Alternative is to take Hume/Pacific and turn off just south of Coffs onto the Orara Way. Zoo is a bit more problematic. Want to see something really unusual? Purchasing through them earns us a small commission and costs you no extra. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-109307163', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Gold coast from Melbourne but think we should give the coast road a go now it's improved so much. Just a few minutes from the beach, Horizon Apartments has modern self-contained units of different sizes. Best of all you can sit down on the terrace and see the Spider Monkeys and Lemurs on the Savannah Lake. The old Hume Highway route, also known as Sydney Road (State Route 55), takes you all the way into the city. stay for about 1 hour and leave at 1:13 pmdrive for about 3 hours, 4:02 pm Wagga Wagga Easy to do in 2 days, i would try and get past sydney the first day and stop at a little motel somewhere, ive stopped at Tiaro before and then you dont have to deal with shit morning sydney traffic the next day. Get the reverse directions for a Every second night there's a new report of break-ins etc. United States of America The Ultimate Guide For First Time Visitors, New Zealand The Ultimate Guide For First Time Visitors, Great Ocean Road & Princes Highway Best Places To Stop Between Adelaide and Melbourne, Guide to Traveling to Melbourne for the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix, Guide to Travelling to Mount Panorama for the Bathurst 1000 or Bathurst 12 Hour. The delays through Liverpool in peak hours can be managed. The train is relatively basic, though, and certainly not the standard you find with high-speed trains in Europe or Japan. Have done overnighters at Goulburn, Campbelltown, Newcastle on the first night. By far preferred the Hume route. You can read my story about the Pambula oyster tour. Two days solid days isnt too hard. Newell has minimal passing lanes and less bypasses. Edit: If you're travelling in summer, I suggest not going via the Newell. Are you spending some time in Melbourne? Kangaroos are the main wild life and can cause some serious damage. Where to find dinosaur footprints in Broome best place, The most amazing Broome Horizontal Falls Day Trip full review, Best Budget Broome itinerary unique things to do in Broome, Ultimate Broome to Darwin Tour find out what to expect, Visiting Etosha National Park, Namibia- a love of wildlife, Camping Baw Baw NP- Crossing the Thompson Dam. The largest town in Greater Hume Shire, and one of the most richly diverse rural districts in New South Wales, Holbrook is a favourite stop for most highway travellers for two reasons: the towering decommissioned Australian submarine HMAS Otway, along with a model of the British submarine HMS B11 - and the mighty Holbrook Hotel. Although I think the quieter community of Gipsy Point is actually a nicer place to stay, if youre looking for something less busy. Now, though, there are less than 20 permanent residents. The view from the top is spectacular and you can look out over most of The Prom. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The Koala image is one that fits the region well as it has a large involvement in the animals habitation and conservation, with a Koala hospital located in Port Macquarie. Ulladulla also has good food options but if youre looking for somewhere to eat around there, I would actually suggest continuing on to Milk Haus near Milton, where youll find a converted farmhouse with excellent coffee and meals. My mum would drive for about an hour in the first afternoon while he had a nap. Day 1 9:00 am start in Albury drive for about 1.5 hours 10:38 am Wagga Wagga stay for about 1 hour and leave at 11:38 am drive for about 2.5 hours 2:15 pm Goulburn stay for about 1 hour and leave at 3:15 pm drive for about 2 hours 5:15 pm Blue Mountains stay for about 1 hour and leave at 6:15 pm drive for about 3 hours 9:29 pm Forster Report inappropriate content Beach8um Bald Knob, Australia Destination Expert There are 2 routes generally suggested. I did it this way because there are going to be plenty of beaches and water from now on, and a little bit of Gold Rush heritage is important when youre visiting Victoria. Moree is a very long way to drive in one day, and IMHO it is a bit of a hole. Ive done it a couple of times when Ive had to travel between the two cities during obscure hours. Map from Melbourne to Gold Coast via Newell Highway, Gunnedah Total Driving Distance Travelled is 1746 Km Driving Distance 1746 Driving Time 19 hrs 36 mins Flight Distance 1345 Flight Time 2 hrs 10 mins Directions Go! In total, this coastal route between Melbourne and Sydney is 1200 kilometres long and will take a total of about 15 hours driving. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. stay for about 1 hour and leave at 1:10 pmdrive for about 2.5 hours, 3:47 pm Ballina (Australia) The Jervis Bay accommodation is quite spread out, although theres a lot around Huskisson and Vincentia. Without any diversions, Sydney CBD to Melbourne CBD its 877 kilometres. I'd consider doing it over 2 nights, three days but it all comes down to how you feel on long drives. Stretching more than 800 kilometres, the Hume Highway is the fastest transport route between Sydney and Melbourne. Answer 1 of 5: Hi next week we are driving from Melbourne to Gold Coast and wanted some feed back as to which is the best route to take. Melbourne Attractions absolutely for free. In this coastal route from Melbourne to Sydney, I am suggesting stops at Walhalla, Metung, Gipsy Point, Narooma, and Jervis Bay. Just definitely don't stop in Moree when you go via the Newell, lol. As you can see on the map above, theres lots of ground to cover. Route: Sydney to Melbourne via the Hume Highway Highlights: Goulburn, Big Merino, Gundagai, Albury and Glenrowan. Want to plan the trip back? Things have changed a lot. 24 mins), (7 hrs Transfer times and cost guide (to Gold Coast beach locations) Taxi and rideshare: $55-$70 to Surfers Paradise - 22 mins. Daily drive times average around 3 hours per day. Dooragan National Park is about 40 km from Port Macquarie. The back was on the waterfront with a beach area and jetty part of the property. Although the Wave Oasis B&B is set up like a guesthouse, each small apartment is self-contained and feels quiet and private. Coffs Harbour (7 answers) You could just power through until the end, but there are still some wonderful things to see along this stretch. Less than 9 hours of driving for both. For me Google maps says cann river to Canberra then take the Hume to Sydney and then up the coast to gold coast, a total of 18 hours. You can relax on the sand or go hiking for hours (or even days). We was me, my husband, our almost 3-year-old son and my parents. Down the side streets, the chocolate shop and the tea shop are both very popular. if the cheapest flight available is more than $150, then it might start to be cheaper to drive in one day. Thank you for supporting us. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Overnight: we stayed in a 2 bedroom apartment near the sea atSmugglers on the beach. My map says 1698km via the newell and 1713km via the Hume and pacific hwy. My preference is Hume Highway to Seymour, Newell Highway to Coonabarabran or Dubbo, then via Tamworth, Armidale, Grafton, Casino and Lismore to the Gold Coast. Thats a massive drive and in those days (70's) we didn't have much to occupy us except counting Mac vs Kenworth trucks. If it's older, RACV membership would be a good investment. According to local Aboriginal legend, North Brother Mountain is the resting place of Dooragan, the youngest of three brothers. I think you should go up the pacific hwy at least once and see what the difference in travel time is compared to the newell. because there's an entire community of travelers talking Find out more about me here: Ned Kellys Last Stand at the Glenrowan Tourist Centre. Alternately you can easily turn off at some of the big cities such as Albury- Wodongo or Gundagai. There were way more rest stops than fuel stops. While I often fly between the two cities, there have many times that have required me to drive, so Ive racked up my fair share of kilometres on the Hume Highway (also referred to at the M31) driving between the two. Speed cameras, speed traps and highway patrol are all reasons to stick to the speed limit of 110 km. If you need a meal or a coffee, make sure you check outMoos at Meeniyan, which does some of the best food in town. I'd stop at Goulburn, and Nambucca Heads. Built in 1985 and later moved to its current location, it is one of Australias many big things. We will be driving Melbourne to Gold Coast late October. However dont fret if you do need to stop, for petrol or food. Other popular stops include Cape Byron Lighthouse Cafe, Sea World, and Fig Tree Lawn - Royal Botanic Garden. Its one of the most interesting natural locations in Australia but, for some reason, gets a limited number of tourists. Maps and address locations of Electric Cars & Vehicles Charge Stations throughout Australia - find your nearest public and car charging stations Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. If you're planning a road trip to Gold Coast, you can research locations to stop along the way. Pacific Highway used to be a goat track many years ago and downright dangerous in many sections. We also took some smaller country roads which are difficult to drive on and stay alert. If you are limited for time or just arent interested in seeing anything along the way, then the Hume highway is the best option. Please read this post for details. Todays destination is Walhalla, an old gold mining town that was one of the richest places in Australia in the late 1880s. Road trips by destination. Some towns have fuel stations that you will find without getting lost or diverted too far. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-109307805', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Sydney anymore. It was a fun activity for everyone and they were all so creatively individual, Fletcher absolutely loved seeing the different designs on each Koala. I would drive GC to Maitland, or if you have some energy left, Gosford, on Day 1, to Albury on Day 2, and get to Melbourne on Day 3. Still, you can continue to follow the A28/A22 route where the old Hume Highway continues under a number of different road names (including Liverpool Road and the Camden Valley Way) until it joins up with the Great Western Highway (Parramatta Road) in the Sydney suburb of Ashfield.While in Melbourne, the motorway section of the Hume Highway links up to the M80 (also known as the Metropolitan Ring Road). Brisbane Qld - Melbourne VIC Road Maps & Driving Directions of National Highways in Australia via Hume, Newell, Gore & Warrego Highways. Put your cruise control on if there is no traffic in front of you and you'll be less tempted to plant the foot, same deal with the inevitable roadworks and driving at 100/110 km/h in general. We've done this trip a few times over the years. A short little detour off the Hume Highway, this little town features a history of Australian Naval Submarining that you can find out all about when you get there. I cant recommend an audio book more than for a long drive. Make sure you check road conditions to double check the weather. It is about 880 km from Melbourne to (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? 1-day Sydney to Melbourne Hume Highway itinerary Day 1 Distance: 887km Drive time: 9 hours 15 minutes Sydney to Melbourne Start in Sydney early to make the most of your day and drive to Goulburn, Australia's first inland city. Off shore: Thousands of whales migrate along the NSW coast from May to November, with prime viewing spots at Eden and Jervis Bay. With motels, just pick whatever looks nice to you. Rhys Vandersyde | August 11, 2022March 27, 2021. Those keen on Ski-ing or snowboarding in winter (June - August) can exit the highway after only 2 hours and head east for another hour to Mt Buller. Enjoy! Approximately another 2 hours down the Hume Highway is another one of those token stops along the drive down to Melbourne. The top stops along the way from Brisbane to Melbourne (with short detours) are Sydney Opera House, Bondi to Coogee Walk, and Surfers Paradise Beach. Required fields are marked *. Do you want a map that gives you the probable stopping points and halfway point of your journey? If you just want to get there as quickly as you can, go via (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? But if you are looking for the best custard tart that youve ever had, and a really good coffee, then a bit further down the road through Holbrook is the Holbrook Bakery. Michael Turtle is the founder of Travel Australia Today and has been a journalist for 20 years. I live on the Tweed Coast, just south of the Gold Coast and regularly drive to and from Melbourne as my kids and grand-daughter are down there.