From The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, December 2008

Rainforest and reef

The Great Tropical Drive, Queensland (8 days)

Take one part rainforest, one part Outback, add a bit of Great Barrier Reef – and you’ve got a tantalising taster of this exhilarating week-long drive through eternally sunny north Queensland.

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Hiring a 4WD opens up the unsealed coastal roads – Bloomfield Track, towards Cooktown, in the north, is particularly breathtaking – but the ‘regular’ roads are just as spectacular, so you’re guaranteed ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ aplenty, as the landscape switches from one beautiful extreme to another.

Your adventure begins in Cairns, the unofficial regional capital: here the fashionable reef resort of Port Douglas seems almost designed to waylay you. Book a table at Sassi, the restaurant at Asian-inspired Peppers Balé (00 61 7 4084 3000, www.peppers.com.au): here, Italian-born Tony Sassi works wonders with seasonal local produce.

Next up, the thick, atmospheric Daintree Rainforest, home to a menagerie of fearsome creatures including saltwater crocodiles; then the dramatic headland of Cape Tribulation, where the Pacific Ocean slides magnificently into view: a swim in its glassy waters is a must.

Returning south, golden savannahs and grazing lands take over until you reach the mining town of Charters Towers. Wildlife-lovers flock to Mareeba Tropical Savannah and Wetland Reserve, to be at one with nature on foot or by boat – guides will point out those chattery kookaburras and bouncing kangaroos. You can overnight here in safari-style tents or eco-cabins overlooking Clancy’s Lagoon at Jabiru Safari Lodge (00 61 7 4093 2514, www.jabirusafarilodge.com.au; doubles from £35).

Where the road rejoins the coast at Townsville, prepare to be blown away by one mesmerising swathe of beach after another; stretches are utterly deserted. Then come the more established resorts: at Mission Beach, for instance, there’s The Elandra (00 61 7 4068 8154, www.elandraresorts.com; doubles from £100), a boutique hotel with dashes of boho chic. Still not had enough excitement? Pass by Tully River, the wettest place in Australia: it’s whitewater-rafting Nirvana.

Epic journey

Across the Nullarbor, South and West Australia (16 days)

This is the definitive Down-Under driving escapade. The road unwraps around savage cliffs, poster-pretty surf beaches, glimpses of whales and what Aussies call the ‘great wide open’. It’s the sheer emptiness of the Nullarbor plain that makes this 2,000km drive so awe-inducing. But with petrol stations up to 200km apart, you’ll need a reliable vehicle, basic spare parts and a good supply of water.

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