Why I prefer the RV roads less travelled

COMMENT

I love towing long distances, but have a dislike of major highways because they're disengaging. I prefer the less-travelled ‘B’ roads that use more interesting, undulating roads through smaller towns.

Because they are less travelled, there’s less traffic and you see much more roadside wildlife and meet more interesting people when you refuel or take a break.

Sometimes these roads are in part unsealed, which adds to their attraction, but is no barrier to the semi off-road caravans that most Australians are currently buying.

And, if you find yourself in between towns at nightfall, there are plenty of attractive free-camping spots, which again plays to the strength of today’s touring 'vans with their ample water, solar and battery storage.

These ‘Roads Less Travelled’ are often quicker than the main routes, as the distance between towns is usually longer and there are fewer 50km/h town zones to navigate, so your average travelling speed can be higher, even if the actual distance is sometime longer.

You also get better towing fuel consumption on such roads because you are travelling at a constant speed.

As an example, we will soon be heading to Queensland’s Cooktown from my Gold Coast base, towing an 18ft 6in, 2424kg tare weight Sunseeker Mirage Sport behind a 2021 Toyota Fortuner.

But instead of following the boring and often treacherous Bruce Highway up the coast, we will travel inland to Roma, then turn right off the Warrego Highway at Morven to Augathella, travel to Barcaldine, continue north through Muttaburra to Hughenden, take the partially unsealed Kennedy Development Road to The Oasis Roadhouse, then continue across the Atherton Tableland via Mareeba and Lakeland.

Lots of varied scenery, roads and wildlife, little traffic and some great places along the route to explore.

These include the inkspot town of Augathella, which boasts the longest continuous string of bras in the world beside the road, which makes locals easy to spot!

From here you have the choice of heading north up the Landsborough Highway to Blackall and Barcaldine (pronounced bar-cool-din), or going cross-country to the appealing little town of Ilfracombe, where you should allow time to explore its fascinating ‘Machinery Mile’  and Heritage Machinery –  a wonderful display of rare and unusual machinery almost all collected within a 160km radius of the town.

You can then continue along the Landsborough to the well-visited towns of Longreach and Winton with their Qantas and Banjo Patterson origins and museums, with a necessary excursion to the Dinosaur Trail, with the ‘Age of Dinosaurs’ located just out of Winton housing the world’s largest collection of Australia’s largest dinosaur fossils.

But we digress. If you are heading for Cairns, Port Douglas or Cooktown, take the Kennedy Development Road out of Winton and follow it through Hughenden, filling your tank at The Oasis  Roadhouse Road.

Continuing north, you should turn left after 98km onto the Savannah Way (Gulf Development Road) where you will soon come across the Undara Volcanic Nature Park, which is well worth an overnight stop at its rustic caravan park with it 38 powered sites.

The park protects one of the longest lava tube cave systems in the world, formed about 190,000 years ago when a large volcano erupted violently, spewing molten lava over the surrounding landscape, with essential guided tours to help you make the most of your visit.

Moving on across the Tableland, you pass through some great highland towns from Ravenshoe, each offering short trips to the coast if you miss the ocean or want to explore Mission Beach and its beachside caravan park for a glimpse of its illusive Cassowaries.

Personally, we love Port Douglas, which is small enough that you can cover by foot while having enough restaurants and bars to keep you out of the three caravan parks for most of the day. 

The most spectacular way to get there is via the coastal drive out of Cairns, but you can follow the Tableland Road through to Mount Malloy, enjoy the free-camp there, before heading down the hill via Mossman and its excellent Gorge Walk.

Then, if you want to head to Cooktown, as we’ll be doing, you can car ferry across the Daintree River, pass Cape Tribulation and continue up the unsealed and undulating via the Bloomfield Track and the historic Lions Head Hotel and its adjacent camping ground at Helenvale, before continuing to Cooktown, confident that you have seen some of the best of tropical North Queensland.

Or, you can simply take the crowded Bruce Highway all the way to Cairns, be frustrated by the interminable roadworks, terrorised by big trucks, eat Big Macs and be bored spitless. It’s your choice!