"Look at that, darling. How very, very interesting!"
Spending countless hour upon countless hour, endless kilometre after endless kilometre, on Australia’s highways and byways is an occupational hazard for grey nomads.
The country’s vast expanse and inherent variety is both one of its key attractions and – if you’re anxious about your fuel budget – one of its major drawbacks. To do the Big Lap ‘properly’ you’ll have to drag your rig through the red dust of the Centre, the stunning coastal scenery of the Great Ocean Road, and all points in between.
You’ll listen to your favourite music again and again and again, you’ll repeatedly reminisce about this time or that time, you’ll smile to yourself about a decorated termite mound or a rusted vehicle sculpture … and you’ll still have another 600 kilometres to go!
Its sheer size ensures that Australia is a land of contrasts, and wonderfully so. As they pull out of their driveways full of excitement, grey nomads can’t wait to discover this sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains, of ragged mountain ranges, of droughts and flooding rains. But are there any parts of this wide brown land that they ultimately find, well, boring?
For all the poetic language of the various tourism brochures and the enthusiastic Happy Hour chatter, most veteran travellers would very quietly admit that there are some stretches of road which they are not really all that enthusiastic about.
However, being anything other than gushing about any part of Australia can be a dangerous game. Flippantly referring to the Nullar-bore as a three-day ordeal is likely to ignite a campsite riot as offended fellow travellers point out the endless list of exciting attractions you have stupidly missed.
Any criticism of a drive through the Centre io the Stuart Highway or maybe along the Barkly Highway between Camooweal and Threeways is likely to provoke a similar reaction.
But, sshhh, just quietly, is there a particular stretch of road or part of the country that you find singularly uninspiring? Comment below (if you dare!)
The murray,,just a brown flat boring bit of water
m4 sydney to penrith 110kph speed limit with often 30kph top speed ,(boring)to say the least
Some years ago I rode a Motorcycle from Armidale to Broome via Port Augusta & The Stuart Highway & for hundreds & hundreds of kilometres there was just miles & miles or f…all interesting, & from Three Ways to Mt Isa via The Barley Tablelands , well that was even worse, in fact I nearly went to sleep, yes on a motorcycle.
The top end of South Australia is flat and featureless salt bush country; definitely not what I’d call enthralling, but when I went through with my wife and kids a number of years ago we didn’t die of boredom. It’s what you make it.
What is wrong with some people. Aust is a vast country. With so many different areas to see. If not wanting to drive the klms get on a plane. All things/ views are in the eye of the beholder.
Well said and very true Anne.
You have repeated the words of my beloved wife, or nearly. Beauty.is in the eye of the beholder. Well said.
Having done the big loop once, we are now planning to go again on roads less traveled. We have never been bored, how could we with no clock reminding us its time to rise and head off to work. Time is on our side now giving us the freedom to travel when and where we like. Listening to audio books, music, or just chit-chat between ourselves whilst taking in the vastness of this great country. Hasten slowly, stop when you thought it is probably not worth it, trust us it is, and OPEN up to strangers who are doing the same ax you. “Bored” never.!
If anyone gets bored perhaps they should fly or stay home. Open your eyes and its amazing what you can see anywhere in Australia