National Park to see the weathered sand formations of the Walls of China.

Leaving Menindee, travel on to the outback hub of Broken Hill for a well-deserved drink. Stay overnight in this historic town before heading to Bourke, which regards itself as the gateway to the outback. On this road trip you’ll see both the awe-inspiring outback (with the widest skies you’ve ever seen) and the tenacious outposts where people make their homes in this often harsh land.

The Great Alpine Road, Victoria

While Victoria’s most famous touring route is the Great Ocean Road, the mountainous Great Alpine Road offers a different water view – that of the snowy mountain tops of Victoria’s High Country. At around 300 kilometres, the Great Alpine Road isn’t as long as the Great Ocean Road, but it’s just as scenic.

Starting in Wangaratta, just south of the border with New South Wales, the road was built to connect this town with Gippsland. Completed with no stops, the drive would only take around five hours. But what is a road trip without any stops?

Your first stop out of Wangaratta should be the charming town of Bright. Situated on the Ovens River, this is an enjoyable town to while away a day or two. The next part of the trip starts your trek up into the Victorian Alps, and passes by Mount Hotham where you can either go skiing in winter or walking in summer. You can also take a trip into the spectacular Alpine National Park on this section of the route. Spend the night nestled in the mountain town of Omeo before completing the final leg of the route into Bairnsdale in Gippsland. Bairnsdale is a major regional centre on the Mitchell River. If you want to keep touring, it’s also a fantastic place to start your tour of the scenic Gippsland Lakes region.

Although the Great Alpine Road stays open throughout winter, the best times to drive the route are spring and autumn, when the hills come alive with the changing foliage colours. Travelling in the warmer months also means you can detour to Falls Creek and Mount Beauty along roads that are closed in winter.

Warlu Way, Western Australia

Hamersley Ranges, Tourism Western Australia

Hamersley Ranges, Tourism Western Australia

For a road that captures some of the most incredible scenery in Western Australia, Warlu Way doesn’t get that much press. That’s probably because there are some sections that travel along an unsealed road, which means this road trip is 4WD-accessible only. But what a road!

You’ll start your trip next to Ningaloo Reef in the township of Coral Bay. The road passes through Exmouth and Cape Range National Park before heading inland towards Karijini National Park, an oasis of hidden gorges and waterfalls. Your drive to the national park will be silhouetted against the Hamersley Range, and pass through towns including Wyloo and Paraburdoo.

After visiting Karijini, continue your trip up towards Millsteam–Chichester National Park, where you’ll find some spectacularly beautiful pools to wash off the dirt of the road. Then the road pushes on towards the Dampier Archipelago, where you can take your pick of things to do from lazing on the beach to discovering the fantastic collection of rock art.

The road continues to follow the coast on its way up to Broome. Stop in Marble Bar, the hottest town in Australia, before getting to the final town on this road.

At 2500 kilometres long you’ll want to set your own itinerary for this drive. It’s an epic journey, but there are epic sights that make it worth the trek.

Nature’s Way, Northern Territory

Katherine Gorge, Tourism NT

Katherine Gorge, Tourism NT

A more casual road trip than the intense spectacle that is Warlu Way, Nature’s Way loops its way around the tip of Australia. Starting in Darwin, the road makes a lazy tour of the key sites in the top of the Top End, from Kakadu National Park, then on to Nitmiluk and Litchfield national parks, before completing the journey back in the capital.

It’s a good day when the Adelaide and Mary River wetlands are not the most impressive thing you’ll see on a day’s drive. Pass through these sites on your way to Kakadu National Park, the biggest – and some would say the best – national park in Australia. Spend a few days here exploring. There’s more than enough to see, from ancient rock-art sites to abundant wildlife.

Extend your trip down to Katherine and visit Nitmiluk National Park, where the Katherine River flows through the incredible gorges. Retrace your steps before taking the road towards Litchfield National Park with its famous waterfalls. It’s hard to believe that a national park that feels this wild is so close to a city, but Darwin is an easy hour-and-a-half drive away.

     

Top 5 Australian road trips for summer

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Captain Cook Highway, courtesy of Tourism Queensland

Captain Cook Highway, courtesy of Tourism Queensland

Going on a road trip? Lee Atkinson, creator of the Australian Road Trips app, picks her five favourite summer holiday road trips

What makes a great summer road trip?

We’ve all experienced the holiday road trip from hell, stuck in a line of slow-moving traffic going nowhere fast.

It’s not my idea of fun, so first and foremost a good summer road trip is one where you won’t find holiday crowds. There also has to be plenty of places to stop and things to see and do – it’s a holiday after all, not a commute – great scenery and hopefully a few places where you can cool off along the way.

Here’s my pick of five great drives (in no particular order) that are better in summer.

Great Alpine Road, Victoria

Bogong High Plains, courtesy of Lee Atkinson

Bogong High Plains, courtesy of Lee Atkinson

The Great Alpine Road is one of Australia’s most spectacular driving routes, an alpine loop across the roof of Australia. The road snakes across the Victorian Alps from Wangaratta to Bairnsdale, and is one of the country’s best all-weather mountain drives.

The road climbs up into the snowfields from Bright, bend after bend twisting through forests of mountain ash and stringy bark that eventually give way to stunning views of the valley below.

Once you enter Alpine National Park the road sits atop the ridge of the mountain for about 30 km, giving spectacular views on both sides of the road as you drive high above the snowline. The drive winds through Hotham and Dinner Plain before descending again through rolling treeless hills towards Omeo.

Eyre Peninsula, South Australia

Driving in Coffin Bay National Park, courtesy of Lee Atkinson

Driving in Coffin Bay National Park, courtesy of Lee Atkinson

If your idea of a great summer road trip includes ocean views, then you’ll love the Eyre Peninsula, the triangle of land jutting into the sea between Adelaide and the Great Australian Bight.

It’s one of the best-kept beach secrets in the country, where you almost always have the beaches to yourself, the coastal scenery is some of the most spectacular you’ll find anywhere, there’s next to no traffic and the oysters aren’t bad either.

Sound too good to be true? The catch is that the Southern Ocean is usually icy cold and home to lots of big white sharks, but in terms of great coastal driving routes it gives the Great Ocean Road a run for its money.

Highlights are oysters and fresh seafood; the stunning 5 km cliff drive at Elliston; fishing from town jetties; four-wheel driving in Lincoln and Coffin Bay national parks; the Talia sea caves and Point Labatt sea lion colony; and swimming with the sea lions at Baird Bay. Just watch out for those sharks.

The Bass Coast, Tasmania

The Nut, courtesy of Lee Atkinson

The Nut, courtesy of Lee Atkinson

Anywhere in Tasmania makes for a great driving holiday, but the northern coastline is an unsung treasure, especially for a summer road trip.

It is a place of rugged beauty, where fertile farmlands spill into the wild waters of Bass Strait. The main route across the top of the island, along the spectacular coastal Bass Highway, travels through beautiful rainforests, some of the state’s best wine producing areas and past pretty fishing villages to finally reach the wild wilderness of the west coast at the aptly named Edge of the World lookout.

There’s so much to see and do on this road trip that you’ll need at least a week, even two. Good places to stay for a day or two are St Helens, Launceston and Stanley.

The Waterfall Way, New South Wales

Ebor Falls, Guy Fawkes River National Park, courtesy of Lee Atkinson

Ebor Falls, Guy Fawkes River National Park, courtesy of Lee Atkinson

The Waterfall Way is a classic touring drive that starts on the mid-north NSW coast at the beach resort town of Coffs Harbour.

It coils its way up through lush rainforest of the Great Dividing Range to the New England Tablelands, finishing in Armidale.

Highlights include Bellingen with its strip of cafes and galleries; mountain-top Dorrigo National Park, with its spectacular skywalk that leads out over the rainforest canopy; and the high plateau gorge country.

The best things about this drive is that most of the attractions are free and, as the name suggests, there are plenty of waterfalls along the way, with the pick of the bunch being Dorrigo’s Dangar, Ebor and Wollomombi (one of the highest in Australia).

Great Tropical Way, Queensland

Victoria’s Great Ocean Road might get all the glory, but the Captain Cook Highway from Cairns to Port Douglas is every bit as stunning, and a whole lot warmer and less crowded.

Most people tend to avoid far-north Queensland in the steamy summer wet season, but, contrary to popular opinion, it doesn’t rain all day, the waterfalls are thundering, the roads and campgrounds are empty and you can pick up some great deals on accommodation. All excellent reasons to head north for a road trip in summer.

Continue north through the Daintree rainforest to Cape Tribulation. In the dry you can keep going to Cooktown on the 4WD Bloomfield Track, but in summer you’ll need to backtrack to Mossman and head west on the sealed Mulligan Highway and head to Cooktown which, unlike Port Douglas, still has a last frontier feel to it. Circle back via Mareeba and the Atherton Tablelands.

Lee Atkinson is the author of 11 travel books, including eight guide books on travelling in and around Australia. Her Smartphone app, Australian Road Trips is available from iTunes and Google Play: see www.ozyroadtripper.com.au for links.