Romantic drives ... Great Ocean Road in Victoria

CALLING all lovers, it's time to warm up your wheels and start your engines - the DriveNow team has asked me to suggest some of the most romantic drives in Australia for starcrossed lovers.

Forget the caravan of love, our focus is the campervan of love and you needn't worry about forking out for a costly mobile love machine with wheels as you can hire a camper for a steal on the DriveNow website. Click up a pick-up and drop-off deal from Melbourne and you are all set for the first of our Romantic Drives series in 2010 - Great Ocean Road. Without further adieu, pop a rose in your front grill and hit the Princes Freeway and Bellarine Highway to make your way to the charming township of Queenscliff.

There's nothing like a bit of coastal road cruising to kick-start your journey along the Great Ocean Road, which is possibly Australia's most romantic scenic route. But make be sure to stop off at Queenscliff as a starting point for a day and night spent absorbing the spoils and sights of this historic township. Meander around town and check out grand Victorian-era buildings, great pubs, an ice creamery and if you happen to be there in the last week of November you just may catch the legendary Queenscliff Music Festival.

From there, you'll be all loved up and ready to let your camper hug the coastline and enter little hamlets townships in surfer territory, particularly Barwon Heads, Ocean Grove, Torquay (where Great Ocean Rd officially starts and what is home to some iconic surf shops and famous surfing hot spot Bells Beach) and it's well worth setting up camp in Anglesea for a stop over to enjoy the spoils of a superb beach and an amazing 35km surf coast walk. The drive from Queenscliff to Anglesea is a leisurely 1hr and 15 minute drive (with no stops).

The last stretch of this romantic itinerary recommendation is to set off early after check-out from Anglesea and take in Airey's Inlet for an hour or two (beautiful lighthouse to explore and great fish'n'chips for lunch) before heading to Lorne for a stay for multiple days. It takes about 45 minutes to reach Lorne from Anglesea without any stops.

Lorne is a tourism hotspot very popular in the warmer months but don't just stick to the perimeter of the township - explore yonder and discover amazing waterfalls and rainforest in the Otways, or dart off in your car to nearby Wye River (check out the amazing pub on the hill overlooking the ocean!) and Apollo Bay.

Fresh sea breezes, quaint little hamlets, top beaches, seaside restaurants, lovely holiday parks to set up camp, interesting shops to wander through ... why wouldn't you choose a romantic weekend or week away along Great Ocean Rd?

AUSTIN BONHAM

Scott Podmore

Award-winning writer, editor, photographer, videographer and owner of October Grey Media. Specialising in travel and lifestyle content and a full member of the Australian Society of Travel Writers. Has contributed regular content for the NewsCorp stable of newspapers and magazines, TravelTalk mag, The Departure Lounge and many more publications in Australia and internationally. Follow on Twitter & instragram #scottpodmore

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