Road trip with better kicks than Route 66
AN international motor vehicle finance specialist has ranked a Far North drive as the world’s best road trip.
United Kingdom’s Moneybarn analysed more than 50 road trips and collected data on seven factors including affordability, safety and tourism.
The 111km scenic drive from Cairns to Cape Tribulation was the top ranking road trip ahead of global favourites such as the Great Ocean Road, which came sixth, and America’s Route 66, which ranked 32nd.
“For each factor the data was standardised to give a score and the average score determined the overall rank,” a spokeswoman for Moneybarn said.
“The Queensland road trip scored well across all factors to bag the top spot coming first for points of interest, having 52 points of interest per mile, 12th for tourism safety and 17th for campervan hire.
“Two other Aussie road trips failed to make the top 10, with the Great Alpine Road in Victoria 16th and Alice Springs to Darwin ranked at 38th.”
A Tourism Tropical North Queensland spokeswoman said with a driving time of two hours and 40 minutes, the oneway drive could be experienced in a day.
“However, a five-day itinerary allows visitors to more fully explore the beaches, villages, rainforest, unique wildlife and indigenous culture of Tropical North Queensland, as well as the colourful corals and marine life of the Reef,” she said.
“Key experiences on a daylong drive include the seaside cafes and restaurants of Palm Cove, the Rex and Alexandra lookouts with spectacular views of the Coral Sea and islands, the indigenous culture and beautiful rainforest of Mossman Gorge, Four-Mile Beach at Port Douglas and the beaches and rainforests around Cape Tribulation.”
The Moneybarn ranking comes after a campaign targeting high-value German travellers sold almost two-and-ahalf times more flights into Queensland than expected.
The initiative represented the first time the seven regional tourism organisations along the Great Barrier Reef had joined together to increase visitation to the Reef.
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