A long, slow road trip the way to go

TRACEY FERRIER

It's the journey, not the destination that counts, I've decided after a long, slow road trip from Sydney to Melbourne.

IT'S the journey, not the destination that counts, I've decided after a long, slow road trip from Sydney to Melbourne.

My husband and I are driving the coastal route in the last weeks of my pregnancy, rediscovering the art of conversation beyond what to have for dinner and, `How was your day, dear?'

When I was younger, if any of your school mates were catching a plane somewhere for the holidays, it was viewed with the kind of awe akin to a journey into space.

My family road-trip holidays, on the other hand, had a sense of adventure and accommodation in a variety of dodgy highway motels.

But in these days of cut-price air fares, the tables have turned completely. Still, I wonder at what cost. There's nothing like piling the clan into the confines of one vehicle to promote communication and relationship building.

The day after we set off, we were surprised to find ourselves roaring through the mist-shrouded hills of Kangaroo Valley, two hours south of Sydney, in a 1969 silver MG Roadster, classic Frank Sinatra tunes floating from the wooden dash, hair flying in the breeze.

Christopher Warren, who runs the valley's five-star Crystal Creek Meadows cottages with his wife, Sophie, calls this beast Flash and doesn't mind guests taking his big boy's toy for a spin, especially since he's had it converted to unleaded and offers guests the chance to offset a joy ride, and their entire stay, through their carbon offset programme.

There is simply no need to feel any twinges of guilt as you soak up the luxurious amenities of this carbon-neutral property's self-contained cottages spread over 6.5 hectares to ensure maximum privacy.

Don't spare a guilty thought as you lounge about in the spa bath the size of a small swimming pool – it's filled with harvested rainwater.

The cottages give us the perfect retreat for what's known these days as a babymoon, time out before the arrival of the little one. It has everything a weary, whale-like expectant mum could want – an in-house massage and treatment menu that could take a week to get through, a cosy fire, a king-size bed and a fridge stocked with gourmet meals if you just can't be bothered nipping into town to dine at one of the restaurants.

Ah, bliss, such a shame to leave, but the long road ahead beckons. We've decided to explore the coastal drive south.

Next stop, Bermagui, and en route some time at Pebbly Beach, where we're lucky enough to spot some kangaroos on the beach.

The locals tell us they're also known to take the odd dip in the sea. Now, you just don't see that kind of thing staring at the back of someone's seat on a flight to Melbourne.

Bermagui, a coastal community about 400 kilometres south of Sydney, bills itself as an anglers' paradise.

"It's the only place in the world where you can catch marlin in the morning, and go fly fishing for trout in the afternoon," says Peter Bray, who with his wife, Bev, welcomes guests to Bimbimbi House, one of the town's original homesteads overlooking the Bermagui River.

"The edge of the continental shelf is closest to the mainland off Bermagui. We've also got the Bermagui River and Wallaga Lake, and it's just 2 1/2 hours to the snow at Jindabyne. It's a pretty perfect position really for fishing, kayaking, bushwalking and bird watching."

After listening to Peter talk up the fishing, it's catch of the day for dinner at Morrisons, a quiet little spot in town, rounded off with a divine spiced panacotta with poached quinces. You don't get that on a budget airline.

The drive between Bermagui and Eden is beautiful, through dairy country and forest, on slow, winding roads with no traffic, with just the hum of the wheels on the road.

Eden's whaling museum would have held infinite appeal for me if I had stumbled across it on one of my childhood road trips, and I find it no less enthralling as an adult.

Who wouldn't want to hear about rheumatic patients being stuffed into the guts of dead whales in the hope that the putrid gasses would cure them? Entertaining stuff.

Onwards we press, and find ourselves at Gipsy Point Lakeside, a discreet cluster of five-star luxury apartments on the banks of Mallacoota Inlet in the heart of the Croajingolong National Park.

A few hours out on the inlet is the most serene experience, watching white-bellied sea eagles swoop from towering trees to pluck fish from the water.

At night, as you dine on your private deck, you can expect some large but friendly kangaroos for company.

In the mornings, you can drop a line in from the private jetty to catch fish for breakfast and you can round out the day with a gourmet lunch hamper, packed for you to enjoy at one of the boat-only picnic spots dotted around the inlet.

As I stare at the map and wondered where next, the name Wilsons Promontory leaps out at me from the page. I'm desperate to know how much damage this year's devastating bushfires, which burned for almost three weeks, has caused.

The rangers tell us it was a mosaic burn: some patches turned to charcoal; other pockets were left green and untouched.

As far as bushfires go, this is one of the better scenarios, because it leaves some shelter and food sources intact for the animals that survive the flames.

The birdlife seems to have been barely affected, and during our day touring the park, we see several wombats. The losses haven't been absolute, even for ground dwelling animals.

Far from being a deterrent to visitors, the fires that swept the park this year have offered a new way to experience this area.

It's astonishing how quickly the bush begins to regenerate, sprouting new carpets of ferns, green shoots pushing through blackened bark. From a distance, the visual effect of blacks, singed yellows and browns and vivid new greens is truly beautiful.

Back in the car, we turn west, bound for the Mornington Peninsula and Woodman Estate, a lakeside manor house and private chalets in a pocket of serenity just outside Melbourne.

It's the kind of Jane Austen, grand-sweeping-staircase, port-on-the-sideboard experience every woman should have at least once in her life. If only I'd remembered to pack my hoop skirts and floral bonnet.

The chalets are a slice of old-world luxury with all the modern conveniences you could want, such as the flat-screen television on the wall opposite the four-poster bed and marble bathroom.

We probably should have selected Pride and Prejudice from the DVD library that night, but instead opt for The Godfather. There's something rather special about watching that mob classic amid such decadence and luxury, my belly full of fine food cooked for us in the manor house.

The next day, over a divine stinging-nettle risotto and a small glass of pinot at the peninsula's Montalto Vineyard and Olive Grove, I realise with a thud that we're only an hour from our destination, Melbourne.

If you go

Sydney Melbourne Touring: choose from three distinctive touring routes that traverse diverse terrain and take you into welcoming cities, towns and villages between Sydney and Melbourne.

Along the way, discover the many histories of the inland route, the mountain adventures of the alpine road, and the beauty of the beaches and scenic drive along the east coast.Visitsydneymelbournetouring.com.au

Crystal Creek Cottages, Kangaroo Valley, NSW, country-accommodation.com.au

Bimbimbi House, Bermagui, NSW, bimbimbihousebigfoot.com.au

Gipsy Point Lakeside, Gipsy Point, Victoria, gipsy.com.au

Chestnut Hill Bed and Breakfast, Swan Reach, Victoria, chestnuthill.com.au

Limosa Rise, luxury self-contained cottages overlooking Wilsons Promontory, Yanakie, Victoria, limosarise.com.au

Woodman Estate, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, woodmanestate.com

Montalto Vineyard and Olive Grove, Red Hill South, Victoria, montalto.com.au AAP

Tracey Ferrier was a guest of Sydney Melbourne Touring.

- © Fairfax NZ News