Would like to know if one can comfortably drive from Cairns to the Hunter Valley region in 5 days. We enjoy car travel so don't mind longer days on the road with stops for lunch and stretching our legs. We would probably be on the road no later than 8:00 in the morning and stop for the night by late afternoon. Thanks

looking at a couple of distance calculators - http://www.australianexplorer.com/driving_distances.htm
and
http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/rulesregul...tancecalc.html

distance appears to be between 2400-2800 for Cairns - Sydney. minus approx 100 for hunter valley I suppose.

you could definitely do it in 5 days. Some people might give you some ideas as to good spots to stop - you may be better to do one long day then have a day off mid-way perhaps to break up the one night tops. Also, if you wanted to spend more time in QLD, you could go inland through NSW on the New England Highway which probably won't be as slow as going down the coast and would give a bit of variation to the trip.

DJE, I hope you like seeing plenty of highway bitumen, because with only 5 days, thats probably all you will see.
Will you have relief drivers in the vehicle with you. We have drivers who fall to sleep, and either drive off the road, or into another oncoming vehicle.
It is doable, but with only 5 days, you will drive past attractions or coastal scenery, where you would love to stay longer, but can't.
Look up what Pat or LizF have said about driving from Cairns sosuth towards Sydney.
My first trip to Cairns, consisted of flying to Cairns, having a week in the area, renting a car & driving slowly south to Mackay, then flying back to Sydney (my previous home)

Thank you for your replies,

Yes I know it will involve a lot of driving without much time to stop except for overnights in hotel/motels, however we have driven the section between Brisbane and Sydney about 8 yrs. ago on our first trek to Australia, so it's not essential that we have to do a lot of sightseeing this time around.

I just couldn't recall how many days it took us to travel that portion of the coast and I do know that Cairns is a lot further north.

The main focus for our visit to Queensland is to explore the Great Barrier Reef and Rainforest areas and we have allowed ourselves enough time to leisiurely enjoy the sights etc.

I'd allow 1.5 - 2 days for bris - HV. you can do it in one, but it's a looooooong day.

if you did the coast way last time, then i'd say go inland route. if you wanted to stay a bit further than halfway but not in the bigger places, nundle (approx 45 min east of Tamworth) from might be a good option. http://www.nundle.info/nundle

syd - bris via pacific hwy: 982 km
syd - bris via New England: 1047 km

Still, while doable, it begs the question: Why? Five days of seeing nothing but bitumen and dust, road houses, and the occasional scenic glimpse zipping past - would your precious vacation time not be better spent with a budget flight on day 1 followed by four days of doing and seeing stuff?

Jetstar or Virgin Blue or - on a good day - Qantas? Or - further south - www.REX.com.au?

WallyKringen,

Thank you for your comments.

We do enjoy travel by car and have not seen the section between Cairns and Brisbane previously and assume there must be more than just a lot of dust and bitumen to see. We may also see about doing some of this travel by inland sections as suggested by lancefan.

We have roughly 30 days set aside for our time in Australia so plan to see and do a lot within that time frame, however our main focus is to see the GBR and raintree areas, as we have crisscrossed this wonderful country extensively on 2 previous trips. Each time involved at least 5 weeks of travel.

Yes it can be done, but not comfortably and if any delays could become dangerous if time recovery is essential. Not only to yourself but to others. Not allowing anough time on such a journey is irresponsible unless you are willing to arrive late.

There was an accident on the Gold Coast Highway that created a 5 hours wait for those trapped on the freeway. They could not even go anywhere at at all, just sit and wait. Delays along that stretch seem to be becoming more frequent.

So no it cannot be done comfortably.

DJE is the best judge of their tolerance for long drives, and she obviously knows Australian conditions. Myself, I wouldn't enjoy a trip like that. Cairns-Newcastle is 2250 km, which is an average of 450 km per day -say 500 with a few digressions, or 6 hours' actual driving time per day give or take.

We just did a road trip in NW USA and W Canada, and I made sure that no single leg would be more than about 500 km, most being in the 300-400 km range; and that we'd have a fair number of two-night stays to allow us to rest up and poke around the area. As everyone knows, the American road system is pretty good, often with the option of a 65/75 mph (in practice, 75/85 mph) interstate if you're in a hurry.

With all of that, we found that driving a series of even 300-500 km distances began to have a cumulatively tiring effect, and eventually I think this started to produce a somewhat jaded feeling. Maybe we're just getting too old for this stuff, DJE, but I personally wouldn't find that trip too comfortable.

DJE, have driven this route more times than I care to count, usually both ways, but only when I've had to, usually for family reasons. Its a bummer in that short time, everytime I find myself doing it I'm spitting and wishing I had at least two weeks, one way. Most of the Bruce Hwy(Qld) is boring and Pacific Hwy (or inland routes) in NSW are only better because they're a bit shorter. You keep seeing signs to so many attractive places which are well off the highway and you just don't have time. And its far more expensive than flying these days, fuel costs are up and motels, even in country towns, such as Gin Gin, Qld, are not cheap. Between Cairns and Brisbane, there is only one motorway which starts at Nambour not far north of Brisbane - the rest is just two lanes (one each way), with intermittent overtaking areas.

Am wondering how long you're thinking of giving Cairns area, not suggesting just Cairns for a minute but there's a good two or three weeks easily spent around FNQ, especially as you obviously don't mind a bit of driving.

Thank you all. After reading your additional suggestions and comments we are considering cutting the road portion by either driving from Cairns to Brisbane and then flying to Sydney or fly from Cairns to B. and then do the section to SYD. by road.

As stated earlier we have driven the Brisbane to SYD section a number of years ago but have not done the other trek by car. I'm assuming that the Cairns to Brisbane jaunt will have less traffic etc. than the other route further south. It's been about 8 yrs. since doing the eastern coastal drive and I gather that things have changed considerably with heavier traffic etc.

Not heavier traffic DJE but far more slow going caravans, poorer roads, less interesting scenery, and due to an extreme boom in central QLD a lack of easy to acquire accommoation at reasonable rates.

If you do the Cairns-Brissy drive do book ahead because in some areas acommodation is at critical shortage due to mining boom. Trying to locate a room can easily add another hour or two to your day.

The worst part is Mackay to Rocky so plan to do this very quickly. Very boring, and tiring.

If you want any recs along the way just ask, and happy travels.