Riding in beauty ... the Great Southern Touring Route drive encompasses the Great Ocean Road

EXPERIENCE the liberation and the exhilaration of the open road as we give you the state's ultimate road adventures:

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GREAT SOUTHERN TOURING ROUTE

This drive encompasses our great cities, and Great Ocean Road.

From Melbourne, the 777km circular sealed route heads straight for the state's next largest waterfront city, Geelong.

From there, it's fun in the sun when the route heads south to seaside orquay for big wave action and Norfolk pines. This is the official start of the Great Ocean Road, and perhaps the unofficial point for the nation's surfing capital.

More beach pursuits and fishing follow in little Lorne and Apollo Bay. The route then heads inland through Otway National Park for lush rainforest.

Buffeting winds and seas have helped shaped the dramatic cliff landscape between Princetown and Port Campbell, including the great limestone stacks off the coast, Twelve Apostles. Fairy penguins waddle below.

Indulge the historic fishing village of Port Fairy, before leaving the Great Ocean Road, back towards the big smoke, but via the Grampians National Park for wildflowers, waterfalls and more rock formations.

And yet, you still have to experience the gold rush of the 1800s via Ballarat and Sovereign Hill.

With such beauty and diversity, and quality of preservation, the Great Southern Touring Route is easily one of the world's greatest drives.

More: Visit the Visit Victoria touring routes

THE GREAT ALPINE ROAD

From the gateway of the state's major ski fields, this 308km sealed road heads south-east from Wangaratta to the flowering Gippsland city of Bairnsdale.

If you can push aside robust red wines and gourmet food, this trip is about delicious alpine scenery.

OK, then. Permission granted to stop at cellar doors at Milawa for the purpose of staple fuel - cheese and wine. But provided you burn it off on a walk in Mount Buffalo National Park admiring cascading waterfalls and views of the Alps.

The handsome gaol in Beechworth is where Ned Kelly served time as a teenager, in 1870. The historic town has a wonderful collection of well-preserved buildings, many of them sandstone.

At the foothills of the Alps is the drop-dead gorgeous town of Bright, backgrounded by countryside, and forests of pine and eucalyptus. Myriads of colour are provided by pioneer-era planted trees such as elms, poplars, chestnuts and oaks. Autumn is divine.

Within the valleys are access points to snowfields and lookouts to drink in mountain views.

The route descends into forests of snow gum towards the white-water rafting town of Omeo, before levelling out to farming plains. Celebrate the completion with fine wines collected along the way.

YOUR SAY: Tell us your best Victoria drives below

TOURING THE MURRAY

The "Mighty Murray", Australia's largest river acts as a natural border between Victoria and NSW. Touring the Murray, a 657km sealed route, which traces it from the banks of the picturesque city of Wodonga, the largest settlement along the river, to Mildura, citrus fruit heaven.

From Wodonga, the route firstly loops east to discover Corryong, the town that commemorates Horseman extraordinaire, Jack Riley , immortalised in Banjo Paterson's famous big poem of 1890, 'The Man From Snowy River'. The local boy now lies in a little cemetery on a hill.

Heading west, the beautiful wine region of Rutherglen appears, with cellar doors aplenty. And later, Yarrawonga offers up its enormous lake for fishing and boating.

The twin townships of Echuca and Moama - once paddle steamer central with the world's largest fleet, gloriously captures a bygone era. Take a ride on one of the historic vessels and soak it up. Red gum trees line the river and startlingly protrude from it.

Before the arrival of the railways in the 1850s, the Mighty Murray was the country's mighty inland highway.

Enjoy our pioneer history at Swan Hill. In fact, toast important Australian history along the entire route.

SYDNEY TO MELBOURNE COASTAL DRIVE

There comes a time when the sparkle of the emerald city, Sydney, lures us north. This 1160km sealed drive is also one of the state's best drives.

While it might be tempting to bypass Wilsons Promontory, you would miss the bushland delight of mainland Australia's southernmost coastal point. One of Victoria' favourite playground is where eucalyptus meets rainforest.

Lakes Entrance, 'an oldie but a goodie' holiday spot, joins the ocean and lakes. The fabulous unspoilt Ninety Mile Beach seems endless; much longer than its namesake.

Further along, the granite headlands and secluded beaches of Croajingolong National Park form a UNSECO recognised refuge, home to 300 bird species and 1,000 native plants. Add bats, possums, owls, hawks and seals.

Over the border, it's fishing towns and villages. Eden with its deep harbour is one of the nation's whale watching capitals.

Further north, The National Trust villages of Tilba arrive, a collection of colourful timber houses and stores, including a classic general store. Cafes are perfectly placed.

Prepare yourself for more forests and beaches - hundreds and hundreds of kilometres. By then you will have arrived in Sydney with a tanned face. So Sydney, you'll fit right in.

YOUR SAY: Tell us your best Victoria drives below

CAPITAL & COUNTRY TOURING ROUTE

It is time to hit the nation's capital. Woo-hoo! Excited yet? How about if we add wine to the mix, or perhaps a spa?

This is another epic trip from Melbourne to Sydney, 1090 km, but this sealed route highlights the treasure-trove villages and towns through the goldfields. And there is that wine too, of course.

From Melbourne, it is straight to country towns Macedon, Kyneton and Woodend, for antique hunting, and boutique wine hunting. Nearby Daylesford is at the heart of spa country.

The famously eerie Hanging Rock, which featured in the 1975 film, is at Woodend. Wineries adorn the ranges.

Maldon is a National Trust village with streetscapes of stone cottages and shop fronts with wide verandas of corrugated iron roof. The surrounding countryside boasts more wineries and cellar doors.

The town of Castlemaine is grand and ornate, while Bendigo, the big gun of gold towns, is Victorian splendour. And there's Shiraz in them hills.

The route then heads into paddle steamer territory for the twin townships of Echuca and Moama, tracing the river to the fertile lands of Rutherglen wine region. From Wodonga, it's into NSW, where Canberra beckons. Sydney shouts from afar...

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