Car Hire Itineraries

The Great Southern Touring Route
The Best of Victoria
Start & End: Melbourne, Victoria
Distance: 807 kilometres
Recommended Time: 5-7 Days

This amazing self-drive touring route offers the very best of Victoria’s attractions, coastal scenery, cities and towns, history and heritage all in a flexible, compact, touring package. Starting from Melbourne, the city that prides itself on being a great city, the route can be traversed clockwise or anti-clockwise, and provides unlimited opportunities to journey off the official path at any point to explore even more of the region’s extraordinary attractions.

The Great Ocean Road:
Geelong, less than an hour from Melbourne, is beautifully nestled on the shores of Corio Bay. The city’s new waterfront is a popular highlight. You can take a pleasant detour to the seaside village of Queenscliff. Then drive the spectacular Great Ocean Road from Torquay, Australia’s surf capital, through the Mediterranean-style resort of Lorne to Apollo Bay, paradise by the sea, and the Great Otway National Park.

As the Great Ocean Road continues into the rugged Shipwreck Coast region, where scores of ships have been wrecked in the treacherous coastal waters, the majesty of the Port Campbell National Park, home of the famous Twelve Apostles, begins to unfold. Blowholes roar while the sea boils around towering rock stacks.

The Grampians:
The Great Southern Touring Route leaves the coast near Port Fairy and heads north toward the Grampians National Park. Character-packed towns along the way provide a glimpse of Australian rural life. Nearing the Grampians, the enormity of the ranges becomes apparent as they begin to dominate the horizon.

Ballarat Gold fields and spa Country:
Following the Western Highway into the major regional city of Ballarat. The city is at the centre of a region filled with a fascinating and sometimes rowdy golden past, and gateway to the sparkling attractions of Spa Country. Gold was first discovered in the 1850s, leaving a lasting legacy of beautiful streetscapes in the region’s cities and towns.

Great Southern Touring Route Sample Itinerary:

For more information please visit www.greatsoutherntouring.com.au

Melbourne - Adelaide Touring Route
Melbourne and Adelaide Scenic Drive
Start: Melbourne, Victoria
End: Adelaide, South Australia
Distance: 1,073 kilometres (coast) or 1,018 kilometres (inland)
Recommended Time: 7 Days

From Melbourne, travel along the Great Ocean Road through the coastal towns of Lorne, Apollo Bay, Port Campbell and Warrnambool. The drive reveals dramatic coastal scenery, especially near Port Campbell where the famous Twelve Apostles are located.

Continue to Mount Gambier, surrounded by ancient volcanic sinkholes and crater lakes, including the spectacular Blue Lake. From Mount Gambier, choose to travel along the coast or venture inland.

Coast:
Visit small fishing ports of Port MacDonnell, Beachport and Robe, centres for lobster-fishing fleets. Follow the road beside the Coorong National Park, a haven for bird-life, and on the way stop to learn about the local Aboriginal culture. Continue through Meningie to Wellington where you cross the Murray River and travel to Strathalbyn.

Inland:
Travel north to the historic town of Penola and the world-famous Coonawarra wine district, renowned for its red wine varieties. Visit the impressive Naracoorte Caves World Heritage Fossil Site, to see the latest Australian mega fauna unearthed in this active fossil site. Continue onto Tailem Bend to cross the Murray River and travel to Strathalbyn.

From Strathalbyn travel to Goolwa and join a river cruise that takes you to the mouth of the Murray River and into the Coorong. Visit the popular seaside town of Victor Harbor and catch the Horse Drawn Tram to Granite Island, renowned for its Little Penguin colony. Continue onto Adelaide, via McLaren Vale with plenty of opportunities to sample local produce and wine, or travel to Kangaroo Island via the ferry which departs from Cape Jervis.

For more information please visit www.greatoceanrd.org.au

Grand Pacific Drive
Sydney to Wollongong and Beyond
Start: Royal National Park (Sydney, NSW)
End: Bomaderry/Nowra, NSW
Distance: 140 Kilometers
Recommended Time: 4-5 Days

Grand Pacific Drive is the award winning coastal drive encompassing 140km of some of the most spectacular scenery and coastline in NSW. From the Royal National Park (world’s second oldest) to Wollongong and onto Shellharbour, Kiama and the Shoalhaven, the route traverses through dramatic coastal scenery, quaint villages, over the iconic Sea Cliff Bridge and through the bustling city of Wollongong. Experience Grand Pacific Drive’s ‘beyond’ into the Southern Highlands, Canberra and the South Coast.

Highlights:

• Drive through the spectacular Royal National Park
• Stop at the magnificent ‘Bald Hill’ lookout
• Park and walk over the Sea Cliff Bridge
• Enjoy Wollongong’s beaches and thriving restaurant/cafes precincts
• Visit Nan Tien Temple – the largest Buddhist temple in the Southern Hemisphere
• Visit Kiama Blowhole or try some local wine at nearby wineries
• Visit the spectacular Seven Mile Beach
• Enjoy some side trips to Mt Keira, Minnamurra Rainforest or Lake Illawarra.

Grand Pacific Drive Sample Itinerary:

For more information please visit www.greatpacificdrive.com.au

The Great Alpine Road
Bairnsdale to Wangaratta
Start: Bairnsdale, Victoria
End: Wangaratta, Victoria
Distance: 308 kilometres
Recommended Time: 4-5 Days

Experience the Great Alpine Road, one of the great touring routes of Australia. For more than 300 kilometres, discover the splendour of valleys, mountains, forests, rivers and ocean; one of the finest and most diverse combinations of scenery imaginable in the country. It’s adventure, it’s stylish, it’s fascinating and above all, it’s one of the great touring experiences.

Highlights:

• Touring Routes: Six touring routes on sealed roads reveal many sights and experiences which are often just a short drive from the main road. History, regional food and wine, mountain vistas, adventure activities, little-known back country roads and the southern hemisphere’s biggest network of inland waterways just waiting to be discovered.

• Summer in the High Country: Victoria’s alpine areas are the height of adventure in summer, with activities ranging from downhill thrills on mountain bikes to mastering the art of fly fishing in alpine streams.

• Explore the National Parks: The Alpine National Park is the high point of your Great Alpine Road journey which peaks at 1825m over Mt Hotham. Just 30 minutes from the Great Alpine Road, the Mt Buffalo National Park is one of Australia’s oldest.

• Ride or Walk the Rail Trails: The Murray to Mountains and East Gippsland Rail Trails promise spectacular rural scenery, superb local produce and a living history easily accessible from the Great Alpine Road.

Great Alpine Road Sample Itinerary:

For more information please visit www.greatalpineroad.info