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Drive from Gold Coast to Sydney

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Drive from Gold Coast to Sydney

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Old Nov 2nd, 2008 | 11:12 PM
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Drive from Gold Coast to Sydney

I would like to seek some advice on planning my journey driving from Gold Coast to Sydney. How long is the journey. Where to stop over for a night if needed?
chayph is offline  
Old Nov 3rd, 2008 | 01:20 AM
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It's about 850kms and 12 hours driving via the Pacific Highway.
There are towns all along the highway with any number of accommodation options.

However, unless you're really keen on driving that distance, and have the time to enjoy the journey, I'd suggest you may be better to fly & use the time at your destination.

Do you have a good map of the East Coast?
Bokhara2 is offline  
Old Nov 3rd, 2008 | 02:11 AM
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A good haly-way place is Coff's Harbour. Enjoy some wonderfull seafood there.
lorikeet is offline  
Old Nov 3rd, 2008 | 02:22 AM
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It's a long tiring drive in one day but if you want to see something of the eastcoast countryside, taking a couple of days can make it quite pleasant, stopping off at any number of pleasant beachside villages along the way;
Byron Bay, Illuka or Yamba, Coffs Harbour(larger city) and for a stopover about halfway you could look at Nambucca Heads (Valla Park just before being on beach and some cabins there) or Southwest Rocks is a lovely spot and then in hinterland there's Belligen.

The highway is not right on the coast and you'll see the sea in only a very few locations, and therefore the inland New England highway is an option and you could take what is called the waterfall way - http://www.waterfallway.info/ from the coast up to Armidale for an overnight stop there.

You could then decide on either heading back down to the coast via Walcha and on towards Port Macquarie or on via Walcha to Gloucester and Stroud to head into Port Stephens, both ways being lovely country drives that connect you back to the Pacific Highway and a bypass of Newcastle, connecting to Newcastle to Sydney Expressway.

Alternately, the New England Highway can be followed all the way down to near Newcastle where you again connect with the Expressway, and there is also a back way along what is called the Putty road and brings you out at Windsor on the upper Hawkesbury River where NSW's oldest hotel(1825) is.

Obviously taking less than direct routes will add to the distance and time but not so greatly that you can still not make a great trip out of it in two days, three even better and stay a second night in Port Stephens area and then head up the Hunter Valley and across the Putty Road.

http://www.travelmate.com.au/MapMaker/MapMaker.asp will help you with planning.
Bushranger is offline  
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