Route 66 is the most famous highway in America and cuts right through the heartland with vast open plains and historical sites along the magnificent drive. Here in Australia a group of local villagers along the Newell Highway or route 39 have big plans to turn this stretch into our very own equivalent.
Jeff Stien, from the Newell Highway Promotions Committee wants to rebrand the road as Route 66 and make it a destination for lovers of Americana. His committee are seeking to promote the road which connects the southern state of Victoria with Queensland as a tourist highway, instead of just a trucking route.
They are taking inspiration from the natural, nostalgic and kitschy attractions along the two-lane U.S. Route 66 which includes live rattlesnakes to cactus candy and Indian blankets, along with such geological marvels as limestone caverns and vast deserts.
Our own Australian route already has some wonderful tourist attractions along the way. Some of these include an observatory that helped broadcast the Apollo moon landings, one of the biggest U.S. Pacific air bases in World War II and Australia’s largest festival for Elvis Presley’s birthday held in Parkes. So their plan could just work!
Another attraction that is a little offbeat is the annual Silo Kick Challenge. It started by accident in the 1970s after an end-of-season football drinking session that has grown into an annual pilgrimage for footballers.
Every October, around 400 people gather to watch strapping blokes attempt to kick an Australian football over three 100-foot grain silos that tower over the tiny town. The rules are simple enough: clear the silos and the $2000 winner’s check is yours.
“It’s been a great tourist attraction for the little village,” said Des Delaney, president of the kick challenge. “It’s keeping the place alive.”
Another quirky attraction along the route is the home of Beth McMeeken, 74, and Roy Chaplin, 72, who have made their Jerilderie home a museum of Victorian antiques. The drawcard item is the bank safe robbed by outback legend Ned Kelly during a rampage through the town in 1879.
Further along, the Cameo Inn Motel restaurant in West Wyalong is an ode to all things Americana, with stars including Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Humphrey Bogart adorning the walls, along with a signed photo of George Clooney.
Well, maybe we have a little further to go in the way of tourist attractions, but good on them for taking the initiative to drive tourists inland to Australia’s wonderful driving routes.
Perhaps if timed well and driven in January when the Elvis Festival is running it could be a wonderful road trip down the proposed Australian Route 66.
So what do you think about this proposed change the Newell to make it our own Route 66? Great idea and something you would do? Or perhaps not quite for you?
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