DRIVE AUSTRALIA’S HIGHWAY 101
There’s a reason the Great Ocean Road lands on every
Australian bucket list ever made. We will never tire of the
spectacle of beauty this rocky ribbon-like road delivers. And
while the route’s headline attraction may be in its 20 millionth
year, the 12 Apostles never get old. It’s easy to see why the
sight of these monolithic sentinels that look caught in an act
of desertion from the shoreline draw countless tourists each
year. But this drive offers more than a cluster of handsome
rocks: along the way there’s also the Great Otway National
Park, frolicking whales, famous Bells Beach, and when you
reach the Grampians, pause and exhale before looping back.78
148 AUSTRALIANTRAVELLER.COM
The 100 | Behind the wheel
COURSETHROUGHANALPINEWILDERNESS
WhenwethinkofanAustralianroadtrip,imagesofhotanddustyroadscometomind,
notdeepgum-linedvalleysandsnow-dustedmountains.ButVictoria’sGreatAlpine
Wayisa339-kilometrestretchofyear-roundaccessibleroadthatleadstosnowfields,
mountainstreamfishing,bushwalks,and,ofparamountimportance,cool-climate
wines.FromWangarattatotheGippslandLakes,thisHighCountrydriveisn’tlong,
ensuringthetripisaboutsavouringthejourney.StopatMilawa,thehomeofBrown
Brothers,andsampletheRutherglenregion’scockle-warmingfortifiedwines.Ramble
upthealpstoMountHothamforsomepowderplay,thenwinddowntoadmirethe
incredibleinlandwaterwaysthatmakeuptheLakesregion.8
(^79) THE ULTIMATE ODYSSEY
This is it. This is the drive for those who
consider a trip a failure unless they’ve
found themselves comprehensively and
catastrophically lost. This is for those
head-torch-wearing people who actually know
how to make billy tea and cook damper. The
Savannah Way ticks every box for adventure,
passing through two states and one territory
along the way. A whopping 3700-kilometre
route, this is the big one. Beginning in Cairns
and following northern Australia’s tropical
savannahs, you’ll wind through upper
Queensland, along the Northern Territory’s
Top End, and drop down through the
Kimberley to finish in Broome. The people
you’ll meet, the scenery you’ll experience,
and the tales you will tell are incomparable
to any other journey.