The Great Ocean Road in Victoria has been named as Australia’s favourite winter road trip, according to insurance company Rollin’.

Using a range of metrics to gauge the level of interest and appreciation that each of 22 chosen locations received, the company discovered that Australians are most searching the Great Ocean Road for their next winter road trip.

A 243km stretch of heaven starting in Torquay, Victoria, the Great Ocean Road racks up 196,600 winter monthly searches within Australia – or 19 per cent of total searches. It has also earned over 33 million TikTok posts and just over 1.8 million Instagram posts. That data, according to Rollin’, highlights that even when temperatures drop, travellers can’t get enough of the winding coastal views, seaside towns and iconic sites.

Great Ocean Road, Victoria

In second place was the Great Beach Drive, which stretches from Noosa to Hervey Bay in Queensland. While this route has a lower volume of winter monthly searches, 26 per cent of its searches occur in winter. It has clocked up 20,347 TikTok posts and 622,400 Instagram posts.

Rounding out the top three is the Gibb River Road in Western Australia, which pulled a solid 95,400 winter monthly searches in Australia.

Brendan Griffiths, Executive Manager at Rollin’ commented: “Australia is home to some truly
incredible road trips. But, before you hit the road, remember to prepare your car ahead of time.

“Check your tyres, top up your fluids and pack an emergency kit. Plan your breaks, remembering to stop for at least 15 minutes every two hours. It’s a good idea to double-check that your car insurance is up to date, especially if you’re planning to share the driving, make sure everyone is covered. A quick review now can help keep your road trip smooth and stress-free.”

Great Barrier Reef Drive (queensland.com)

Other findings from Rollin’s research found that the Great Ocean Road is the most scenic road trip in Australia, and the most loved road trip as well. But Tasmania’s Western Wilds was the highest-rated road trip, with an impressive 4.80-star average Google rating, just ahead of the Great Eastern Drive (4.79) and Grand Pacific Drive (4.78).

Top 10 most loved Australian winter road trips:

  • Great Ocean Road, Victoria: 77/100
  • Great Beach Drive, Queensland: 63.9/100
  • Gibb River Road, Western Australia: 58.2/100
  • Red Centre Way, Northern Territory: 55.4/100
  • Great Barrier Reef Drive, Queensland: 54.5/100
  • Grand Pacific Drive, New South Wales: 53.1/100
  • Epicurean Way, South Australia: 52.4/100
  • Cairns to Cape York, Queensland: 50.1/100
  • Explorers Way, Northern Territory and South Australia: 47.2/100
  • Great Eastern Drive, Tasmania: 46.2/100

The full findings from Rollin’s analysing is available here.