Winston Reinboth has enjoyed taking trips on the open road since childhood. Now he is encouraging Aussies to explore the country on four wheels and provide a much-needed boost to the regions.
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The NSW resident is the driving force behind Go Drivin - a new free app which offers a range of mapped, curated road trips to travellers, encouraging them to venture off the beaten track for a taste of the real Australia.
"Australians have always had an association with cars and driving everywhere they go... there's this love affair with the car," he said.
For Winston, that love affair started in early childhood, when his family would go on regular road trips.
It was a tradition he continued into adulthood. As a young father, he was living in Noosa and would drive down to Adelaide with his wife and kids to visit the family each Christmas.
The drive would take two full days, but produced some unforgettable memories, such as driving through The Hay Plains in the NSW Riverina region.
"My wife would prepare lunch and the kids would always be on the lookout for emus - we were always bound to see them during the day," he said.
"Just the landscape... what we saw... what we did. We'd stop by river towns and things like that for coffee breaks... refueling, and you'd have a quick look around the place."
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Those explorations would always be fleeting, however, as they would have to get back on the road quickly to get to their destination as quickly as possible.
Go Drivin encourages travellers to not only stop by towns that are bypassed by the country's major highways, but to really explore them.
The app currently features 30 fully mapped routes, all of them in NSW.
Each road trip begins with a personalised introduction to each destination.
Other features of each trip include audio commentary to fully immerse the driver in the experience, turn by turn navigation, and the ability to customise each trip, with drivers able to choose from a wide range of points of interest to include in their itinerary.
The app is totally free to download. For Winston, who is fully retired, it is a passion project, but he also aims to provide a shot in the arm to Aussie towns that are in desperate need of a tourism boost.
"The way our highways go, you bypass these towns and don't know what you're missing. What we try to do is inspire people and give them a reason to visit those towns."
Winston and his a wife continue to enjoy road trips to this day as they map new routes for the app.
As someone who has travelled the country extensively, Winston said it was impossible to name a favourite route he has travelled over the years.
"Every place is so different. One of the things we do is keep an open mind as to what we're going to see or experience."
The app is still in development, and Winston is encouraging Aussies to download it, try out the maps and share their feedback. He is also interested in hearing from any community groups or organisations in NSW who would be interested in hearing a talk about the app.
The app is available for download via Google play. For more information visit www.godrivin.com.au or email info@godrivin.com.au.
