Driving advice from Sydney airport to points south?
 

We're thinking about going directly from landing in Sydney to the south coast. Our flight gets in on a Wed. (Oct. 3) at 0615 and by the time we get out of customs, etc. it will be rush hour, we are figuring. Would we be hitting traffic from the airport to the south or is most of the traffic elsewhere? Is there a better place to go for renting a car than the airport? I remember a post a while back that mentioned Wooloongong, but I didn't know if it was easy to get there from the airport or not. Please advise.

BTW, we did rent a car the last time (in 2004) and drove with excellent directions (from Alan or Neil, I forget, but someone nice on this forum!)to the Blue Mountains. Then back into Sydney a few days later at 6:00 pm into Darling Harbor area, so I know traffic driving can be done, but we would rather avoid it right off the plane. We will be coming back for a few days in Sydney so would need a place to drop off the car and take public transportation into the city if we rented the car away from the airport.

Thanks for advice--and we'd love to meet any Fodorites that are in the area. That goes for "internationals" on their adventures as well as Aussies!! I will post an itinerary as soon as we get the details ironed out.

Sally in Seattle

Sally, getting into a car straight off your flight isn't ideal, but I don't know that any of the alternatives are any better when they involve dragging your bags on and off suburban/ interurban trains. And I don't know if there's a car rental agency close to the Wollonging railway station, for that matter.

The Princes Highway, which runs down through Sutherland Shire, Wollongong and points further south, is just a stone's throw from the international terminal. It will involve maybe 45 minutes (?) of driving through suburbia in non-freeway conditions (typically 2 lanes in each direction, with traffic lights) before you strike the motorway to Wollongong, after which it's pretty much plain sailing. I haven't driven down that way for several years, so I'm not reliable as regards traffic volume, but the positive is that most of the traffic should be going in the other direction (to the city) at that time.

In your position I'd consult the rental car people for advice and maps. You'll pass plenty of suburban shopping centres, so I'd be inclined to take an early break for a good strong espresso. I believe there's now a very impressive cliff drive along the edge of the Royal National Park, which would require a diversion, but I think would be worth the trouble.

Sydneysiders should be able to weigh in with more detailed advice.

PS: from memory the Wollongong motorway is a toll road - may be in one direction only. Whatever, it would be best to hit an airport ATM for some cash before setting out.

No tolls on Wollongong road now.

Leaving the airport and heading south at about 7am shouldn't be a problem (although the jetlag and driving left issues should be taken into account.)

I'd second the stopoping for breaks thing, too. If you're tired that road can be a tad boring (and I drive it about once a month) - and boredom can lead to accidents at speed. Not a great start to holidays.

Driving through the national park, and along the coast road may be more interesting. Where are you heading for?

Thanks for the info, Neil and Margo. My husband Randy relishes the left hand driving and can't wait! Jet lag should be OK since we are flying first class (woohoo--now let's pray that Qantas still honors partner FF miles!!) and we are planning to take it slowly (so the coast road sounds good, at least for part of the way) down to Narooma, maybe taking a hike to let the sun shine on our faces to reset our internal clocks (hoping the sun will shine that day) and enjoying being in Australia after our long wait and planning. Any advice on good stopping places (especially to see animals or Aboriginal sites) would be greatly appreciated. We are going to Narooma for the whale watching and penguins, the low key towns and the nice people we are sure to meet along the way.
Sally in Seattle

Sally, you're not planning to make Narooma on your first day, are you?

Dear Neil,well, we were. I thought from other posts it was about a 4 to 5 hour drive. Is that not do-able in a day? Thanks for the reality check if it isn't.
Sally in Seattle

Well, it's do-able, Sally, and 5 hours is probably about right, but you won't have time to smell the roses, so to speak. It sounds rushed and tiring, especially if you're a bit jetlagged to begin with, and you'll have no time to explore any of the nice places en route. It depends how tight your itinerary is, of course, but if you have some wiggle room two days would be far better. An overnight in the pristine Jervis Bay area (at Huskisson, say) in particular would be an excellent idea, and that's a detour off the highway. It's also worhwhile to take a lunch break in Batemans Bay -take a left immediately after crossing the bridge over the river, park in the public parking area only 200 metres along on your left and try the adjoining fish-and-chips place, which is right on the river. (The local Clyde River oysters are very good too.) The road is OK, but much of it is only 2 lanes, i.e. one in each direction.

Hi...We've done this drive from the airport south two times; once straight off the plane from the US and more recently after flying in from Darwin.

When we did the drive after flying from the US my husband, who usually drives, did not want to drive straight off the plane but I really wanted to get to our destination which was the Sydney suburb of Cronulla. So I did the driving, which worked out OK though it was a bit nervewracking. The traffic wasn't too bad and we only made a couple of wrong turns and then figured it out. I was pretty proud of myself after this drive!

However, Cronulla is only about an hour's drive and I would not have wanted to drive much further. We were very happy to get there and stop. This last time we flew first class and though we flew straight on to Cairns I can say that you will still be really tired and disoriented when you first arrive in Australia. So I second the idea of driving south to get mostly out of the city but then stopping overnight. (Cronulla is a nice little seaside town, nice beaches, some excellent restaurants and we've stayed several times at a great B&B there called Seabreeze http://www.seabreezebnb.com.au/ )

Anyway, driving after the flight can be done and it wasn't too bad, but take it easy.

Neil and Lyn, thanks for the advice and ideas of where to stop. We'll think about it and plan our itinerary with this new information. We did drive right off the plane last time from Sydney to Jenolan Caves with stops at the Three Sisters and the town near there. That last drive down to the caves area was quite hairy, but jetlag had nothing to do with it! I get jetlaggy, but Randy is full of energy no matter what, so we might be OK.
Sally in Seattle

There are a few different ways straight from the airport. The easiest way, I think, would be to go left from to the highway and follow it down to Kirrawee when there will be a turn bypassing Sutherland. Keep a sharp eye out for Wollongong signage until you clear the city.

Engadine maybe the easiest place to stop for a coffee enroute, especially as the hard bit of getting out of the city is over and done with. Turn into Station Street (across from railway) straight from the highway and there is about 4 coffee shops all in a row near the Post Office.

There can be a lot of traffic at tha time around the airport itself going everyway which way which way but once on the highway it should be clear sailing.

You can turn left at the Symbio exit at Waterfall and stop for a while to see animals but only if in the mood, probably no animals you have not seen before. Continue on tis road until you get to the scenic coastal drive and follow through to Wollongong.

Once back on the highway some nice rest stops are at Kiama and Berry, neither time consuming.

If time permits take a turn where you may see signs to heads or beaches, some lovely secluded beaches when the highway is cose to the shore.

Near Narooma, enroute to Bermagui is an aboriginal cultural centre but on the trip the aboriginal sites are well hidden in the Royal National Park.

Narooma is beautiful and a lot to do in the area.

The best other option is get a train to Nowra and rent a car from there. For this option I recommend a cab to Hurstville Station.

Excellent suggestions from all, but as you're heading south through a large number of very pretty towns and coastal scenery - take your time if you can. Kiama, Gerringong and Berry are delightful. Before you get to Batemans Bay detour left to Pebbly Beach which is where you will see wallabies frolicking on the beach - quite wonderful. There is no particular reason to visit industrial Wollongong but the road above the escarpment offers great views of the city and its beaches. Slightly further south near Nowra and inland to Kangaroo Valley the escarpment is breathtaking. Have fun in this lovely part of the country.