There is no better way to see Australia than from the cab of a camper van, turning in each night with the pelicans chasing the sunset overhead and waking to kookaburras laughing on the roof. It is a rite of passage.
Every year thousands set out to drive across Australia. The young motor off into the dust with windows of rusty VW Combies rolled down and sandwiches, chocolate, water bottles, sleeping bags and a sack full of INXS and Midnight Oil tapes in the back. Others do the odyssey in style, with air-conditioned super-vans that house families and are as happy on desert rock as asphalt.
The lures of the Aussie overland trek are space and beauty. In parts of the Outback you're lucky to see a roadhouse every 200 miles and inside you'll only find a trucker, a barmaid and a scurry of spiders.
Adventurous Sydney - Lake Eyre
Last year, the usually bone-dry salt pan of Lake Eyre flooded, leaving one of the highest water levels for 100 years. Microscopic creatures woke from years of hibernation, offering bountiful tucker for thousands of birds that have made the lake their temporary home.
Directions: From Sydney, drive through the Blue Mountains to Dubbo, Cobar and Broken Hill (don't miss Silverton art galleries). Through Lower Flinders Ranges to Port Augusta, north up Stuart Highway to Coober Pedy (opal mines, underground churches), and east to William Creek on rough track (four-wheel drive needed). It's a shaky two-hour ride to Halligen Bay on Lake Eyre. The return is via Maree and the wonderful Prairie Hotel at Parachilna in Flinders Ranges, then back to Broken Hill and a southerly route through Menindee (see flooded eucalyptus forests at Menindee Lakes), then Ivanhoe and Riverina district to Sydney.
Best campsites: Dubbo City (+2 6882 4820), Broken Hill City (+8 8087 3841), and Port Augusta Big 4 (+8 8642 2974).
Other accommodation: Squeaky clean, air-conditioned, rooms at William Creek Takeaway (not the pub which has seen better days), £16 per double room, (+8 8670 6973). Cabins at Prairie Hotel, Parachilna for £30 (+8 8648 4844, prairiehotel.com.au).
Timing: 10 days-2 weeks.
Moderate Melbourne - Great Ocean Road
Some 220 miles of majestic switchback roads lead west along the coast. The Southern Ocean roars, and virtually every turn in the road marks the site of a shipwreck. Along the westerly half of the route are the towering sandstone stacks of the Twelve Apostles. The waters are icy, even in summer, a reminder that there is nothing from here to Antarctica but churning waves. From July to September, Southern right whales frolic with their young in the bays.
Directions: Head west from Melbourne through Geelong and Lorne. Stop at Apollo Bay for great swordfish (Buff's Bistro on the main street) and a beach stroll. On to Cape Patton Lookout to see the curvature of the globe on the ocean horizon, whitewashed Cape Otway Lighthouse, rainforest trails through the Otway National Park, surfing haunts at Johanna Beach, Twelve Apostles (sunset if possible), and Bay of Islands. Head back same way to see it all again from the other direction.
Best campsites: Anglesea Family (+3 5263 1583), Port Fairy Gardens near Warrnambool (+3 5568 1060).
Other accommodation: Captain's at the Bay, Apollo Bay (+3 5237 6771), is a sumptuous one-night must for all travellers weary of their camper vans (from £78 per night per room B&B).
Timing: 7-10 days.
Genteel Adelaide - the Coorong
For a leisurely drive, head north from Adelaide to the cool hills of the Clare Valley where some of the world's finest Rieslings are being produced. A short drive south of Adelaide lies the sun-baked plain of McLaren Vale, home to the rich, ruby reds of merlot and shiraz. Further south-east is one of the world's most beautiful landscapes - the Coorong, a 75-mile lagoon at the mouth of the Murray River, is home to pelicans, black swans, wild flowers and virtually no humans.
Directions: Head north-east from Adelaide to Clare Valley, then south east through Tailem Bend and Naracoorte to Mount Gambier to see remarkable volcanic craters and the Blue Lake. Then head north-west along coast through the two temptingly catatonic seaside towns of Robe and Beachport. Follow Coorong stopping at the National Park sites to arguably the most beautiful campsite in Australia at Meningie. Head north to Wellington car ferry across the Murray (watch for black swans), then Strathalbyn and west to McLaren Vale for more tippling, then north back to Adelaide.
Best campsites: Meningie (+8 8575 1411), Robe Long Beach Big 4 (+8 8768 2237).
Other accommodation: Thorn Park Country House in Clare Valley (+8 8843 4304, thornpark.com.au) for splendour and gourmet food (double from £156 for dinner, B&B).
Way to go
Vehicle hire: Britz Rentals (in UK, 08705 143609, in Australia freephone 1 800 331 454, britz.com) rents two- and four-wheel-drive motorhomes from £22.50 to £130 a day. Britz customers get discounts with Big 4 and Top Tourist campsites. Each vehicle has maps and camp site guides. Expect to pay between £6 and £9 per night (for two people) for a site with electricity hook-ups.
Further information: Contact: visit-southaustralia.com.au. For road conditions, see transport.sa.gov.au. For the Great Ocean Road, see visitvictoria.com and greatoceanrd.org.au.
