What are your fave Aus road trip destinations you like driving to ?

On Sun, 01 May 2005 15:38:13 +0100, Jason
wrote:

On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 20:29:28 -0700, cyan999 wrote:

What are your favorite Australian road trip destinations you like getting
to, or visiting by car and please say why for any one/s named ?

I drove from Sydney to Melbourne the long way a few years ago. I went via
Jervis Bay, then through the Snowy Mountains, down to Sorrento, got the
ferry across, Bell's Beach, Great Ocean Road, Grampians and then back into
Melbourne.

It was fun and the distances aren't huge.

Jason

Hi Jason

Snowy Mountains down to Sorrento? That's a jump - which way?
via Cann River, Bonang or Omeo? Did you get to the Gippsland
coast, via Port Albert, Wonthaggi, Wilson's Prom?

I did a little of that last Christmas. On the way south,
after Canberra we went via Naas and Tharwa to Adaminaby,
Kiandra, Mt Selwyn-Tumbarumba-Holbrook. There was a fair bit
of gravel road on that last leg, lost a hub-cap somewhere
the-) I don't have a 4wd, just a Magna Wagon.

Returning north, we wandered through Gippsalnd then Cann
River-Bombala-Cathcart-Candelo (the direct gravel road -
rough as guts but some wonderful deserted rough country)
then Bega and up the Princes and Pacific (with a detour to
Mangrove Mountain) to home.

I like wandering around on the back roads if I have time. I
get totally bored on freeways.


Cheers, Alan, Australia

On 1 May 2005 01:14:48 -0700, wrote:

Alan, please still answer as I'd like to hear your picks and why, if
possible . Doesn't at all matter if they're East Coast destinations.

Joe

Joe I'm not trying to avoid the issue, I just don't want to
write a book. I'm a wanderer - getting there is the fun, not
the destination. See my reply to Jason.

If you are interested in wine, then go to the old
coal-mining centre of Cessnock as a base for trips to the
Hunter Valley wineries, the port city of Newcastle, a number
of coastal resort towns and beaches from Belmont and Lake
MacQuarie to Port Stephens.

Also, for wine, the Rutherglen district of northern
Victoria, the Barossa and Clare valleys of South Australia -
from which you can also do trips to Adelaide, or the
Riverland (Murray) country.

For rugged scenery, any town in the Blue Mountains - or
Lithgow; or take the back roads through Wiseman's Ferry to
Cessnock. Or from Lismore NSW to Murwillumbah via Nimbin -
then on to Mudgereeba via Natural Arch and the Purinuin
Falls at Springbrook. Or a hundred other back roads
anywhere, like the ones I mentioned to Jason...

There are a hundred towns with spectacular beach and coastal
scenery - the GOR of course in Victoria, I'm biased to my
area of NSW between Byron Bay and Coolangatta with Mt
Warning in the background, but the NSW South Coast from
Kiama to Wollongong is also interesting despite the high
population in the area.

Like I said, it's becoming a disjointed book. Give me some
interests, some specifics.

Or do what I do. Have a broad idea of the direction you're
heading, allow plenty of time, and turn off at almost every
side road that leads to somewhere that looks like it might
be interesting. When the road becomes a track, and the track
becomes two ruts with grass between ending at a farmer's
gate, I turn 'round and try the next one.

That's how I did 30,000km in a caravan in '97, 7,000km up
and down to Melbourne ever since - and 17,000km in Europe
and the US in 2003:-) I always wanted to go overseas, so I
made it worth-while the first time.

Maybe I should write a book (I suspect my grammar and syntax
let me down somewhat:-)


Cheers, Alan, Australia

On Mon, 02 May 2005 10:55:31 +1000, Alan S wrote:

Snowy Mountains down to Sorrento? That's a jump - which way? via Cann
River, Bonang or Omeo? Did you get to the Gippsland coast, via Port
Albert, Wonthaggi, Wilson's Prom?

Well I spent the night in Thredbo, then headed off in the morning, visited
the hydroelectric info centre and then got on the Hume highway. I stayed
the night in Euroa because it was about 4pm and I'd had enough for the
day. Then the next day I skirted east of Melbourne and went through the
Yarra ranges down to Sorrento.

I wrote the trip up, it's at http://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/oz

Jason

--
http://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/ for Aussie diving reports including
the wrecks of the SS Yongala, Lady Bowen and the HMAS Swan

On Mon, 02 May 2005 16:38:54 +0100, Jason
wrote:

On Mon, 02 May 2005 10:55:31 +1000, Alan S wrote:

Snowy Mountains down to Sorrento? That's a jump - which way? via Cann
River, Bonang or Omeo? Did you get to the Gippsland coast, via Port
Albert, Wonthaggi, Wilson's Prom?

Well I spent the night in Thredbo, then headed off in the morning, visited
the hydroelectric info centre and then got on the Hume highway. I stayed
the night in Euroa because it was about 4pm and I'd had enough for the
day. Then the next day I skirted east of Melbourne and went through the
Yarra ranges down to Sorrento.

I wrote the trip up, it's at http://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/oz

Jason

I read it. Interesting. I got the distinct impression that
Victoria wasn't your happiest trip - nor Byron. Wrong time
of year for both:-)

I'm not a diver - but next time you're near Byron, check out
Hastings Point.

Contact me if you're headed this way again.


Cheers, Alan, Australia

Alan S wrote:
[book proposal snipped ;-) ]
Maybe I should write a book (I suspect my grammar and syntax
let me down somewhat:-)

Not to worry, Alan, that's what editors are for! (And why they so often
get thanked in the front pages...)

As for the original question, if I were going to do a road trip, it
would probably be built on the theme of "In Search of -bongs." As in
Woodenbong, Tittybong, etc. Why? With names like those, why not!

Nancy

On 2 May 2005 16:32:48 -0700, wrote:


Alan S wrote:
[book proposal snipped ;-) ]
Maybe I should write a book (I suspect my grammar and syntax
let me down somewhat:-)

Not to worry, Alan, that's what editors are for! (And why they so often
get thanked in the front pages...)

As for the original question, if I were going to do a road trip, it
would probably be built on the theme of "In Search of -bongs." As in
Woodenbong, Tittybong, etc. Why? With names like those, why not!

Nancy

Sounds like you're after Nimbin, Bangalow, Mullumbimby and
Byron Bay. No bongs in the names, but plenty in the houses.

I must see if the story of the Cannabus is still on the net.


Cheers, Alan, Australia

On Tue, 03 May 2005 13:40:08 +1000, Alan S
wrote:

I must see if the story of the Cannabus is still on the net.

Found it. In a weird way, it's also an interesting trip
report of a journey down the east coast from Nimbin to
Sydney.

http://www.nrg.com.au/~hemp/bigjoint/bigjoint.htm

It closes with "To end the war on drugs, to declare the
peace on nature's medicinal herbs, These troubles are small
compared to those ahead ...
See you at Parliament House at 9 am!"

but they neglect to mention that they arrived too late,
after all of the dramas of the journey, to sit in on the
meetings. They got very irate and said that the Premier and
bureaucrats knew they were coming, and they should have
waited.

It was a fascinating object lesson in the inverse
relationship between pot-smoking and planning ability
(first, buy a roadworthy vehicle:-)

I get a kick out of reading it again , even now.

I doubt there is another village like Nimbin anywhere. Their
annual festival is the Mardi Grass. Unfortunately, the
laid-back attitudes and good relationship with the local
constabulary of the '90s attracted a harder element to the
town, and it's become more seedy and less friendly these
days.


Cheers, Alan, Australia

On Tue, 03 May 2005 09:19:25 +1000, Alan S wrote:

I read it. Interesting. I got the distinct impression that Victoria wasn't
your happiest trip - nor Byron. Wrong time of year for both:-)

Victoria was OK north of the hills. It was really noticeable how much
worse the weather got south of them.

And yeah, there's no way I'd go to Byron at New Year again. You get ripped
off on the accommodation and the queues to get something to eat or a drink
are just horrendous. Plus the water's not that warm then either. February
would be a much better time.

Jason

--
See http://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/ for Caribbean trip reports
including Aruba, Cuba, Grand Bahama, Barbados, St Lucia and Mexico

wrote in message
ups.com...

Alan S wrote:
[book proposal snipped ;-) ]
Maybe I should write a book (I suspect my grammar and syntax
let me down somewhat:-)

Not to worry, Alan, that's what editors are for! (And why they so often
get thanked in the front pages...)

As for the original question, if I were going to do a road trip, it
would probably be built on the theme of "In Search of -bongs." As in
Woodenbong, Tittybong, etc. Why? With names like those, why not!

Nancy


Nancy, I hope you haven't been smokin' too many of them....eer bongs!!
cheers
DJ