That said, my gut still tells me the Newell is better option and to give Sydney the widest berth as is possible. In a relaxing site amongst the gum trees, Bay and Bush Cottages has a series of cool unique accommodation options. . Given the choice again, I'd do 2 nights. Its 17hrs Mel to the GC. I'd consider doing it over 2 nights, three days but it all comes down to how you feel on long drives. Leaving Melbourne, the first station is 30km after Epping. Its about 1000 kilometres long and takes about 13 hours of driving. Most people probably do it in 11 hours assuming pennant hills road doesn't block them (because you probably don't want to stop in Sydney, it's expensive). Following the coast between the two-state capitals, the Pacific Highway (M1/A1 route) is not only the quickest way to drive between Brisbane and Sydney but arguably the more scenic option as well. RACV Melbourne to Sydney map, including strip maps detailing route and attractions along the Hume and Princes highways ($6 member price at RACV Retail Stores). You can also compare the travel time if you're flying or driving We drive up the Newell every year to (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Lots of motels (Ibis Dubbo is basic, cheap and clean). Tweet Explore Our Towns New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Off shore: Thousands of whales migrate along the NSW coast from May to November, with prime viewing spots at Eden and Jervis Bay. We will be driving Melbourne to Gold Coast late October. Its also home to the only Aboriginal-owned botanic gardens in the country. It was a multi-generational road trip, I was about 4 months pregnant and we were meeting my husbands parents on the Gold Coast, where we would all be staying in the same house. To get a free "taste" hit the visitor centre instead: http://taronga.org.au/taronga-western-plains-zoo/visitor-information/tips-and-advice/quick-zoo-visit/dont-have-much-time. Calories Bicycling 104.306 kcal Running 100.354 kcal Jogging 96.403 kcal CO2 Emission VS Trees Flight 362.3 kg (6074Trees) Gold Coast to Melbourne drive driving / 3 days Gold Coast to Melbourne road trip planner Here's a sample itinerary for a drive from Gold Coast to Melbourne. The shortest way to drive from Melbourne to Sydney is up the Hume Highway through Albury and Goulburn. If all you want to do is get between Melbourne and Sydney, then flying is both a cheaper and a faster option. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Take a quick flight from Melbourne to Brisbane, or take a worthwhile multi-day road trip. How to find the map from Melbourne to Gold Coast via Newell Highway, Gunnedah? See our review post of, Back on the road we passed the dog on the tuckerbox in Gundagai and drove through Glenrowan, sighting the large. Make sure you check road conditions to double check the weather. While its not in its original location, its now right next to the highway and a convenient stopping point during the trip. Built in 1985 and later moved to its current location, it is one of Australias many big things. After stopping by the Big Banana, we were going to have lunch at the harbour but it was extremely busy and we couldnt get a park. 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 are on a mission to get to your destination, pull off onto one of the many highway service stations. During your travel, you plan to visit the following-1) hume highway2) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. In fact, once you are on Sydneys motorway network, the speed limit only slows below 100km/h once around the La Trobe University campus at Wodonga, and there is only one set of traffic lights between the two cities. Alternative is to take Hume/Pacific and turn off just south of Coffs onto the Orara Way. This includes an average layover time of around 1h. We simply viewed The Big Banana and walked through the middle of it, which Fletcher thought was pretty cool. Now, though, there are less than 20 permanent residents. However, to get away from the regular road trip junk food procession there are a couple of nicer cafes in the same area. Nearby Merimbula also makes for a lovely rest. The bakery is open from 5:30am and its a great place to get some breakfast and a coffee to get you started in the morning. And, just before you get to Narooma, hop out at Tilba Tilba to explore this gorgeous heritage town. So why not check out this comprehensive guide that youll find handy if its your first trip to the city. There are fifty-one, 1 mitre high fibreglass koala sculptures dotted around the area. I was browsing the areas we would be driving through when a certain little person happened to look at the same time I opened the Hello Koalas webpage, so of course, we had to visit and see some up close. There are 24 hr fuel stations just out of Melbourne and Sydney where you can fill up to begin your trip. We then decided to get back in the car for a short drive to The Forest Sky Pier at The Sealy Lookout, located in Bruxner Park Flora Reserve, Orara East State Forest. Jump down to a particular day - or keep reading for my complete Melbourne to Sydney itinerary. Because of that, we normally take the Newel Highway. It is all motorway. 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. You can also try a different route while coming back by adding multiple destinations. Pacific Fair - Discount Theme Park Tickets - Anyone know. We wondered if we had made a terrible mistake but it all turned out fine and everyone had a fun holiday. On the way there we took the Pacific Highway with stops along the way and staying overnight twice. Keep right onto Hume Highway, M31 0h2mn. The main area in Wilsons Promontory is Tidal River, where youll find a shop and many of the camping sites (and a few other accommodation options). We've done this trip a few times over the years. Todays drive is just long enough that youll probably want to stop somewhere to break up the journey and have a rest. As a part of the Hume Highway, the road was signed as National Route 31 in 1954. . 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. Recently did Brisbane to Melbourne (via Falls Creek for a week) via the Newell, Then on the way back had to stop through sydney so did Melbourne > Sydney > Brisbane via the Hume/Pacific. Take your sweet time and break up the drive from Sydney to make the most of the scenery and the laidback pace of life along the New South Wales' south coast. So why not check out this comprehensive guide that youll find handy if its your first trip to the city. If you're going to stop early, then you might as well stop somewhere between the ACT and Sydney. Either way, its a pretty boring drive. Two lanes might be enough to keep the traffic moving, but get a moron who insists on cruising in the right lane without overtaking and the drive becomes a little testing. Overnight: We had booked a night in a 2 bedroom apartment at Beaches Holiday Resortwhich is opposite Flynns beach. Sovereign Hill History & heritage Strike it rich with a day out in 1850s Ballarat and pan for gold, ride in a horse-drawn carriage and relive the Eureka Rebellion with sound and light. In this road trip itinerary, the drive goes along the coast. we do this trip every 2 years and take the route you are about to we do Melbourne to Dubbo then Dubbo to Gold coast/Brissy :) both days around the 1,000 km mark each, we start at 5am when there is light and finish up around 430pm or when leaving vic whatever time the boat arrives from tassie LOL, Much nicer drive IMHO and you can call into "The Dish" WOO HOO :):). Australia. And catch the sunset at Whisky Bay, which is only a ten minute drive from Tidal River and really worth the effort. Continue onto Hume Highway, M31 0h3mn. Edit: Truck rigs will be longer than what you might be used to so don't overtake unless you are able to see literally kilometres ahead of you on a straight stretch and let them overtake if possible so you can relax a bit more. What really makes the town stand out is the HMAS Otway. For a one week stay, each couple paid aus$700 and we had the added bonus of a large living space, private pool and a kitchen to prepare meals. After leaving home, I drove for the first 5 hours. Down the side streets, the chocolate shop and the tea shop are both very popular. Tasman Highway Best Places To Stop Between Launceston and Hobart, Bruce Highway Best Places To Stop Between Townsville and Brisbane. Wander through national parks, see native wildlife, and cool off at white sandy beaches. stay overnight and leave the next day around 10:00 am, 10:00 am leave from Yass It was a fun activity for everyone and they were all so creatively individual, Fletcher absolutely loved seeing the different designs on each Koala. The region is famous for its oyster industry and your guide will take you around Pambula Lake to show you the oyster farms and explain the whole process. There are a few things to see in town, and the Redd Catt restaurant is nice for a meal or a coffee. Don't drive through Sydney. 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. With all of that in mind and based on my experience over the last several years, here are best places to stop along the Hume Highway when driving between Sydney and Melbourne. We crawled along with the traffic to get into town, spotting a couple of backpackers trying to hitchhike in the opposite direction. Don't go through Sydney. At its peak, thousands lived and worked here, but now there is a . Pretty manageable, especially if you enjoy the drive. To find the map from Melbourne to Gold Coast via Newell Highway, Gunnedah, start by entering start and end locations in calculator control and select the Show Map option. There are huge granite mountains, forest, beaches, and rocky outcrops. Newel Highway 2 days: If you choose to do the Newel Highway over two days stay at Dubbo or Narrabri. 3.7 km. There arent many stops along the way but youll probably want to get to todays destination of Croajingalong National Park early anyway, so you can make the most of your time. If you travel via (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Its incredible to think that most of the passages here were painstakingly cut away by hand. Quiet and laidback, you can hang at the beach or go cycling along the coast track, and then refresh with excellent dining options like the Whale Inn and the Quarterdeck. I like the long drives particularly when I know the alternative is being at work! Botanic Gardens, Albury Albury's Gardens might not be as unusual as the other stopping points on this list, but they are a great place to take a breather when driving the Hume Highway. Port Macquarie (5 answers) This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in Australia. An easy pull out for fuel and more coffee. If youre looking for somewhere to stop along the way, there are two good options. Other popular stops include Cape Byron Lighthouse Cafe, Sea World, and Fig Tree Lawn - Royal Botanic Garden. Imagine sailing on a lake one day, hanging out with kangaroos the next. A good place to stop on the drive from Melbourne to Wilsons Promontory is Meeniyan. Ive never gone the inland way, only the coastal way though. If you cant make it that far, for either fuel or caffeine dependancy related reasons, Suttons Forest has a Shell service station and McDonalds about 50ks closer to Sydney. There are many different areas to the fun park, such as ice skating, mini-golf, laser tag and a water park. If you're planning a road trip to Gold Coast, you can research locations to stop along the way. In this coastal route from Melbourne to Sydney, I am suggesting stops at Walhalla, Metung, Gipsy Point, Narooma, and Jervis Bay. It was a weekend and the place was packed. (I didn't down vote you). Don't forget about exploring your own hometown with a staycation. Or get a full Melbourne to Gold Coast flight plan. 10:00 am start in Melbournedrive for about 2 hours, 12:13 pm Benalla They go in convoys at 103 kph, and there's a lot of single lane. Http iframes are not shown in https pages in many major browsers. We drove uphill to the Cape Byron Lighthouse (note parking must be paid with cash) before leaving to meet Tims parents at our Gold Coast accommodation. My Dad bought Fletch a little Big Banana as well as a jar each of banana butter and banana Jam from the gift store. Coffs Harbour (7 answers) I've normally got 4x4, kids, and a caravan, 10+ hours in the car kills me. You can also find the flight distance or distance to fly from Melbourne to Gold Coast via hume highway, Melbourne. Many of the bushwalks inland from the coast will get you up close with some Australian wildlife (I saw some koalas on the track I took). For example, here are some questions people have asked about Gold Coast. It was built in 1964 to draw attention to a small roadside banana stall. Restaurants reservations by destination. Its definitely not one of Australias most scenic road trips, but there is certainly no shortage of places to stop as well as things to see and do. Accomodation in the hinterland in dark driveways? The drive from Melbourne to Canberra is 663km, mostly along the horribly dull Hume Highway. Theres also another interesting road trip route that goes even further inland, through cities like Shepparton, Junee and Bathurst. 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. You can head out to the island on a boat and watch them safely from deck or you can even jump in and swim with them, like I did. (4 answers), Melissa from asked:Favorites hikes and activities along the Gold Coast (1 answer). Dooragan National Park is about 40 km from Port Macquarie. You can also try a different route while coming back by adding multiple destinations. Don't know how my dad did it, driving 95% of the way himself. These roadside toilet stops were frequent in many areas. If you'd like to make a scenic slow tour of it go the Princes Highway over three days and two nights.