Alternately you can easily turn off at some of the big cities such as Albury- Wodongo or Gundagai. Hello Koalas is a fun and creative sculpture project in the Port Macquarie Hastings region, featuring of course koalas. stay for about 1 hour and leave at 1:13 pmdrive for about 3 hours, 4:02 pm Wagga Wagga The first option is Berry, an inland town full of heritage buildings and quaint stores and cafes. Edit: If you're travelling in summer, I suggest not going via the Newell. Down the side streets, the chocolate shop and the tea shop are both very popular. Keep right onto Hume Highway, M31 0h2mn. Check, (29 hrs
Entry is also astronomical, tickets are valid for two days, which I guess is how they justify it. Even if you can slog out long drives, your car might not be so sturdy. Rob, you don't go through (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Today it is much more than a roadside attraction, it is part of The Big Banana Fun Park. We wondered if we had made a terrible mistake but it all turned out fine and everyone had a fun holiday. If youd like to get more information to help plan your trip to and around AustraliaCheck out the rest of my blog posts. 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. Earlier this year, at the start of March, we drove from Melbourne to the Gold Coast. Make sure you check road conditions to double check the weather. Approximately 1000 kms, about 12 hours. Guides and resources. Two very solid days of driving. The final stretch of highway, past the Royal National Park, will be quite fast and there are no convenient places to stop, without doing a detour. 4. For the purposes of this, let's assume we're travelling north, doing the Melbourne to Sydney drive. There are many different areas to the fun park, such as ice skating, mini-golf, laser tag and a water park. Trip planners by destination. It's technically quicker to go from Melbourne to GC via Sydney but you can lose any savings simply because Sydney can be shit. I'm moving to the GC and taking my car and everything with me. Katoomba (11 answers) Driving Melbourne to Sydney is long and somewhat boring. to each other and sharing tips and advice. We didnt get to see anywhere near all 51, but we did track down the one he wanted to see the most, that koala painted like a tiger, which was located at a KFC at a service centre along with a few others. Set amongst bushland but with easy access to the beach, the Shady Gully Caravan Park has cabins that can sleep up to six. Click on any question to see answers from the community! Click to view full size! The view from the top is spectacular and you can look out over most of The Prom. A little under 900km each day. A dusty corner on the internet where you can chew the fat about Australia and Australians. Going deep inside an old gold mine one afternoon and then hiking along the coast by morning. Pacific Highway used to be a goat track many years ago and downright dangerous in many sections. 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. If you're planning a road trip to Melbourne, you can research locations to stop along the way. After leaving home, I drove for the first 5 hours. They also have a second outlet at the Caltex Service station near the second Hume Highway (heading southbound) exit to Holbrook. FAQ => What 5 star hotels are on the Gold Coast? Yes, all in the one (in-adequately sized) car. Don't go through Sydney. Great busy work! Newel Highway 2 days: If you choose to do the Newel Highway over two days stay at Dubbo or Narrabri. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Fishing and boating are some of the most popular activities and a local company in Metung called Riviera Nautic offers a couple of options, including a leisurely cruise around the lakes. Leaving Melbourne, the first station is 30km after Epping. Would routinely do family trips to Sunshine coast from melbourne every 2 years. Australia. 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. Although its a small town, there are quite a few places to stay in Walhalla and they all come with a little bit of history. Youll find fuel stops along the Hume at least every 50 to 100 km. If anything, avoid being around the central coast heading south on a Sunday afternoon, because that'll be more drama than NorthConnex/M7 likely will. I drove Brisbane to Melbourne in 24 hours, back in 1994, stopping once in the middle of the night on the side of the road. it's roughly 9 hours to Sydney from Melbs. 54.7 km. The drive time each day is also quite short in this itinerary, and thats intentional. Driving from Melbourne- Newell or Pacific motorway, Re: Driving from Melbourne- Newell or Pacific motorway, Get answers to your questions about Gold Coast. Just keep in mind that the Long Track Pantry is closed on Tuesdays. Ive got more details here about things to do in Thirroul. Todays drive is one of the prettiest of the whole trip, with lush Australian bush along both sides of the road for most of the way, as you cut through national parks and state forests. The mighty Hume Highway is a vital part of Australia's transport infrastructure and has been so (in one form or another) since 1817. While on the Wodonga side Twin City Motor Inn and Stagecoach Motel are both great options to get back on the Hume Highway quickly to continue your road trip. These roadside toilet stops were frequent in many areas. Are you spending some time in Melbourne? At this end of the trip, it probably goes without saying, but you are probably going to stop into Melbourne. Expect a road trip driving time of just over seven hours. Disclaimer: links in this post are an affiliate. Now that its 110kmh most of the way I'm assuming it will be a lot better run. My personal recommendation is Trappers Bakery directly across the road from the Big Merino. Is Coast road as quick and which town would you recommend overnighting in for a 1 night stop. There's never any shortage of fast food places in towns along the way, and if you get sick of that there's always Chinese takeaway or pizza. Pacific Highway used to be a goat track many years ago and downright dangerous in many sections. The front was located at the end of the street. Ive got more details in my story about things to do in Jervis Bay. Drive time: about 3.5 hours. See our review post of Luna Park Melbourne or if you are visiting in winter read our snow play near Melbourne post. The total drive time was around 21 hours each way. I would suggest trying to extend for a night or two, though, and spend a whole day in at least one of the stops perhaps Metung, Mallacoota, or Jervis Bay. I can only remember him ever getting one ticket out of about 10 trips there and back. With large clean rooms, the Top of the Town Motor Inn also has a fantastic location right in the heart of all the action. swimming with the seals at Montague Island, Coastal itinerary for a Melbourne to Sydney drive. Manage Settings You could also hike up to the top of Mount Oberon. Zoo is a bit more problematic. more. Back on the road we passed the dog on the tuckerbox in Gundagai and drove through Glenrowan, sighting the large Ned Kelly Statue. The main street is lined with gorgeous buildings and there are plenty of boutique shops with local produce or collections of homewares. Take the second Goulburn exit off the Hume Hwy (heading southbound) to find the Big Merino. Away from the main town, the luxurious villas of Gipsy Point Lakeside offer views across the water and kangaroos grazing on the grass in front. So why not check out this comprehensive guide that youll find handy if its your first trip to the city. Just to be clear, the shortest route is via the Hume to (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Cost Go! Disclaimer: links in this post are an affiliate. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-109307612', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Sydney, the circle of M-roads around its western outskirts, and then the M1 (Pacific Hwy) north to the Gold Coast. After passing along the edge of the (soon to be renamed) Ben Boyd National Park, youll hit the first of the coastal towns, Eden. Stop every few hours and stretch your legs and if you feel tired, take naps. If you are limited for time or just aren't interested in seeing anything along the way, then the Hume highway is the best option. You could just power through until the end, but there are still some wonderful things to see along this stretch. Youll even be able to taste a few of the local fresh oysters in a beautiful natural surrounding. The flight will take only an hour and, even with transport to and from the airport, its probably only about a two hour trip, compared to nine hours of driving. Then continue on to spend the afternoon . drive for about 3.5 hours, 1:27 pm Katoomba To find the map for the shortest distance from Melbourne to Gold Coast via Newell Highway, Gunnedah, please enter the source and destination and then select the shortest option in the MODE dropdown. Which beach to stay in Gold Coast with an injury? Blue Mountains National Park (6 mentions) Roughly two hours drive south of Sydney, the Big Merino is the first big thing on the drive down to Melbourne. Accomodation in the hinterland in dark driveways? It's technically quicker to go from Melbourne to GC via Sydney but you can lose any savings simply because Sydney can be shit. If you're going to stop early, then you might as well stop somewhere between the ACT and Sydney. Check our. Stay overnight somewhere between Orbost and Eden the first night, and between Newcastle and Taree the second night. There are fifty-one, 1 mitre high fibreglass koala sculptures dotted around the area. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Notes: Stripmaps of Australia showing routes across states and territories along major highways such as Calder Highway, Princes Highway, Western Highway, Newell Highway, Hume Highway, Olympic Highway, Pacific Highway, New England Highway, Stuart Highway, Eyre Highway, and Bruce Highway. Make sure you check road conditions If you need a meal or a coffee, make sure you check outMoos at Meeniyan, which does some of the best food in town. It was a weekend and the place was packed.