Five great Australian Alpine drives to do in summer
Australia is a land of sweeping plains but if you prefer driving with actual corners and views, head for the mountain ranges instead.Alpine driving means snow in winter, greenery during spring and the temptation to stop and look around in summer. And whatever car you own, the road's ups and downs or lefts and rights are more entertaining than straight and flat, so check these five panoramic byways.
Great Alpine Road, north-eastern Victoria
Road trips rarely get more epic than this. Victoria’s Great Alpine Road travels 311km between Wangaratta in the state’s north-east to Metung down on the Gippsland Lakes. In between, it takes in the Ovens Valley wine country, the township of Bright then Mount Hotham at its highest point. Descend past Dinner Plain to Omeo then follow the Tambo River down to the coast via Bairnsdale. You’ll need at least a couple of days but accommodation is plentiful and the sights unforgettable.
Porongurup and Bluff Knoll, Western Australia
Although not noted for alpine vistas in its sprawling 2.6 million square kilometres of territory, WA does indeed have mountains. Bluff Knoll in the Stirling Ranges, about five hours south-west of Perth, isn’t quite the highest although at 1099 metres it’s been known to get snow even if you’ll have to leave the car and walk to see it. Nearby Porongurup has dirt roads winding between rocky peaks and an easy hike to the vertiginous Granite Skywalk is a must do for everyone except acrophobics.
Corryong to Cooma, Victoria and NSW
For those with a sense of adventure, this is actually an alternative route to the Hume Highway between Melbourne and Sydney, going over the mountains, not around them. From Corryong, east of Albury the road sweeps through green valleys before climbing to Cabramurra, one of Australia’s highest towns. At Kiandra it’s all alpine meadows where you join the Snowy Mountains Highway for the trip to Adaminaby and Cooma. That’s 190km right there with a good 420km left to reach Sydney (assuming that’s the direction of travel!) and worth every mile.
Alpine Way, NSW
The Alpine Way runs between Jindabyne, at the foot of NSW’s ski fields, north-west to Khancoban and a bit beyond. In between is some of the most spectacular alpine scenery Australia has to offer along with plenty of tight and sweeping corners. Skirting Mount Kosciuszko, it’s about a 110km drive (and park fees apply) that can be either a scenic tour through tall timber and visible snowy peaks, or a longer adventure stopping to camp, fish and hike.
Canberra to Adaminaby, ACT (mainly)
If you thought the ACT was all urban Canberra, think again. With 2400 square kilometres of land, the ACT is roughly the size of Luxembourg except with a lot more wilderness. It’s hilly, too, and for a grand drive head south to Tharwa then onwards along the largely unsealed Boboyan Road to Adaminaby in NSW. There are lookouts, a nice alpine campground at Mount Clear and you can complete the round trip back to Canberra via Cooma and the Monaro Highway.
Related: Five great mountain hikes to make a day trip from
Related: Australia’s five best mountain drives
Related: Five scenic driving roads to explore in Victoria
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