Road Tripping Across Australia
There are a few great Australian road trips, ranging from short ones that can easily be completed in a day, to road trips that could take months if you have the time to spare! However, there a few that are recommended particularly highly by those who partake in them.
Melbourne - Geelong - Great Ocean Road
A perennially popular route is the Great Ocean Road. From Melbourne, this 777km circular sealed route heads straight for the state's next largest city, Geelong. From there, the route heads south to the seaside town of Torquay. This is the official start of the Great Ocean Road and perhaps the unofficial surfing capital of Australia. The next stops on the way to Geelong are Lorne and Apollo Bay. The route then heads inland through the Otway National Park and lush rainforest. Strong winds and seas have helped shape the dramatic cliff landscape between Princetown and Port Campbell, including the great limestone stacks off the coast; the famous Twelve Apostles. From there, you can visit the historic fishing village of Port Fairy and then leave the Great Ocean Road via the Grampians National Park, where you can see wildflowers, waterfalls and more rock formations. This road trip is easily one of Australia's greatest drives.
The Great Tropical Drive is a 2079 kilometre route that loops Cairns, Townsville and Cooktown, but a 457km segment of it, called the Great Green Way, is the real highlight.
On this particular drive, you can visit the Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, billed as the "world's largest living coral reef aquarium", only a boat ride away from the Great Barrier Reef and glorious Magnetic Island. Then you can head just a little further north, where the green foliage and cascading waterfalls of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area begins. Wallaman Falls is Australia's largest single sheer-drop waterfall and more giant ferns, golden sands, and turquoise waters continue for the rest of the Great Green Way.
Australia's third largest island, Kangaroo Island, is becoming increasingly popular due to its natural beauty and the diversity of its wildlife. The 420km circular navigation of the island begins from the Eastern end of the Island at Penneshaw, where visitors are delivered from the mainland, via Cape Jervis. Seal Bay, 100km into the journey, is the first attraction of the trip and the island's most popular spot. Further on, the sweeping sandy beach of Vivonne Bay has been declared Australia's best beach after an evaluation of the nation's 10,000 beaches.
In Flinders Chase National Park you can see native animals such as koalas, wallabies, echidnas, platypus, fur seals, goannas, possums, bandicoots, and of course the island's namesake, kangaroos. The colourful flora includes eucalypts, banskia, bottlebrush and wattle, and one third of the island consists of national parks with varied landscapes of pristine beaches, wetlands, lagoons, coastal cliffs and enormous granite boulders. Bird watchers will have a great time, with over 267 recorded species, including cockatoos, pelicans and penguins living there.
However, last but not least, always check your car thoroughly before your road trip, as a breakdown far from home can cause some serious problems. There's no such thing as cheap windshield replacement in the middle of nowhere, so have any necessary repairs done before you set off.
Melbourne - Geelong - Great Ocean Road
A perennially popular route is the Great Ocean Road. From Melbourne, this 777km circular sealed route heads straight for the state's next largest city, Geelong. From there, the route heads south to the seaside town of Torquay. This is the official start of the Great Ocean Road and perhaps the unofficial surfing capital of Australia. The next stops on the way to Geelong are Lorne and Apollo Bay. The route then heads inland through the Otway National Park and lush rainforest. Strong winds and seas have helped shape the dramatic cliff landscape between Princetown and Port Campbell, including the great limestone stacks off the coast; the famous Twelve Apostles. From there, you can visit the historic fishing village of Port Fairy and then leave the Great Ocean Road via the Grampians National Park, where you can see wildflowers, waterfalls and more rock formations. This road trip is easily one of Australia's greatest drives.
The Great Tropical Drive is a 2079 kilometre route that loops Cairns, Townsville and Cooktown, but a 457km segment of it, called the Great Green Way, is the real highlight.
On this particular drive, you can visit the Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, billed as the "world's largest living coral reef aquarium", only a boat ride away from the Great Barrier Reef and glorious Magnetic Island. Then you can head just a little further north, where the green foliage and cascading waterfalls of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area begins. Wallaman Falls is Australia's largest single sheer-drop waterfall and more giant ferns, golden sands, and turquoise waters continue for the rest of the Great Green Way.
Australia's third largest island, Kangaroo Island, is becoming increasingly popular due to its natural beauty and the diversity of its wildlife. The 420km circular navigation of the island begins from the Eastern end of the Island at Penneshaw, where visitors are delivered from the mainland, via Cape Jervis. Seal Bay, 100km into the journey, is the first attraction of the trip and the island's most popular spot. Further on, the sweeping sandy beach of Vivonne Bay has been declared Australia's best beach after an evaluation of the nation's 10,000 beaches.
In Flinders Chase National Park you can see native animals such as koalas, wallabies, echidnas, platypus, fur seals, goannas, possums, bandicoots, and of course the island's namesake, kangaroos. The colourful flora includes eucalypts, banskia, bottlebrush and wattle, and one third of the island consists of national parks with varied landscapes of pristine beaches, wetlands, lagoons, coastal cliffs and enormous granite boulders. Bird watchers will have a great time, with over 267 recorded species, including cockatoos, pelicans and penguins living there.
However, last but not least, always check your car thoroughly before your road trip, as a breakdown far from home can cause some serious problems. There's no such thing as cheap windshield replacement in the middle of nowhere, so have any necessary repairs done before you set off.
