Great Aussie Drives
 

With spring just around the corner, time to think about road trips...

10 great drives and recommended cars (from DRIVE)

1. Great ocean road, VIC. Mazda MX-5
2. Mereenie Loop and West MacDonnel Ranges, NT. Toyota Prado
3. Gold Coast hinterland, NSW/QLD border. Porsche Boxster
4. North East Tasmania. 86/BRZ
5. Dandenong Ranges, VIC. BMW 3 Series
6. Bylong Valley Way, NSW. Mazda CX5
7. The Nullarbor Plain, SA & WA. Audi A6
8. The Birdsville Track, SA. Land Rover Discovery4
9. Gibb River Road, WAFord Ranger/Mazda BT-50
10. Snowy Mountains, NSW. Renault Megane RS265

http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-new...824-24rag.html

For the Sydney Guys can I suggest the Putty Road from Colo to the Hunter Valley.. lunch then return. It is a windy road and some bends have clear vision of those in front if your looking for the cornering experience.. It is made for car like these ! :)

Beware of motorcycles leaning onto your side and the blue shirts on the straight long sections..

A 9am departure is the go and have lunch at a winery etc.. this would be a good day run for the Sydney 86 BRZ brigade

CR

yeah! saw quite a few blue shirts down the straight some even have blue cars (the really bad one, that would look for defects even if factory made)

saw a lotus and a Toyota Supra last week got pulled over. ouch! but really scenic and relaxing cruise! :D

I am surprised they didn't mention Thunderbolts way and Oxley Highway. Especially Oxley Highway 45kms of twisties.....one road describe it.... EPIC!

Royal National Park, Mt Keira, Mac Pass, Jamberoo Pass and also Moss Vale Road in the South of Sydney are great and then of course Old Pac, Wisemens Ferry Road for the North. Also agree with 000 Racing Putty Road is great. It was the first twisty road I drove my 86 great way to welcome the car.

For Queensland there are a couple to add in my opinion:

Stamford Valley up to Mt Mee - nice mix of open sweepers and mountain twistys

Mt Nebo- Mt Glorious-Fernvale - watch out for bikes, and several of the corners speed indications should be observed. Other than that great mountain driving that is fun at sane (legal) speeds

SA Drives:
Barossa Valley
Victor Harbour

Touge:
Gorge road, chain of ponds
Windy point, old Belair loop
Norton Summit loop

More VIC:

Black Spur
Reefton Spur
Warburton - Marysville
Kangaroo Ground - Kinglake
Mount Buller
Mount Donna Buang
Grampians National Park & Halls Gap

And not sure how Mount Dandenong made it onto the list. I may be spoiled living in the shadow of it but it's crowded with tourists and it's not much of a challenge.

Yeah there is a heap of great roads around Vic that are not jam packed with tourists.
out the back of Apollo bay going through the otways there are some nice drives,
Few up around Kinglake.

just best to go drive.

GOR is ok, its pretty but its also frustrating cause you always end up stuck behind someone unless you go at the right times.
Friends on the Euro Car Club used to go up mid week at around 2am.

+1

Awesome bit of road going through the Otways and it's usually very quiet.

It's a hell of a loop but...

Orbost > Bonang Hwy > Delegate Rd > Snowy River Way > Alpine Way > Tooma Rd > Tumut is an amazing drive.

Delegate Rd is unsealed north of the Vic border and West of Delegate but it's still a good surface.

Instead of going Tooma Rd you can instead head a little further west and get onto the Benambra-Cooryong Rd south through Nariel to Omeo but that's arguably perhaps more suited to a WRX or Evo than an 86. Surface is normally pretty good but you can sometimes get caught and it's a LONG way to go in the wrong vehicle.

my own backyard and I just happen to have an 86 in my driveway to do it in :D

Yup agree, Mt Dande isn't great. Lot's of traffic unless you're there at the right time/day.

Just checked the map for Black Spur, not too far off from Mt Dande. Looks like I've found a new playground

Be careful, it's probably one of the most policed set of twisties in the country. It's also very narrow and lots of logging trucks and motorcyclists use it. I personally prefer the Reefton Spur.