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Moreton Island – Queensland
A 45-minute ferry ride from the south side of Brisbane, and you’re in sand driving heaven. Moreton Island sits just off the coast of Brisbane, slap bang between Fraser and Stradbroke Island. It’s a wonderful place
to get your sand driving down pat, before you head to the more challenging Fraser Island.
My favourite spot? Cape Moreton and the views from the lighthouse. On the western side of the Cape, you’ll find scarcely populated beaches, and great swimming opportunities. Just be careful though, these beaches are unpatrolled, and she-dolphins (sharks) aren’t usually far away. Also keep your pace down on those beaches, as you will regularly find deep furrows cut by the creeks that flow across the beach. And if you feel the need to hang around, there are campsites aplenty.
Litchfield – Northern Territory
Kakadu is the big draw card for most Top End travellers, but ask a Darwin local, and they’ll usually head to Litchfield National Park. It’s closer, has more croc-free swimming holes and is scenically spectacular.
It’s a long day trip from Darwin, but it’s a good-un. In a day, you’ll be able to see many of the more popular Litchfield National Park Hotspots. Wangi Falls, Buley Rockholes and Florence Falls are all simply spectacular. But you’ll need your 4X4 to venture further south into the park, and visit the beautiful Lost City, and Tjaynera (Sandy Creek) Falls.
Blue Mountains – New South Wales
Australia’s biggest city has lost all of its local 4X4 tracks, but if you get up early, you’ll enjoy some superb tracks and some great Blue Mountains scenery. Hightail it out towards the Zig-Zag Railway, and hit the dirt from there. Here, you’ll enjoy the NSW version of the Lost City – huge slabs of exposed sandstone that have been mercilessly shaped by the weather.
There are also a delicious selection of power line tracks and bog holes for the more adventurous driver in you. The Glow Worm Tunnel is an experience not to be missed, as are the views from Mt Airlie, just outside Capertee. And if it’s campsites you’re after, try The Diggings in the nearby Turon National Park – it’s a cracker.
Jamieson – Victoria
In the foothills of the Victorian High Country, and on the banks of the Goulburn River, sits the charming town of Jamieson. Now, I promise I’m not naming this place just because it’s got a superb craft brewery that makes the most delicious Raspberry Beer (don’t mock it till you’ve tried it!). Yes, the Jamieson Brewery is a great draw card for a day trip, but so too are the myriad of tracks and places to visit nearby.
I would recommend trying the tracks up to Williams Lookout and Bald Hill. But if you’ve got the time, immerse yourself in the history and scenery of Woods Point. This is one day trip you won’t regret.
Coorong – South Australia
An early start from Adelaide will see you arrive in good light at the Coorong. It’s ostensibly a large slab of sand and inlets that protects this fragile coastline. The scenery around here is quite unique, and you might recognize the beautiful dune, lakes and grasses from the classic 1976 movie ‘Storm Boy’.
There are some wonderful campsites perched behind the fore dunes, but expect to be battered by a roaring southerly, particularly in the winter months. The bird and ocean life down here is something special too, as you watch pelicans and kites soar in the sky, and Australian fur seals frolicking in the shallows
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