Great Drives

Once off the main Princes Highway there are many excellent secondary sealed roads suitable for all categories of driver & enthusiast.
Additionally there are some superb unsealed roads, both major & minor. Some of the most interesting & historical towns & places in Australia are within striking distance of Merimbula.
Have you ever crossed the Great Dividing Range in North Eastern Victoria? – to & through Omeo, Dargo, Bright ! Into the main range at Walhalla, on to Woods Point [over 15000 people in the 1880’s] & out at Mansfield [Ned Kelly country], and that’s just a start.
What of Majors Creek, Braidwood, Nimmitabel, Araluen [another 15000 lived there in 1880], not to mention the Gippsland Ports.

We have compiled abbreviated highlights of several great drives to/from Merimbula.
handouts available from our tour desk –yours for the asking!

GREAT DRIVES – standard fare

Merimbula – Sydney

Merimbula – Melbourne
There are a number of booklets available, & of course any amount of maps We use Cartescope [www.maps.com.au] which is as good as any .
What you really need is information on the special just off the beaten path stuff, & particularly how to avoid the main highways & have more fun, see more [particularly the older untouched Australia] & generally avoid the traffic.

Going north Merimbula_Sydney. [5 ½ hours plus add ons]
Take coast road and go to Tathra
Drop down to ocean [Swiss Bakery & High Tide Café very nice]
Continue to Mogareeka inlet [mouth of Bega River], leave ocean through forest & farmland to Bermagui [made famous by Zane Gray, forerunner of Hemmingway. Fish Coop has excellent takeaway fish & chips], OR,
Cut back to Bega, go main highway to Cobargo, take scenic drive to Bermagui.
Then through Wallaga Lakes [very pretty] to Tilba & Tilba Tilba [historic old gold towns, great pub –was famous for cheese]
On to Narooma [super Vietnamese bakery opposite waterfront caravan park] – go to bridge – do NOT cross, backtrack along lagoon to rest area- fabulous fish & chip cafés with BYO & patio/eating at rear right on top of the water –do not miss, inexpensive, gorgeous setting & best food in town [choice of restaurant or café]
Continue to Moruya [once the service town for the Araluen gold deposits, & of historic interest] –immediately after crossing bridge turn RIGHT, proceed along river to coast & lovely drive into Bateman’s Bay via Batehaven.
A big side trip is to Araluen & Majors Creek & Braidwood –particularly if you are going to Canberra –gold, in a valley out of the Austrian Tyrol – all surrounded by National Park, & now home to the Stone fruit industry.
Proceed on main highway –at Wollongong get off freeway & drop down on right hand side to find coastal road, coal towns & historic pubs, which run into the newly constructed over ocean bridge, & into the Royal National Park [2nd oldest in the world]
This delightful run takes you to the outskirts of Sydney.

[Come out at Coogee, take right as marked to airport – for North shore use eastern Distributor & take tunnel]

Going South Merimbula – Melbourne. [6 ½ hours plus add ons]
Main highway to Eden [at Garden of Eden Caravan park turn left] to Aslings Beach & the northern end of Twofold Bay- hug beach & coast –go to lookout [2nd deepest harbour in world – see whales in Sep-Nov season, then back through Eden to main highway.

5k on is Boydtown [worth a trip], continue on to Genoa – turn off left [20min run] to Mallacoota –beautiful drive to centre of Abalone industry, backtrack & continue to Orbost –suggest take drive along the lower reach of the Snowy [Man from Snowy River & Clancy of the overflow-Australia’s most famous poem]to Marlo[10min] where it opens out to a miniature Coorong.
Continue to Lakes Entrance & go to Metung [8k further –turn left at the Tambo river.
Fabulous old Hotel at the waters edge –great for lunch, dinner & overnight].
At Bairnsdale don’t miss short drive to Paynesville. This is a terrific little lake town with river canal estates, a ferry & even a small island.
Back & on to Sale [–a major gold era town. Steamers sailed from Sale, via the Sale Canal, the Gippsland Lakes to the ocean & Melbourne in the goldrush days]

After Sale there is not much on the main road, & the freeway commences at Taralgon [then just 2 hours to Melbourne CBD]

HOWEVER, if you choose
– Leave highway 1 at Sale & go SOUTH on the South Gippsland Highway. Make sure you visit the Gippsland Ports, particularly Port Albert – right out on the causeway is the oldest hotel in Victoria [c1841 & rustic accommodation available], a café & opposite is the best fish & chips shop in Victoria [there is nothing else – it’s fantastic]
A big side trip from Port Albert is to go cross country north via Moe to Walhalla – one of the gems of Australia. It is worth reading up on. If you haven’t been to Walhalla GO – a step back in time to the days when gold built the nation.
Onward & back down toward Wilsons Promontory [which is a bit daunting unless you are camping out [& a big time bushwalker as well] the car park [compulsory] makes it useless for car travellers – today it is best viewed from a yacht in all its primeval splendour. It is truly magnificent from the sea.
Recommended is to cut across the peninsula to Phillip Island [if you have time & the desire] or continue further to Sorrento & Portsea. This is a famous Victorian summer playground, & should not be missed.

Finally, take the coast road [Rosebud etc to Brighton Pt Melbourne] to inner Melbourne OR
hop on the car ferry to Queenscliff [across the heads of Port Phillip Bay, & it’s just 1 hour on the Geelong Freeway to Melbourne CBD [noting that both Sorrento,

Queenscliff & Portarlington are definitely worth a trip [Victorian seaside holiday towns created out of the golden wealth of Bendigo, Ballarat, Castlemaine etc].

IF YOU ARE BYPASSING THE BIG SMOKE A TRULY GREAT JOUNEY IS AT YOUR DOORSTEP

THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD [one of the 3 great drives of the world]
It is so enjoyable from every point that we list it here
[Written by a person from the City of Churches, a car & nature enthusiast to boot who has travelled the journey untold times]
The road commences at Torquay [look for the turn off to BELLS BEACH, the iconic beach synonymous worldwide with surfing]. Then to Anglesea, & the main event is under way. Although this is a truly magnificent drivers road, it is so spectacular that to cruise it, taking plenty of stops to partake of the views [at practically every turn] is best, allowing for an occasional brief squirt to clear the cobwebs.
Continue on through Lorne [don’t forget to look skywards from time to time as there are some spectacular houses in the heights] to the little gem of Wye River [this secret spot has a great pub, a few rooms, not much else except you have the ocean beach at the front door – take a splash] If you can get in it is pristine at dawn. On to Apollo Bay [also a great place to overnight] 7&across the Otway Ranges [now unfortunately sealed] –it has lost some of its uniqueness with that sad event. Don’t be afraid of the odd unsealed side trip if you have time [it adds to the adventure] & on to Princetown.
Then the awesome 12 Apostles [sadly London Bridge has now fallen down] – take a sandwich & drink so you may dally there]. It gets sandy thereon & really drops off quite a bit. You can leave at Warrnambool if time is short, or, even if it is, preferably make it to Port Fairy, on of the early & historical towns, which is particularly romantic & beautiful.
[The highway back via Colac will take you through the gold belt [but that is another story]

If the trip is to Adelaide [wine central – no matter what they tell you] then continue on Princes Highway to Portland [surprisingly nice], then across to Nelson [cute]. The choice is – to Mt Gambier & up through Coonawarra, continuing in vineyards reach Murray at Tailem Bend, cross river on punt, hop across to Milang, Goolwa & up via Langhorne Creek [this area has won the most Jimmy Watson Trophy awards] & arrive freeway to Adelaide via Strathalbyn [lovely old Scottish town], Mount Barker & Hahndorf [historic German settlement & home of Sir Hans Heysen]
OR HUG coast via interesting [but unknown] sealed road to Port MacDonnell & Beachport [great crayfish, out of the way towns & a nice overnight also.
Proceed on to Robe [historic town & fishing port - one of the prettiest towns in SA, also great for overnight], & Kingston [SE] – all fishing towns of significance.
Now, it is to Adelaide if you choose -via “The Coorong”, a world heritage wetland area. Again if you haven’t travelled this road, don’t miss it –it’s like outer space.
Make sure to stop halfway [Salt Creek, Policeman’s Point & woods Well [don’t blink] –yes this is Australia & there is a pub [not recommended for staying in [unless you have two [2] flat tyres]. We suggest a refreshing libation & a walk around before venturing on.
Next stop Lake Alexandrina – find your way on, & suggest same loop at Tailem Bend [or Wellington- which also has a punt] & up via Strathalbyn.

Detailed maps are available from the Victorian Tourist Office. We carry them here but presently are finding it difficult to replace our supply.

Please ask if we can assist you with your itinerary or the like .We take pride in our local knowledge of this enchanting place, & part of Australia, and Merimbula.