Sydney is the gateway to Australia so it should come as no surprise that it receives the most tourists of the country. But there is an entire coastline just begging to be explored to the north of Sydney up to Brisbane and beyond. I’ve lived on the coast my whole life and have travelled up and down it too many times to count and the good thing is that I rarely see it overrun by tourists.
The coast is full of cities and towns, each a different size, each with its own quirks and character, and of course, each with multiple beaches. Beaches will be a common theme in this post so strap yourself in, I won’t be ignoring them just because they are everywhere!
Australia’s public transport system is notoriously shite (unless you’re in Melbourne) so the best way to explore the east coast is easily by car. Pick up your pre-arranged car rental in Sydney and drive up the coast.
It should take about 9 and a half hours to drive from Sydney to Brisbane, but by breaking it up into 1-2 hour blocks over a couple of weeks, you’ll see some of the best coastline and towns that NSW has to offer at a rather leisurely pace.
The NSW east coast is primed for camping, with national parks and holiday parks in great supply. This can be a really cheap way to travel if money is tight. Not to mention, camping is fun and gets you closer to nature than almost any other activity. Pick up some cheap gear on Facebook Marketplace and relist it immediately in the region you expect to finish in anticipation of passing it off to someone else.
I’ve picked out some of my favourite places along the east coast to help you know where to stop on your East Coast road trip but of course, you should always go where the moment takes you. Take the scenic route. Take a recommendation from a local. Pull over at a place you’ve never heard. And go have an adventure.
I’ve purposely not included a length of time you should take to make this journey. That’s because that is entirely up to you! Theoretically, each of these headings could be a day’s drive or less. But you could also easily spend 2-3 days at any of them so this could be a 5 day driving tour of the east coast or it could be a 4 week driving tour! You decide. This is simply the best places to visit on Australia’s east coast.
Here’s a snapshot of the my ideal Sydney to Brisbane road trip itinerary:
Stop 1: Hunter Valley Vineyards
Step 2: Newcastle
Stop 3: Port Stephens
Stop 4: Myall Lakes National Park
Stop 5: Port Macquarie
Step 6: Crescent Head
Stop 7: Coffs Harbour Byron Bay
Stop 8: Gold Coast
Sydney
I expect you probably spent about 3-4 days in the metropolis of Sydney. You had a lot of fun, ate a lot of good food and maybe partied a little too hard, so now it’s time to get out of the big smoke and relax the pace a little. Pick up your hire car and head north!
I have written loads on Sydney. Get it all here.
Hunter Valley Vineyards
Start your road trip right with a visit to wine country, just a two hour drive from Sydney. There are so many to choose from but a few of my favourites include Audrey Wilkinson for the incredible view of the rolling hills, Tamburlaine for their great selection of organic wines, and Usher Tinkler for the added benefit of their delicious meat and cheese platters. And if you like beer as well, check out Hope Estate, one of the biggest vineyards in the region and now (in my opinion) one of the best brewers in the country.
Newcastle
Newcastle is Australia’s second city, a coal city known for beaching a coal tanker in the wild storms of 2007, and was discovered in some pretty comical circumstances. I may be extremely biased, but I think it’s Australia’s most underrated city because of the completely laid back attitude (even by Australian standards), the incredible food and coffee scene, and is bafflingly untouched by tourists. But most of all I love that you can be in the CBD having a coffee or ice cream and a 5 minute walk will have you at the beach.
Newcastle is about 45 minutes from the Hunter Valley. And for more information, read my guide on what to do in Newcastle here.
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Port Stephens
Port Stephens is virtually untouched – even by Novocastrians who live on its doorstep. There are more beaches than you can poke a stick at, some on the coast, some on Port Stephens harbour – so you can pick if you want the water to be wavy or calm and filled with boats. Anna Bay is great for waves and Shoal Bay is nice and calm. Shoal Bay also has a great jetty for jumping and a fantastic (and short) walk up Tomaree Head with epic views over Fingal Bay and the whole region.
Port Stephens has plenty of adventure activities, with sand dune quad bike safaris, sandboarding tours, skydiving, and paintball. Or if you want something a little more chill you can take a whale watching cruise or visit Oak Vale Farm: a favourite with the kids!
Click here to find an activity that suits you.
Port Stephens is just under an hour from Newcastle. If you feel like a splurge, the Oaks Pacific Blue (in Salamander Bay) is an amazing place to stay. An infinity pool (by my definition) loops around the entire resort with most rooms opening out to the water, perfect for a quick summer swim.
Myall Lakes National Park
I’ve gone camping at Myall Lakes for more years than I can count. It’s a very well managed National Park with good facilities that don’t take anything away from the camping experience. Popular with Australians in summer months you can often hear the buzz of power boats and jet skis for most of the day.
Boomerang Beach has a great resort right on the beach called Moby’s; Korsmans Landing is a nice and open grassy area for your tent or campervan, Mungo Brush is well shaded on a calm lake, and Myall Shores (near Korsmans) offers basic accommodation by the lake.
Seal Rocks is another great option with cabins and a holiday park and Forster is a small town a little further north also popular for vacations with those from Sydney and Newcastle.
Myall Lakes is about 1.5-2 hours from Newcastle.
Port Macquarie
Another beach town, Port Macquarie is also the home of Australia’s Ironman triathlon championship each May. The city centres around the breakwall and Town Beach, with the Sundowner holiday park situated perfectly in between.
If you have an artistic streak you can paint the rocks on the breakwall. There are no rules here so find a crap or fading rock painting and go nuts on it. My friends and I painted one over 20 years ago and incredibly, it is still there! Just don’t be political, please. There’s no need to have an agenda.
Port Mac is as relaxing as it comes. It is small enough that everything is within walking distance but is big enough to support some cool places to eat and drink.
Port Macquarie is about 2 hours from Myall Lakes National Park.
Crescent Head
Crescent Head is a personal favourite of my family’s, we spend a week at Crescent Head every year. There is not a lot to do in Crescent Head but that’s what makes it perfect. It is well known as one of the best surf breaks in the country and the car park is always full of campers with surfboards.
The country club doubles as a 6 hole golf course: where its casual nature is matched only by its incredible scenery, as it snakes its way up the bluff where you must chip onto the green over a cliff. It’s really quite something, and down below is a perfect place to pick up some free second-hand balls!
The bakery makes Crescent Head worth stopping at all on its own. One of the last true bakeries with displays filled with delectable pastries, sweets, and pies. Visits become a daily habit that is hard to break back home.
Crescent Head is about an hour from Port Macquarie.
Watch my time-lapse video of Crescent Head below.
Coffs Harbour
Across Australia, Coffs Harbour is known as the home of the Big Banana. If you’re driving through and need a pit stop, the Banana is the undisputed number 1 choice for road trippers. Coffs Harbour is also about half way between Sydney and Brisbane so if you’re only doing the road trip over a day or two, it’s a an easy place to stop; right along the highway. You can’t miss it!
Obviously there’s more to Coffs Harbour though, with the Pet Porpoise Pool giving kids young and old an opportunity to interact with marine life, Korora Lookout offering spectacular views of the region, and of course, more beach.
If you like coffee, head to Supply, they do a great cold brew and a use great beans. And if walking is your thing, you can take a lovely walk out to Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve and/or Corambirra Point. In the image below, Muttonbird is the connected island on the left and Corambirra is the walkway that stretches out from the right.
View of Coffs from Sealy Lookout, on Flickr by Andrew Schaffer.
Optional Stop: Dorrigo National Park is just inland and is a great place to camp for the night.
Coffs Harbour is about 2 hours from Crescent Head.
Byron Bay
Byron Bay known as the hippie capital of Australia, the home of Stone and Wood (one of Australia’s largest independent brewers), and Splendour in the Grass (the biggest music festival in Australia, held in July).
Byron is a great place to enjoy the beach, entertain the idea of eating organic, and switch off in a completely laid back atmosphere. However, it’s pretty popular these days so in peak times (or even otherwise), be prepared for crowds.
On your way into or out of Byron, if you have the time I also highly recommend stopping in at Bangalow. Bangalow is small town that delights in everything that Byron does (good food, sustainability, boutiques) but does it on a small scale. There are some fun Saturday markets and a string of places along the main street for some incredible food. Woods does one of the best vegan breakfasts I’ve ever seen (and that’s coming from someone who LOVES meat) and Butcher Baker Bangalow does awesome pies, smashed avo, and cold brew coffee – perfect to takeaway on your road trip.
Byron is about 3 hours from Coffs.
Optional: break up the trip by stopping in Yamba on the way.
Gold Coast
If you thought the crowds were bad in Byron, you ain’t seen nothing yet. The Gold Coast is where Australians flock for your typical tropical beach and theme park vacation. (Brisbanites know this so they head north to the Sunshine Coast).
Surfer’s Paradise is the hub of the Gold Coast so I recommend staying a bit out at Burleigh Heads or even Coolangatta. You’ll still get the GC experience without the crowds. And besides, you have a car, you can always drive in to see what it’s all about.
Take in the view from the Skydeck at Q1, Australia’s tallest building. If you’re after some thrills, hit up the theme parks, or if nature is more your speed, visit the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary or the Glow Worm caves.
Take a detour to the Gold Coast Hinterland or Springbrook National Park, if you want to get more into nature before you get back into the cities.
Brisbane
After a week or two driving, you made it to Brisbane all the way from Sydney. There is plenty more to see up on the Queensland coast so, by all means, keep driving.
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I love the painted rocks! Super cool that yours is still there after 15 years! I need to visit Port Macquarie! <3
Hey Luke
You describe each place impressively, I feel like I have been there. I am going to share this post with my brother. He is planning to visit there.I am sure he will like it.
Luke, thank you for such impressive review! I wish you will be able to earn some money with your blog and to have more opportunities for travel. A am in the same boat. I live in Russia and do not have enough money to spend for my trips. Good luck. Write more!