AUSTRALIANTRAVELLER.COM 147
The 100 | Behind the wheel
PHOTOGRAPHY: STEVE MADGWICK (CAPE YORK)
76
TOWN TOURING ALONG
THE PACIFIC COAST
The Legendary Pacific Coast drive is
perfect for passing on those wonderfully
torturous car trips of your childhood
to your own offspring. Pile the kids in
the car, make them listen to your music
on repeat, and refuse to stop for
unscheduled toilet breaks on this summer
holiday journey. While this coastal escape
is perfect for families, it’s a must for
everyone at any point of their lives.
Weaving through charming and diverse
beachside towns and their hinterland
sisters, such as Coffs Harbour and
Bellingen, Cabarita and Murwillumbah,
as well as Byron Bay and Bangalow, and
many more, you’ll find idyllic, sparsely
populated beaches, artsy communities,
and plenty of activities both in and out
of the water. Plunge your beach brolly
into the sand and take your time to travel
this 900-kilometre stretch of endless
summer from Sydney to Brisbane.WITNESS SOUTH
AUSTRALIA’S OUTBACK
Drives don’t get much more dramatic than
the one through the Flinders Ranges in
South Australia. Layered landscapes that
switch like Instagram filters with the
shifting light, uncommonly clear night skies,
and the lunar-like amphitheatre of Wilpena
Pound, an excursion into this corner of the
outback is an artist’s dream, but is equally
gob-smacking for anyone with even the
slightest appreciation of nature. To begin a
road trip through the ranges, you must first
take the five-hour drive from Adelaide in
your 4WD to Ikara-Flinders Ranges
National Park. There, you’ll marvel at what
was the seabed 600 million years ago. Camp
out at Wilpena Pound Resort and
Campground before taking off for a hike the
next day through this spectacularly ancient,
natural bowl. A pilgrimage to beloved
outback pub, the Prairie Hotel is imperative
for any traveller of drinking age.77