You don’t need a 4x4 with low range and off-road tyres to start exploring Australia

Reading through this feature on the Bridle Track brought back plenty of memories and reminded me you don’t need to go heavy duty off-roading to have a great weekend away from the city.

Back when we were in Sydney, the Bridle Track was a regular route for testing new vehicles; and as we were driving more light-duty SUVs back then, this was the perfect location. The Bridle Track is a place you can enjoy in just about any car, without the need for low range or off-road tyres.

With an early start out of town we could do the drive in a day, including stopping for photography and checking out the sort of things we do when testing new cars. However, the track was always more enjoyable when we scheduled it as an overnighter and had more time to spend on it.

With so many great campsites along the river as you traverse the track, you are spoilt for choice when looking for a camp, especially if you’re out there mid-week when there are fewer people using it. We enjoyed plenty of great nights around a campfire there, extolling the virtues of whatever vehicles we were driving over a couple of coldies.

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Bridle Track, NSW

Now that we are based in Melbourne and the Victorian High Country is a comparable distance from us to what the Bridle Track was back then, we tend to head straight up there for its exciting tracks. The Alps also have plenty to offer for owners of soft-roaders; certainly plenty to give you a taste for the adventures on offer and make you think about getting a more capable 4x4 with more ground clearance and low range.

It doesn’t matter what you are driving, there are locations within cooee of all the capital cities that will offer you the chance to escape the rat race, enjoy some fresh air, cool off in a flowing river, and see some amazing sights.

Yes, we see the news stories and photographs of people attempting to take their soft-roaders to places they shouldn’t and failing, but with a bit of research and some common sense (yeah, I know) there’s a world out there to explore without getting into trouble.