EyEwitnEss tRAVEL BACK RoADS AuStR AliA BR_AUS_001_half-title.indd 1 09/09/2010 12:45 002-003_Back_Roads_Australia.indd 2 19/07/16 5:08 pm EYEWITNESS TRAVEL BACK ROADS AUSTR ALIA Contributors Jarrod Bates, Lara Dunston, Andrew Harris, Elizabeth Re, Jessica Syme, Steve Womersley 002-003_Back_Roads_Australia.indd 3 19/07/16 5:08 pm CONTENTS PUBLISHER Douglas Amrine ABOUT THIS BOOK 6 LIST MANAGER Vivien Antwi INTRODUCING AUSTRALIA 8 EDITORIAL Michelle Crane, Georgina Palffy, Hugh Thompson, Fay Franklin, GETTING TO AUSTRALIA 10 Above Golden sandy beach, near Darwin, Northern Territory Vicki Allen PRACTICAL INFORMATION 12 DESIGN Shahid Mahmood, Steve Bere Drive 5 PRODUCTION CONTROLLER DRIVING IN AUSTRALIA 16 NEW ENGLAND TABLELAND Linda Dare WHERE TO STAY 24 PICTURE RESEARCH Ellen Root, Coffs Harbour to Marta Bescos WHERE TO EAT 26 Tweed Heads 70 DTP Jason Little, Jamie McNeill 6 days THE DRIVES 28 CARTOGRAPHY MANAGER Uma Bhattacharya Drive 6 Drive 1 SENIOR CARTOGRAPHIC EDITOR MOUNTAINS, VALLEYS AND REEF AND RAINFOREST Casper Morris VINES CARTOGRAPHY Mission Beach to Sydney to Brooklyn 80 Stuart James, Jasneet Arora The Daintree 30 4–5 days ILLUSTRATIONS 4 days Arun Pottirayil Drive 7 Drive 2 Printed and bound in China GLORIOUS GIPPSLAND First published in the UK in 2011 by VOLCANIC HILLS Wonthaggi to Dorling Kindersley Limited, 80 Strand, Caloundra to the London, WC2R 0RL Harrietville 92 Glasshouse Mountains 40 16 17 18 19 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 4–5 days 3 days Reprinted with revisions 2014, 2017 Drive 8 Copyright 2011, 2017 © Dorling Drive 3 Kindersley Limited, London PENINSULA TOUR A Penguin Random House Company GOLD COAST BACK COUNTRY Mornington to Coolart All rights reserved. No part of this publication Burleigh Heads to Wetlands and may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, Brisbane 46 Homestead 102 electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording 3–4 days 1–2 days or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Drive 4 A CIP catalogue record is available from the British Library. CLASSIC EAST COAST DRIVE ISBN 978 0 2412 6415 7 Noosa to Manly 56 6 days Front cover Wilpena Pound as seen from Moralana Drive in the Flinders Ranges Below The impressive Devils Marbles, near Below The Yarra River, in the heart Tennant Creek, Northern Territory of Melbourne, Victoria Bac0k0 R4o-0a0d5s_Back_Roads_Australia.inLdAdY E 4RS PRINTED: 20/07/16 11:40 am IMPRINT/CONTENTS template “UK” LAYER (OpenType) Date 12 February 2009 Size 145mm x 217mm Font Myriad Pro Above Spectacular Triplet Falls, Great Otway Above The majestic Twelve Apostles, Port Above Pleasure boats in the marina in National Park, Victoria Campbell National Park, Victoria Manly Harbour, Queensland Drive 9 Drive 14 Drive 19 GREAT OCEAN ROAD VINEYARDS AND ROCKY RANGES PIONEERS AND PROSPECTORS Melbourne to Ballarat 108 Birdwood to Guildford to Boulder 214 6–7 days Parachilna 156 4 days 5–6 days Drive 20 Drive 10 GOLDFIELDS AND SPA COUNTRY Drive 15 WAVES, WHALES AND WINE Melbourne to THE TOP END Bunbury to Cape Castlemaine 120 Leeuwin 224 Darwin to Territory 4–5 days Wildlife Park 166 4–5 days 5–7 days Drive 11 Drive 21 COASTLINE AND CONVICTS Drive 16 THE GREAT SOUTHERN Hobart to Port Arthur INTO THE RED CENTRE Blackwood River Valley Historic Site 130 Katherine to Aileron 178 to Cape Arid National 2–3 days 5 days Park 234 4–5 days Drive 12 Drive 17 Drive 22 WILDERNESS AND WILD RIVERS THROUGH THE MACDONNELL THE NULLARBOR CROSSING Launceston to Strahan1 38 RANGES Norseman to Port 4–5 days Alice Springs to Augusta 246 Kata Tjuta 190 Drive 13 4–6 days 6–7 days SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S COASTAL GEMS Drive 18 INDEX 258 Adelaide to Mount WEST COAST WONDERLAND Gambier 148 Perth to Cape Range 3 days National Park 202 Title page: Road winding around Cape Byron, New South Wales Half-title page: Scenic route through 7 days Walpole-Nornalup National Park, Western Australia Below Simpsons Gap waterhole in the West Below Traditional 19th-century building, near Below Wild flowers near the coast in Cape Le Grande MacDonnell Ranges, Northern Territory Castlemaine, Victoria National Park, Western Australia 004-005_Back_Roads_Australia.indd 5 20/07/16 11:40 am BacBkR R_oAaUdsS_006-007.indd 6 LAYERS PRINTED: 09/09/2010 12:45 Frontmatter “UK” LAYER About this book & Introducing template (OpenType) Date 24th March 2009 Size 145mm x 217mm Fonts Myriad Pro About this Book 7 About this Book The 22 driving tours in this guide reflect the you might spot a wedge-tailed eagle or a fantastic diversity of Australia. The sixth-largest kangaroo from a bus or a train, it will be a fleeting country in the world, yet relatively sparsely moment. In your own vehicle, you can stop and populated, Australia has great expanses of road take it all in at a pace that suits you. Whether it is – from multi-lane freeways to bumpy dirt tracks. a drive through the vineyards of the Hunter Valley The majority of its towns and cities are strung out from Sydney or the Great Ocean Road from around the country’s coastal circumference. While Melbourne, tackling the red-dirt tracks of the distances are daunting, flying means missing the Outback in a 4WD, exploring remote beaches, gradually changing scenery – a quintessential or sleeping in a national park under the stars, aspect of the Australian experience. And while Australia is made for driving tours. Getting Started Northern Territory’s Top End, and from The front section of the guide gives the vineyards of the Barossa Valley to Using the Sheet Map you all the practical information you the wheatbelt of Western Australia. A pull-out road map of the entire need to plan and enjoy a driving Each drive begins with a list of country is attached inside the holiday in Australia. It includes an highlights and a clearly mapped back cover. This map contains overview of when to go and how to itinerary. There is advice on the best all the information you need to get there, advice on hiring a vehicle time of year to undertake the drive, drive around the country and and details of any documentation road conditions, market days and to navigate between the tours. required. In-depth motoring advice major festival dates. The tour pages All freeways, major roads and ranges from driving rules to road contain descriptions of each stop on airports – both domestic and conditions, from buying fuel to the route, linked by clear driving international – plus all the ferry breakdown or accident procedures – instructions. Side panels contain ports are easily identified. This the kind of background knowledge information on the most authentic makes the pull-out map an that helps make a driving trip stress- places to stay and eat, as well as excellent addition to the drive free. There is information on money, details of local activities, and tinted itinerary maps within the book. opening times, communications, boxes relate background information. The pull-out map also has a health and safety and other practical Most drives feature a mapped town comprehensive index to help you matters, as well as advice on or countryside walking tour, designed find your destination, and is accommodation and dining options, to take a maximum of three hours at a further supplemented by a clear to ensure that you enjoy the gentle pace with stops along the way. distance chart so you can gauge authentic Australian experience. The tours are flexible: some can be the distances between the major linked to create a longer driving cities in Australia. The Drives holiday; or they can be dipped into as The main section of the guide is day trips while based in a region. divided into drives, ranging from two to seven days in duration. The tours can all be driven in a standard vehicle, although there are a few excursions suitable for 4WD vehicles only. The drives encompass every region of the country, from the glorious beaches of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast to the wilderness of the Top far left Driving in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia Top left Hay bale at a Shepherds Flat farm, Central Victoria Centre far left Night view of Perth’s waterfront centre Centre left Roadside letterboxes in front of Mount Roland, Tasmania Far left Bakery in Hobart, Tasmania Left Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve, Western Australia Right Sculpture at Wave Rock, Western Australia BR_AUS_006-007.indd 7 09/09/2010 12:45 Bac0k0 R8o-0a0d9s_Back_Roads_Australia.indd 8 LAYERS PRINTED: 19/07/16 5:12 pm Frontmatter “UK” LAYER About this book & Introducing template (OpenType) Date 24th March 2009 Size 145mm x 217mm Fonts Myriad Pro