AUSTRALIA

The Tried and Tested:  THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD

Unquestionably Australia’s best known driving route, The Great Ocean Road is, like the pilgrimage to Mecca for Muslims, a route that every motoring enthusiast should drive once in their life. Covering 243km of scintillating coastal terrain, the road runs between the small Victorian cities of Torquay and Allansford and passes through a series of attractive beachside towns like Lorne, Anglesea and Apollo Bay.  

Among the best known highlights are the 12 Apostles, a series of limestone stacks located off the coast. Alas, despite the enduring name, today only eight apostles still stand. And here’s another little known fact. The road was constructed by returned World War I servicemen between 1919 and 1932 and when completed it became the world’s largest war memorial.  

The Underrated: THE PACIFIC HIGHWAY 

It might be lesser known and four times as long as the Great Ocean Road, but the predominantly coastal drive between Sydney and Brisbane is terrific in its own right. This roughly 12 hour route (including rest stops) takes you through Australia’s unique temperature bushland in the southern stretches before entering the Mid North Coast, home to beachside towns like Port Macquarie, Nambucca Heads and Coffs Harbour. 

Perhaps the most rewarding section is saved for the last three hours of the drive though, as you enter the Northern Rivers region. In the far north of the state the terrain changes as the climate warms. The farm country around Ballina and Byron Bay is a vision of lush green as you motor through fertile valleys and cross mighty rivers such as the Clarence, Richmond and Tweed. Whether you are going between state capitals or stopping at a beachside town on the way, this is a classic Aussie coastal road trip.  

THE US 

The Tried and Tested: ROUTE 66 

The most hallowed driving route in the world? It might well have been. Certainly in the US there was no highway imbued with more romance or history than Route 66.  

Dating from 1926, this bitumen behemoth originally bisected the greater part of the country, running an astonishing 3940km from Santa Monica on California’s coast to Chicago, Illinois. Along the way it passed through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri, giving drivers a chance to commune with continental US over several weeks of driving utopia.  

The only catch? The route as many a westward bound settler knew it in the 30s and 40s no longer exists in its original form. But many of its sections are preserved as part of the less charmingly named Interstate Highway System. Long haul road trippers can today drive a roughly equivalent route (on some mighty impressive roads it must be said) to get their fix of genuine Americana. 

The Underrated: LOS ANGELES TO SAN FRANCISCO 

Our very own Pacific Highway is a marvellous route, but US road trippers have a pretty impressive Pacific Highway of their own. Better known as Route 101, this road runs virtually the length of the west coast of the US, extending 2500km from Los Angeles to Tumwater in Washington state.  

Along the way it passes through northern California and the entire state of Oregon. The drive through California is magic from start to finish. An early section of the route snakes it way through Hollywood, before passing through an impressive hit list of cities and towns en route to San Francisco and the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Further to the north lies California’s esteemed wine country and redwood forests – just another reason to hit the road on this incredible route. 

Europe: 

The Tried and Tested: THE AMALFI DRIVE 

It’s not the longest drive you’ll ever take, but it’s likely to be the most memorable. Quite simply, the dazzling stretch of coastal road between the Italian towns of Sorrento and Amalfi is pure unadulterated Mediterranean heaven.  

The multi-coloured coastal village of Positano sits roughly at the halfway point and it’s the perfect spot to stop for a coffee and to admire the splendid architecture. It’ll take you between one and two hours depending on your driving speed and whether you encounter any traffic. 

Taking it slow might be the best bet as you’ll drive along sheer cliffs and through a series of tight corners and hairpin turns. If you are feeling really bold, perhaps two wheels might be better than four – renting a Vespa is surely the quintessential Italian way to take in the Amalfi Coast. 

The Underrated: THE STELVIO PASS 

Come to think of it, this road might be better classed in the highly rated rather than the underrated category. With nothing less than the UK Top Gear team’s endorsement as the Greatest Driving Road in the World, this astonishing route zig zags its way up the Ortler Alps in Italy’s far north.  

With 48 hairpin turns on the way to the top of the pass, this automotive Everest takes drivers to a dizzying elevation of 2757 metres.  

This road is truly made for a European grand touring car, so if you have the means, a fine Italian stallion or something with a powerfully Teutonic engine is called for.  

The Stelvio Pass itself calls for much concentration from the driver – complicated by the stunning of vistas you’ll behold at every turn of the wheel. Perhaps then this drive will be nothing short of automotive bliss for the fortunate person who is in the passenger seat.