Warrandyte – Jamieson – Mansfield Loop

A route that takes in mountain roads, pastural lands and several wonderful historical towns, including Warrandyte, Healesville, Mansfield and Yea. The best stretches of bitumen are "The Black Spur" between Healesville and Narbethong and The Eildon-Jamieson Road, although the latter may not be to everyone's taste. When driving this road, be prepared for very sharp (and often unsigned) bends and, if the weather has been poor, a large amount of road debris. This is a Targa Highcountry stage, but when I last drove it I had to stop in two places to pull fallen trees from the road and had to swerve to avoid large protrusions from the surrounding forest – not for the fainthearted. The road itself has a good surface, but it is very narrow and a large amount of tree litter squeezes it further. Steep drops are common. A place for lots of second and third gear shifting with heel-and-toe. Make sure to stop at the lookouts – the scenery is well worth the pause. Mansfield is a great place to have lunch – plenty of choices and a lovely town to wander around – and Yarck has a brilliant second hand bookshop and "The Giddy Goat" cafe, with an awesome vanilla slice. You can take a short detour to Alexandra on the way out or the way back. This is another beautiful Australian country town that few people seem to know about.