NSW: Your Ultimate Road Trip Guide
No matter the route you choose to pick, travelling up the NSW coast, along the famous East Coast of Australia, ticks all the boxes! From surfer towns, glistening sea with (if you visit at the right time) dolphins and whales jumping and frolicking before your eyes, independent boutiques, and an abundance of the eatery’s waiting to be devoured. It’s easy to see why this Australia road trip is high on travellers’ bucket lists. If you’re a Sydney-sider or just visiting this road trip will not leave you disappointed.
Have a read of our guide to see how we found travelling the East coast of Australia, on our ultimate Australia road trip. Plus, our epic Australia east coast itinerary, is not to be missed!
If you are heading to Sydney and looking for the Top 11 Most Instagramable Spots In Sydney then you can read all about these here.
How much does a road trip along the East Coast of Australia cost?
In total, our 13 nights cost us $2,565 plus spending money. Note that this was during 2021 so the cost might be higher now. This included staying in budget accommodation; motels, private hostel rooms etc., car hire for the entire trip and a full day wine tasting trip with Two fat blokes in Hunter Valley (which no Australia east coast tour is complete without). By far, the best wine tour on Australia’s East Coast.
The full route we chose along the East Coast of Australia:
Sydney – Newcastle – Port Macquarie – Byron Bay – Coffs Harbour – Hunter Valley – Port Stephens – Sydney
Our travel route in NSW
2 nights – Newcastle
Sydney to Newcastle 2 h 12 min 162.9 km
We set off early from Downtown Sydney to start our NSW road trip, first starting with Newcastle. Newcastle is the second most populated area in NSW and a beautiful city surrounded by surfing beaches and quirky restaurants.
What to see in Newcastle, NSW
There’s plenty to see here to fill a whole weekend, including:
- Take a morning stroll along Newcastle break wall past Nobby lighthouse
- Visit Bogey Hole. If it’s the right time be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of whales and dolphins swimming past
- Enjoy a bag of chips overlooking Newcastle Beach
2 nights – Port Macquarie
Newcastle to Port Macquarie 1 h 54 min 154 km
Leaving Newcastle early on the third day, we set off towards our second place; Port Macquarie. A beautiful little surf town we instantly fell in love with. With the sun shining and a stunning view in front of us, we first headed to ‘Beach House’ a sunny bar overlooking the water.
What to see in Port Macquarie
Port Macquarie is a sleepy little surf town. It’s packed full of a mixture of independent shops and a few chain ones, a wide range of restaurants and bars and beautiful scenic walks. If you come during whale watching season then this is a great place to do a whale tour from. But, if you’re here any other time of the year there is plenty more to do including:
- A rainforest canopy walk
- Meet the native fluffy bears at the Koala Hospital
- Our favourite spot is; lighthouse beach
4 nights – Byron Bay
Port Macquarie to Byron Bay 4 h 26 min 385.2 km
Our favourite place and the spot we stayed the longest Byron Bay!
The small town is located on the Northern coast of the Australian state of New South Wales. An idyllic coastal town, where hippies live alongside surfers and the locals prefer an independent vegan burger joint to the golden arches of McDonald’s.
The town is a magnet for Australians and tourists alike, for very good reason. The laid-back surfer town is filled with independent clothes shops, quirky bars and an abundance of delectable eateries. It’s easy to see why we spent 4 nights here and really didn’t want to leave! With it being the height of winter it, unfortunately, rained quite a lot during our time. However, this just resulted in us sitting in cute cafes sampling a variety of coffee and baked snacks. Definitely not a bad option!
Aside from the main ‘strip’ in Byron, which has some wonderful bars and restaurants we also found a few a bit more ‘off the beaten track’.
Some of our favourites spots to eat and drink in Byron:
Folk if you’re looking to take some Insta-worthy photos in Byron Bay then visit here!
No Bones for the best vegan food
The Bolt Hole for a happy hour glass of wine or a late-night cocktail
What to see in Byron Bay
If you’re looking at getting out and exploring more of Byron by foot then the Cape Byron walking track is for you. The loop is around 3.7km and will take you about 1-3 hours depending on your fitness level and how many stops you take. It took us around 1hr 30 including a lot of photo breaks!
If you’re an early morning person, or even if you’re not watching the sunrise over the infamous Byron Bay lighthouse is something not to be missed!
1 night – Coffs Harbour
Coffs Harbour to Hunter Valley 4 h 31 min (381.2 km)
Coffs Harbour is a great spot to stop for the night to break up the journey. It is also a beautiful little town in its own right with beautiful scenic walks surrounding the water.
What to see in Coffs Harbour
If you’re looking for a fairly easy walk with an incredible view then the Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve Walk certainly won’t disappoint. Think of incredible views in every direction you look. It’s well worth the short, but steep, incline up. The stunning harbour town is also home to Dorrigo National Park.
The Big Banana fun park and Muttonbird Island are also two popular activities to do in Coffs Harbour.
2 nights – Hunter Valley
Hunter Valley to Port Stephens 1 h 52 min (115.8 km)
Hunter Valley – the wine region not to be missed.
The wonderful, picturesque region of Hunter Valley is one of Australia’s most famous wine regions. Known most famously for its Semillon and Shiraz, the sprawling vineyards make for a perfect weekend away. We spent two nights here enjoying the scenery and sampling the wine, our second day we booked into a Two Fat Blokes full-day tour.
To read our full review of our two nights in Hunter Valley read our full blog post here.
2 nights – Port Stephens/ Nelsons Bay
Port Stephens to Sydney 2 h 37 min (206.5 km)
Our final stop on our NSW road trip and we can tell you, we did not want it to end!! We made it to Port Stephens feeling slightly fragile from our two nights at Hunter Valley. Determined to not let this stop us from seeing our final stop in the sleepy town of Port Stephens.
What to see in Port Stephens
There aren’t tons to see in the immediate vicinity of Port Stephens (from what we found). However, what we did find, we loved. Our highlight is Tomaree National Park. A short yet fairly steep hike up and you’re greeted with a view that wouldn’t look out of place on a tropical island. If you fancy embracing your inner child then head to Toboggan Hill Park and toboggan down a hill instead! There’s also a wildlife park to be seen, Tomaree Head Summit Walk and, like the rest of the NSW coast, an abundance of beautiful coastline.
1 night – Sydney
Our final day and we began our journey back to Sydney. Naturally, including a few scenic stops along the way and ready to enjoy our last few nights in the big city we’d called our home for the past 9 months!
