Travel

Start your engines – these are Australia’s best road trips

Feb 10, 2018

If you’ve changed the oil, kicked the tyres and are gearing up for a bit of a drive – but are still undecided about which route to take – the ultimate road trips across the nation have just been announced.

The six routes were identified by Ford Australia and TripAdvisor. Richard Woolley, a Ford expert, then set about creating the “Ford Score” to rank the best routes, using a formula that took into account elements such as road conditions, traffic and scenery.

The result is a list of the six ultimate road trips in Australia. The big surprise? The world-famous Great Ocean Road, which usually tops any list such as this, only came in at number two.

1. Great Eastern Drive

The top spot goes to this dramatic drive along Tasmania’s stunning east coast, taking in Maria Island, Freycinet Peninsula and the breathtaking Bay of Fires. It’s the perfect mix of wild and comfy, with powder-white beaches, gastronomic delights at every turn, and extraordinary walks and views that will take your breath away (and definitely get you out of the car).
Ford Score: 4.25/5

2. Great Ocean Road

This 244km-long road in Victoria is one of the most famous – not to mention scenic – coastal routes in the world. Extending from Torquay in the east to Warrnambool in the west, it encompasses the spectacular 12 Apostles (although we’re now down to eight), epic waves at Bells Beach and Australia’s oldest lighthouse, at Cape Otway.
Ford Score: 4/5

3. Great Barrier Reef Drive

If you can’t decide between an ocean or rainforest view on your driving holiday, this 140km journey from Cairns to Cape Tribulation is just the ticket. It’s like being in a World Heritage sandwich, with the Great Barrier Reef on one side and the Wet Tropics rainforest on the other. Port Douglas, Mossman Gorge and any number of remote beaches might entice you to stop along the way, but switching the engine off is compulsory when you cross the Daintree River on the old-fashioned cable ferry.
Ford Score: 3.75/5

4. Grand Pacific Drive

Head south and another 140km-long drive beckons. This scenic coastal drive starts just under an hour south of Sydney’s CBD, in the Royal National Park (the world’s second-oldest). It then winds through rainforests, past quaint seaside villages, over the iconic Sea Cliff Bridge and through the coastal cities and townships of Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama, ending in the charming and unspoilt Shoalhaven region.
Ford Score: 3.5/5

5. Lasseter Highway

In 1929, gold prospector Lewis Harold Bell Lasseter claimed that he had discovered a fantastically rich gold reef somewhere in central Australia. Lasseter’s Reef was never found and has since assumed mythic proportions. The prospector’s name, however, lives on. It was been given to the 244km highway that connects the Stuart Highway with Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the Northern Territory. It might not be the most inspiring drive for a lot of the way (imagine an “infinity pool” of red sand, scrub and spinifex), but you’ll never forget your first sighting of Uluru from this road – ditto Mt Conner (also known as ‘‘Fool-uru’’ as so many tourists think it’s Uluru).
Ford Score: 3.25/5

6. Flinders Ranges

Setting out from Adelaide and fancy a road trip? Head to the Flinders Ranges, the largest mountain range in South Australia, about 500 kilometres north of the City of Churches. Featuring some of the most dramatic and beautiful landscapes in the country, it’s like a Hans Heysen painting come to life. Time your trip right and a scarlet carpet of the state flower, Sturt’s desert pea, will attract lots of ‘likes’ on Instagram. Other must-sees include the iconic natural amphitheatre, Ikara (Wilpena Pound), the enormous expanse of blinding white salt that’s actually Lake Frome – the seventh-largest lake in Australia – and the beautiful (and beautifully named) Nooldoonooldoona waterhole.
Ford Score: 3/5