Great Alpine Road Australia - Lotus Drivers Road -1
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:42 amI reckon we are damn lucky here in Northeast of Victoria. One of the best lotus driving
roads in Australia is right on our doorstep. The Great Alpine road begins in Wangaratta
and ends at Bairnsdale, some 307 KM of driving pleasure, they say it takes an ordinary
driver (Read tourist) about 4 1/2 hours to complete the journey... the keen lotus elan
driver will do it in less than 3hrs 20mins without upsetting anybody unduly, but if you
stop at Mt Hotham, Dinner Plain, or maybe Omeo for a coffee, then ad a bit of extra time.
The Great Alpine Road from Wangaratta to Bright follows the picturesque Ovens Valley,
after you pass through the pretty village of Bright, you arrive at Harrietville, the fun
begins with the ascent up Mt Hotham, if you live in OZ and you ski during the winter
you would know the road well, but in the summer months, the road is alive with tourists,
performance car drivers, and blokes wringing the necks of their big road bikes....
watch your rear view mirrors. To really enjoy the drive, it is best to start very early
in the morning when there are few other cars or bikes on the road.
The Mt Hotham sector has very tight, twisty bends, just the thing for the elan, it
also has some nice short stretches for overtaking if required, the alpine scenery, if
you are game to look, is stunning.
The descent from Mt Hotham down to Dinner Plain, Cobungra Station, then Omeo has a
series of long sweeping bends, not much throttle required, just enjoy the crackle and
pop of the exhaust on the over run.
From Omeo, the road is easy driving, time to relax before you hit the lower reaches
of the Tambo River Valley, this section is a great drive also, twisty, winding, third and
second gear corners, but watch out for the grey Nomads driving their mobile chicanes
(Cumbersome four wheel drives towing caravans, or tootling along in their Winnebago's)
But you can overtake them pretty easily.
Naturally, the warmer months are an ideal time to experience the Great Alpine drive,
but it is not unusual to be met with heavy white out fog conditions on Mt Hotham,
even in the middle of summer. The road is periodically closed during winter due to
heavy snow falls.
If you live in other parts of Oz and you lack exciting roads to drive, then come to the
north east alpine country, and if you live overseas and you're planning on visiting
Australia in the near future, grab a hire car and do the drive if you can, you'll love it.
See attachment for more road detail.
Col
roads in Australia is right on our doorstep. The Great Alpine road begins in Wangaratta
and ends at Bairnsdale, some 307 KM of driving pleasure, they say it takes an ordinary
driver (Read tourist) about 4 1/2 hours to complete the journey... the keen lotus elan
driver will do it in less than 3hrs 20mins without upsetting anybody unduly, but if you
stop at Mt Hotham, Dinner Plain, or maybe Omeo for a coffee, then ad a bit of extra time.
The Great Alpine Road from Wangaratta to Bright follows the picturesque Ovens Valley,
after you pass through the pretty village of Bright, you arrive at Harrietville, the fun
begins with the ascent up Mt Hotham, if you live in OZ and you ski during the winter
you would know the road well, but in the summer months, the road is alive with tourists,
performance car drivers, and blokes wringing the necks of their big road bikes....
watch your rear view mirrors. To really enjoy the drive, it is best to start very early
in the morning when there are few other cars or bikes on the road.
The Mt Hotham sector has very tight, twisty bends, just the thing for the elan, it
also has some nice short stretches for overtaking if required, the alpine scenery, if
you are game to look, is stunning.
The descent from Mt Hotham down to Dinner Plain, Cobungra Station, then Omeo has a
series of long sweeping bends, not much throttle required, just enjoy the crackle and
pop of the exhaust on the over run.
From Omeo, the road is easy driving, time to relax before you hit the lower reaches
of the Tambo River Valley, this section is a great drive also, twisty, winding, third and
second gear corners, but watch out for the grey Nomads driving their mobile chicanes
(Cumbersome four wheel drives towing caravans, or tootling along in their Winnebago's)
But you can overtake them pretty easily.
Naturally, the warmer months are an ideal time to experience the Great Alpine drive,
but it is not unusual to be met with heavy white out fog conditions on Mt Hotham,
even in the middle of summer. The road is periodically closed during winter due to
heavy snow falls.
If you live in other parts of Oz and you lack exciting roads to drive, then come to the
north east alpine country, and if you live overseas and you're planning on visiting
Australia in the near future, grab a hire car and do the drive if you can, you'll love it.
See attachment for more road detail.
Col