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Road Trips: Australian Great Ocean Road and the East Coast

Australia is a country blessed with vehicles driven through the rear wheels by large six and eight cylinder engines. It even has a touring car series based on these cars, the Holden CommodoreHolden CommodoreAustralia, 1978 > 20064 series
18 versions
5 photos
and Ford FalconFord FalconUnited States of America, 1960 > 19703 series
4 versions
6 photos
. Of course, they are not efficient and they are not as technically advanced as some of their Japanese and European competitors, but they are actually quite good fun to drive. Luckily Australia also boasts one of the best coast roads in the world: The Great Ocean Road.

The road itself is 151 miles long and is a thing of great beauty located somewhere in the vast expanses in between Adelaide and Melbourne. I’ll narrow it down in a minute. For those of us who hail from Europe it is worth putting the sheer size of Australia into perspective. It is only slightly smaller than the world’s most populous country, at 80% of China’s size and it is 11 times as big as Texas in the USA and 31 times as big as the UK. But, and here is the kicker, it only has 20 million people.

So, it is quite something to say that 151 miles of coastal road has been singled out to highlight as one of the world’s best roads.

The road was planned at the end of World War One when servicemen were returning to unemployment, an idea was hatched to link the rural communities outside Melbourne. Three thousand servicemen were employed at a cost of £81,000 and construction started in September 1919 and the first section to Lorne was opened with final completion taking place in 1932.

It is at this point I should say that I have driven this stretch of road, and it comes as welcome relief after miles of relatively bleak highway coming from Adelaide. It starts at Warrnambool and continues all the way to Torquay via Lorne.

It is a great stretch of road but I must insert a word of warning at this point: The police are very aware that people like you Autoviva readers and I enjoy driving down it and might on occasion like to plant our right feet on the throttle. I have since learnt that they also have these in America and elsewhere but at 19 it was a bit of a shock to discover that the police cars have a roof mounted radar that can get you as you drive past each other, anyway, a couple of hundred Aussie dollars later and I was back on my way.

A kind reminder to the many tourists that travel here.

It gets even better if you are heading towards Melbourne, which is in my view the nicest Australian city, forget Sydney. Melbourne has a lovely balance, featuring attractive architecture, lovely beaches and a bustling nightlife.

The second route that you may be interested to travel up is the east coast from Sydney to Brisbane. Although, this particular stretch is more about the destinations en-route than the road itself which although not awful is nothing special either.

However, once you get north of Newcastle (no, not that one) it gets interesting. The coastal road takes you up to Port Macquarie, past Coffs Harbour and up to Byron Bay, a travelling mecca.

I’ll reiterate my speeding comments again here because (as I found out) they have police here too! But Byron bay will not only appeal to travelers but those with more cultured tastes too. There are lots of fantastic boutique hotels and you can slip off the highway at any point to the beach. What the road lacks in scenic views it more than makes up for in stop-off points.

I’d avoid Brisbane if it was up to me, but there is plenty to see once you’re past there too.

So, that begs the question: What car to do it in and where to stop off? I have answered both questions in part but I’ll spell it out anyway. Take a Ford Falcon V8Ford Falcon 'FG01' V8 Sup...Australia, 2009 > present3 photos
and head straight for Byron Bay, take a day trip to Nmbin while you are there (it’s amusing – google it) and relax. That’s what Australia’s known for isn’t it?