Editor’s letter
DOING A BIG LAP of this wide, brown (and ochre and taupe and green) land of ours used to conjure images of grey nomads or dreadlocked backpackers in repurposed delivery vans snaking their way around the edge of the country for months on end. But as the concept of road-tripping the country has become ever popular, so too the demographic of those undertaking it has morphed. Now you are likely to see twentysomethings working remotely from the road so as not to miss a beat on their career path, families who have decided that the school of the road is as good as any classroom for a time, and empty nesters who had bookmarked the journey until private school/university fees were finally done and dusted.
And, of course, the method has also adapted and morphed: while there are still those who do the entire journey around the country in one mammoth undertaking, others piece it together like a patchwork year after year. Some tick off the headlining destinations in order to create a dot pattern on their map instead of straight lines; then there are those who duck and weave their way around the country, ending up with Big Lap memories that encompass a lifetime of travel.
No matter how you approach it, we hope this issue supplies you with some new ideas on amazing destinations and awesome sights to add to your own Big Lap checklist, from South Australia’s fascinating (and delicious) Limestone Coast to the unexpected art of Western Australia’s Wheatbelt to the Great Ocean Road (on foot no less), and also provides helpful tips on the how, when and why of it all.
And if you need any more motivation to get out on the road, we’ve got a Big Lap essential prize pack up for grabs. Head to
australiantraveller.com/competitions for your chance to win the whole kit and caboodle (worth $3500) including seven days’ campervan rental, a hands-on 4WD course and a raft of clever tools and accessories, not to mention a 12-month subscription to Australian Traveller.
Drive (or walk) safe and enjoy!