Country music singer Adam Harvey says he hopes his new album, dedicated to his travels around the Land Down Under, will encourage fellow Australians to pack a bag and explore the homegrown wonders on their doorstep.
The 46-year-old, who has eight Golden Guitar awards to his name, is set to release his new album Songs from Highway One on February 19, and it’s filled with winding tales about his travels across the country and his longing to hit the open road again.
“At home, over a year ago, I was sitting watching a show on the massive numbers of caravan and campervans that are getting sold around Australia, not only the usual grey nomads, but so many young families who had decided to pull their kids out of school and home school them instead as they drive around the country together,” he says.
It was stories like this that inspired his songwriting for this album – a record that was ironically written and recorded during 2020 when travel was banned to many parts of the country.
Harvey has used much of the past year to reflect on his years on the open road touring his albums and meeting thousands of Australians who came to see him play in every corner of the country.
Thinking back on his favourite spots to visit, Harvey says there are a few standout places he recommends to those planning Australian adventures in 2021, many of them off the beaten track.
The coastal town of Lakes Entrance in eastern Victoria and the riverside town of Mildura are two of his top picks. Having grown up in Geelong, Victoria, the singer spent many a childhood holiday exploring the great state and has fond memories of its vast and versatile landscape. He also recommends visiting Mount Kosciuszko, NSW, in the spring and the stunning Whitsundays in Queensland to soak up the sunshine – anytime of the year.
And of course, Tamworth in north-east New South Wales, renowned as the home of Australian country music, is a favourite for Harvey.
“I’d busk up there on the street as a kid,” he says. “They used to become our family holidays too.”
However, there’s one road trip that the father-of-two says beats them all. He’s driven it multiple times but insists it still captivates him every time.
“I sort of grew up down near the Great Ocean Road, it’s one of the most beautiful drives in Australia, but I think the drive from a place called Mudgee in western NSW, through to the Hunter Valley, you go through a place called Bylong Valley, travel on a road called Bylong Valley Way, that’s probably the most beautiful drive in Australia.
“I’ve been on just about every road, dirt track, back track, but you drive on that road, and gee, it’s one of the most beautiful roads I’ve ever done.”
As for the songs on his new album, Harvey says he hopes they all either spark memories of travels, or encourage people to hit the road again. One of his favourite tracks on the album is ‘Bandits On The Run’ which he co-wrote with old friend and fellow country musician Colin Buchanan.
The song tells the story of an older couple who suddenly find themselves empty nesters after their children move out of home.
He told Buchanan: “I don’t want a soppy love story, but I want a song about this couple that are footloose and fancy free. They’ve sold up everything, and they’re just on the road sharing this wonderful story together.
“I told him I had the idea that they chased the setting sun like bandits on the run. I said to him, ‘I’d really like it to be a bit like a Glen Campbell ‘Gentle on My Mind’ sort of thing with that rolling banjo’.”
The end result is indeed a rollicking tune that’ll have Boomers rolling down the windows and belting out the song as they cruise across Australia.
He added: “I hope it encourages more people to bite the bullet and hit the road and see Australia. I featured different places around Australia that I love and have been to, I’m just trying to convey the general idea of how great it is. It’s just amazing.”
Harvey’s Highway One Tour begins this month and will see him perform at more than 40 shows across NSW, the ACT, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, with the last shows taking place in September. Find tour information and tickets here.
You can book your next Aussie holiday with Travel at 60 here.