This was a question asked of us recently, when the enquirer couldn’t understand why we would choose a driving holiday over flying.

The answer is easy! To me it’s the most enjoyable, all-encompassing way to see and experience this wonderful country, its people, landscape and quirky goodness.

You can stop and restart whenever and wherever you choose and so much more. But let me give you some examples of why a road trip beats flying.

Life on the Land

You really get a feel for how the country is faring when you drive through the different regions, and sometimes what you see on television and read about in the newspapers, doesn’t really sink in until you see it for yourself.

A road trip really puts you amongst what is happening on the land, and the landscape can change dramatically during the different seasons. Australia has some breathtaking landscapes, both natural and manmade, and you can only get a true sense of the scale on a road trip.

Houses and Outbuildings

The history of a town can be gauged by the houses and public buildings you see as you drive through. Australia’s European history isn’t that old in the scheme of things but you can tell a lot about how and why towns were established by its buildings and structures.

The architecture of a place can lead to delving into more of the town’s history, and thankfully there are a lot of places in Australia where original houses and buildings have been preserved, enabling travellers to learn about their history.

A road trip that takes you off the highways can lead to so many discoveries and teach you much more about Australia’s history in depth, bringing stories read or taught, to life.

Humour and Character

Australian’s tend to have a self-deprecating sense of humour and so many small towns run with a theme when they’re on to a good thing.

This is especially true when it comes to Big Things! Perhaps a uniquely Aussie thing, but we do love emphasising the best assets of where we live with oversized landmarks that leave you in no doubt of what a town is known for.

These are not only fun to see in your travels, but are attractions in themselves, and anything that draws visitors to smaller towns has to be a good idea.

Then there are the more subtle pieces of humour that give you a giggle in your travels. I’ve lost count of how many towns lay claim to the best pie / donut / vanilla slice etc… and this has spurred on a whole new breed of travellers, intent on testing out the competition.

Follow a trail

Deviating off major roads can lead to hidden scenic drives that could otherwise be unknown. By following a few interesting signs posts, we’ve discovered scenic coastal drives, interesting historical markers and finds that reveal more about the country and its people.

There are a lot of overlooked or forgotten stories all around the country and I think it’s especially important for learning about our indigenous history which leads to empathy and understanding in a way that can’t be taught.

You don’t see that every day

I don’t think there’s much we haven’t seen being moved by road in our travels. Everything from animals, wind turbine parts, all manner of cars, boats, houses and even a helicopter we’ve spotted.

There are always road trains on the move and then there are the huge rigs that some travellers use nowadays in their journeys around the country.

You just hope that they are going in the opposite direction to what you are, or that overtaking lanes are not too far in the distance.

Animals galore

A blessing and a curse is the likelihood that you’ll see animals in your road tripping travels. A curse if they decide to jump, run or fly out in front of you but luckily for us, apart from the odd bird strike, we’ve been lucky.

We certainly know of others though that haven’t been so lucky, but it always pays to avoid driving at dawn or dusk when animals can be on the move more. For safety’s sake, you’re taught not to try and swerve or dodge an animal and risk causing a worse accident but the only exception I’d have to that is with lizards. They are pretty slow moving usually and if possible we try to avoid them if we see them in advance.

For the true heart of Australia there’s only one way to go, and that’s by road.

Cheers and enjoy the journey

Glenys

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