Great Australian Journeys

These are some lesser known drives, mainly on sealed roads that anyone can travel in any kind of vehicle. Some are self contained trips, others are part of a longer journey to or from a particular destination.

Flinders Hwy, Eyre Peninsula, SA A giant triangle of the Australian continent that juts out into the Great Australian Bight, Eyre Peninsula is one of the lesser known and explored regions of Australia. The Flinders Highway, which follows its west coast from Ceduna to Port Lincoln and the tip of the Peninsula, is one of the least travelled highways, yet passes by some of the most unusual and interesting coastal vistas in the country.

---

The Granite Loop, WA You can experience the striking beauty of massive granite outcrops rising impressively across the landscape of the rolling farmlands in a little visited part of Western Australia - the Wheatbelt. An abundance of natural vegetation around these unique rock formations includes wandoo, salmon gum, dense honey-myrtle and tea tree thickets giving way to flowering granite Kunzea, with their gnarled shapes. The journey is a memorable contrast of picturesque farmlands, rocky granite outcrops, vibrant floral displays stretching into the distance, tranquil picnic spots and a profusion of bird and animal life.

---

Gibb River Road, Kimberley region, WA A back road from Derby to Wyndham and Kununurra, Gibb River Road gives access to some of the Kimberley region's most spectacular scenery and geographical features. The road has stretches of bitumen but is mainly gravel. It is suitable for two and four wheel drive vehicles when conditions are good, but in rainy or cyclone seasons, four wheel drive is essential.

---

Old North Road, Hawkesbury Valley, NSW When travelling from Sydney to the Hunter Valley, it's so easy to put the brain on auto pilot and take the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway (F3). There is a longer (an additional 32 kms), slower, but far more interesting way - it follows the pathway of the pioneer settlers through the Hawkesbury and Macdonald River valleys to Bucketty, then Wollombi and on to Cessnock in the Hunter Valley.

---

Gordon River Road, Tas The 85km Gordon River Road is the major man made intrusion into the South West Tasmania World Heritage Wilderness area, and with the Scott Peak Dam Road is the only road into the region. It is the main means of access to view the dams of the Lake Pedder area, apart from flying over the region. This road gives travellers a rare chance to drive through one of the last remaining pristine wilderness areas in the world. The scenery, regardless of the clouds that sometimes obscure the view, is positively magnificent, with snow-covered mountains ahead and to either side for much of the journey.

---

Westall Way, Streaky Bay, SA A short coastal drive, Westall Way is one of the Eyre Peninsula's best kept secrets, a showcase of an amazing variety of landforms and seascapes. Dotted along Westall Way are rugged limestone cliffs, granite boulders covered in golden lichen, secluded granite pools and the ever-present foaming white breakers of the Great Australian Bight. In stark contrast are the huge white Yanerbie sandhills. At Pt. Labbat, visitors are treated to a bird's eye view of Australia's only mainland sea-lion colony.

---

Copper Belt, SA When the Industrial Revolution was in full swing in 19th century England, machinery was at a premium and this meant a shortage of metals. Major English, Scottish and Welsh companies turned to South Australia after a rich belt of copper was found. Its exploitation not only satisfied the demands in England, but brought much needed revenue to a colony close to bankruptcy. The legacy of those activities lives on in the former mining towns of Yorke Peninsula and the SA Wheatbelt.

---

Goldrush Country, Bathurst, NSW The discovery of gold in the Bathurst region in 1851 marked the beginning of the Australian gold rushes and a radical change in the economic and social fabric of the nation. In 1852 alone, 370,000 immigrants arrived in Australia and the economy of the nation boomed. The miners are long gone, but the settlements they built remain, and today they provide a fascinating gateway through which to experience the nation's colorful past.

---

Grand Ridge Road, Gippsland, Vic Grand Ridge Road snakes 132km along the ridge of Victoria's Strzelecki Ranges between the Latrobe Valley and South Gippsland. The ever-changing scenery encompasses Mt. Baw Baw to the north, to the green Latrobe Valley and the sandy beaches and blue waters of the Bass Coast and Wilsons Promontory to the south. Along the way are quaint villages, fern forests, rolling pastures, towering mountain ash and forestry plantations.

---

Barry Way/Snowy River Road, NSW/Vic Anyone who plans to travel between Melbourne and Sydney but wants to go the long way around through the heart of Australia's Alpine Country, Barry Way is the road for you. It is a combination of sealed and unsealed road linking Jindabyne in NSW high country to Lakes Entrance on the Victorian Gippsland Coast. There are some brilliant camping spots on the banks of the Snowy River, the drive is challenging and the alpine scenery awe-inspiring.

---

Upper Goulburn Valley Goldfields, Vic In the 1860s the mountainous terrain of the Upper Goulburn Valley was invaded by thousands of miners after alluvial gold was first disovered at Raspberry Creek in 1859. Today the Goulburn and Jamieson Rivers are popular for trout fishing, canoeing, 4-wheel driving and gold fossicking in and around the ghost towns and gold mines on and beyond the Yarra Track.

---

The Rainforest Coast, Qld This drive follows the coastal road from Cairns to Cooktown through the only place on the planet where two World Heritage sites, the Wet Tropics of Australia (containing the world's oldest rainforest) and the Great Barrier Reef, converge. The Daintree Rainforest contains the last remnant of the oldest surviving rainforest in the world. The Great Barrier Reef, covering an area bigger than the United Kingdom, Holland and Switzerland, is the largest World Heritage Area in the world. Together they support the richest biological diversity on the planet.