Regional tourism offers a bush bash in the lap of luxury

This is the year of the road trip with many more Australians – 64 per cent – aiming to hit the tarmac than they currently do. That’s according to a new YouGov survey commissioned by Toyota, so Travel Weekly decided to take a look in the rear vision mirror to a recent long weekend where we headed bush.

Most of us born before the millennium fondly remember long trips in the car where we had to keep ourselves occupied, sans device, in the hot vinyl backseat of the sedan or station wagon playing “I spy…” as mum or dad navigated via a paper map or massive book of maps in the front seat. While many of those ancient road trips are probably recalled with rose-coloured glasses, they are still hard to beat, especially when you know they support our regional tourism destinations.

While both the vehicles and technology have also long moved on, the new survey reveals that Aussies are, in fact, looking for a more peaceful and pared-back holiday with more than nine out of 10 – or 95 per cent – wanting to disconnect and get back to their roots. The survey found nearly half (48 per cent) of Aussies feel that over the past 12 months they have spent too much of their time in front of a screen (i.e. computer, TV, smart phone/ device, etc.) and over two in five (44 per cent) say they have regularly felt stressed beyond normal levels (e.g. work, family, financial, health stresses, etc.).

So we decided to test out the theory. First up was the vehicle, a LandCruiser Prado Altitude, ‘Tanami Taupe’ in colour, with no vinyl bench seat or paper map in sight, but a big digital screen and soft black leather in a spacious interior with the high ride offering a view of those below and their admiring glances and arms out the window taking photos with their phones. It certainly is an attention grabber, the boxier styling and retro colour an homage to the original LandCruiser.

In fact, so good were its looks that we were stopped several times over the long weekend, offered admiring nods and being congratulated on our sweet albeit borrowed ride, teen son riding shotgun and mum settled in the back, and this dad proudly behind the wheel. NSW and Victorian residents are more likely than SA residents to cite family road trips (52 per cent and 54 per cent respectively compared to 38 per cent) as among the best childhood memories they’ve had and hopefully this is one for our 16-year-old.

When thinking back to their childhood holiday memories, the survey had half of Aussies remembering that family road trips are some of the best memories they’ve had, hopefully that remains the same with our teen who wanted his picture taken with the Prado. When thinking back to their childhood holiday memories, half of Aussies also say that family road trips are some of the best memories they’ve had.

As we are based in NSW, we headed a few hours north-west of Sydney, mostly on the congested M1, and passed through Gloucester before taking a turn-off a few minutes out of town on the road to The Steps Barrington Campground where we able to get the wheels dirty.

The survey also found that 42 per cent wanted to fall asleep to sounds of nature and, in our case, it was the babbling Barrington River. A third of those surveyed wanted to watch the sunrise from a remote location, too, which certainly fitted in our case.

Other childhood holiday memories include stargazing (28 per cent) and enjoying the best pies in regional Australia (24 per cent), roasting marshmallows around the fire (23 percent), which we bought but failed to get a fire started and finding hidden swimming holes (20 per cent), and while it is not quite hidden, there is no better way to meditate the meaning of life than rafting down a river.

While there was some initial concern about fuel efficiency, we were pleased to find the hybrid diesel averaging 9L/100kmh. That helped with a 2.5-hour trip along the Thunderbolts Way, a winding road through undulating farm landscapes, towering gums and deep valleys.

While, according to the survey, the best pies are apparently best appreciated in regional Australia, we chose a coffee stop and a snoop through a warehouse of antiques at The Big Black Building in Walcha before heading further north to The Bolt Inn in Uralla for lunch.

Host Peter Strelitz lays on a great spread at The Bolt and our table of eight lingered over a long lunch of lamb shoulder, chicken and fish before the teenagers in the group piled into desserts. Positioned outside the pub, the Prado looked right at home. But all good things come to an end, as we headed back to the Campground.

To push the Prado a bit further we took it on a loop through Barrington East Road where it took the tight turns and several weirs with ease but given we had to give it back, we left some of the more challenging routes to others.

Too soon it was time to head back to town and despite please of “Can we keep it?” the Prado was returned in one piece, slightly dirtier but otherwise none the worse for wear.