What makes a good drive?

I don't often post about driving.

It's not just that this is meant to be a boating blog (no sniggering at the back there) but living in London has put me off cars. Roads here are congested and slow, with one way miseries and the hellish tortures of the South Circular, and all they seem to do is generate noise and pollution.

And London is not as bad as Beijing, where the traffic was grim indeed.

It was only in places like Scotland that cars can be pleasant, and maybe that's why Top Gear seems to shoot up there so often.

But even Scotland has nothing on the Australian State of Victoria's C roads.

Mile after mile of good roads, with enough straight bits to get some speed up with enough corners and dips to be interesting. Farmlands and national parks on either side, and an avenue of Eucalyptus to guide you right, but most importantly, hardly any other cars.

You'd fly along with nothing ahead or in the rear mirror, just empty road. After twenty minutes you realise this isn't a one off but is going to continue for another twenty minutes - even another hour.

So forget the Great Ocean Road, which winds so slowly between rock cliffs and perilous drops down to the sea, and head inland for a really good drive.