Friends have recently bought a caravan and asked for any hints that we had about great places to visit. At the rate that these ‘snippets’ of advice are going, this will be a book before I finish telling them where to bloody well go. We’ve done Victoria because that’s where these guys live, now we’ll start venturing further afield, state by state. All places mentioned are listed in WikiCamps.

The enormity of this country is hard to comprehend. Victoria is the second smallest state, 227,444 square kms* which is almost the same size as the UK at 242,741 square kms*. (*Wikipedia) And regular readers of this blog will probably have noticed that we tend to wander off to the other end of the state at a whim with Priscilla the caravan following along behind.

It’s when you leave Victoria that you start to realise that even though you’re chalking up mind boggling distances it’s nothing compared to what some of our ancestors did. We travel in air-conditioned comfort, with fridges and freezers and icy cold beer. Washing machines, and hot showers, and hair dryers. Those who came before us travelled huge distances either on foot, horseback, camel or maybe like Grandma Durack, they had the luxury of riding on top of the wagon. Lucky ducks.

Recommended reading before you leave Victoria:

Mary Durack – 1. Kings in Grass Castles (NSW & Qld), 2. Sons in the Saddle (The Kimberley).

Jeannie Gunn – We of the Never Never.

Ways to Go

Before I come to the places that we love, I should suggest that for those people living in Victoria and Tasmania that there are certain ways of leaving Victoria.

1. Going West

If you are leaving Victoria in autumn to tour the coast of Western Australia, most people will tell you to go up the Stuart Highway to the Northern Territory before hanging a leftie and going down to Kununurra and the coast, then returning home across the Nullarbor as this will save fuel because there is less wind, or you’ll have less wind or something like that. To put it simply anti clockwise. We did it the other way because we were going to an Easter wedding in Margaret River. Leaving Melbourne in March we had excellent weather the whole way and (after the shindig) heading north up the coast the weather gradually got warmer and milder, there was very little traffic and no crowds until we met the ‘anticlockwise’ folk as they were coming down. We didn’t get the expected wind, prices were fair, and it was an easy drive. It’s clockwise for us.

And while we’re on the subject, the old Nullarbor gets a bad rap for being boring, but by crikey, it is fascinating for anyone who looks beyond that white line. Anyway we’ll cover that later.

When it comes to heading north to NSW and Qld, there are many more roads and thus more options.

2. Heading North

The Princes Highway (M1) & Pacific Highway (M1) ie. The Coast – If you’re a saltwater person this is by far the most panoramic route. NSW beaches are divine, but you will pay accordingly if you are only using caravan parks.

The Hume & Pacific Highways – The Hume (31) will zip you up to Sydney quickly and both highways Hume (31) and Pacific (M1) are excellent. Regardless of cost the North Connex tunnel is the best option to avoid Sydney city traffic. The M7, M2, North Connex and onto the M1 will have you sailing over the Hawkesbury River before you can blink an eye. Just make sure you have a pit stop beforehand because once you’re on this crazy rollercoaster there’s little chance to stop. Cross your legs baby.

The Newell – The last time we used this one, the road conditions were poor due to past flooding and high truck use. It is narrow, popular, and busy. Keep your UHF radio on and talk to the trucks when they want to pass.

The Kidman – If you’re desperate to get out of the cold, the Kidman is the quickest way to get to Qld. In drought times you’ll have to keep a sharp eye out for kangaroos, emus, and goats but there are fewer trucks. We call this KEG watch as the wildlife comes out to graze on roadside grass generated by road dew run off. The road is in top condition. There are fewer towns. But they are interesting towns and well worth a stopover.

Most importantly: Both the Newell and Kidman Highways will take you through the town of Griffith and no self-respecting caravanner should pass this town without first stopping to top up the ballast at De Bortoli Winery. You see, they have a room filled with stock at special prices, the sort of prices that appeal to retired travelling folks and yet luscious drops they are. The good folks at De Bortoli also provide trolleys to carry your ballast out to the caravan, thoughtful.