Great Ocean Road voted best Aussie drive

A VOTE on Australia’s best drives has put the Great Ocean Road on top, nudging out the second- and third-placed Broome to Kununurra via the Kimberleys in Western Australia and the Tasmanian Ring Road in Tasmania.

More than 1,600 people took part in the poll commissioned by dash cam manufacturer Nextbase, with one in four opting to crown the famed 243-kilometre stretch of coastline road as 2022’s ultimate road trip destination out of 10 drives across the country.

Other contenders included Darwin to Kakadu, Alice Springs to Uluru and the Birdsville Track.

“In a highly competitive domestic market it is great for the region to get independent accolades reminding people that the Great Ocean Road is one of Australia’s most spectacular road trips,” Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism general manager Liz Price said.

In 2019, the road marked 100 years since then Victorian Premier Sir Harry Lawson fired the first explosive charge on construction of the road at St Georges River on September 19, 1919, and was officially opened in March 1922.

Now one of the region’s major tourism drawcards, a 2020 Victorian government report highlights its economic importance to the region even during the COVID-19 pandemic, with about 3.9 million domestic and international visitors on day trips or staying overnight spending an estimated $1.1 billion.

The figures of $820 million spent by domestic overnight stays in 2020 were down a quarter on the year before, expenditure of $224 million from day-trippers was a 39 per cent decrease on the previous year while a $17 million overnight spend from international visitors was an 85 per cent decrease year-on-year.

In recognition of the importance of the road as a tourism destination, the Victorian and federal governments announced a $108 million project last week to redevelop and protect the Twelve Apostles Precinct, including a new viewing deck and amphitheatre, safer beach access and a lookout at Gibson Steps and a range of other improvements of the area.

The redevelopment is part of the $500 million Geelong City Deal, a 10-year partnership between the City of Greater Geelong, Victorian and federal government to transform Geelong and the Great Ocean Road.

With borders open, Victorian government promises that lockdowns are a thing of the past and major events returning, the push is on to get people back on the road and making stops along the way.

“Don’t let the region pass by the car window, make sure you take the time to enjoy and explore the breadth of big nature experiences that will make the trip memorable,” Ms Price said, citing the Lorne Sculpture Biennale, Port Fairy Folk Festival and Rip Curl Pro at Easter as further reasons to visit.

For its part, Nextbase is enticing drivers to the region with a Dash Cam Treasure Hunt, the company stashing 10 cameras along popular parts of the Great Ocean Road for punters to find with clues provided via its Instagram page.