mutang

Hi all , as part of our holidays / reccy trip to Oz we want to visit both Mel and Syd . Although flying is relatively cheap has anyone made a roadtrip out of driving between the two cities ? If so , how far and how long ? And is there anything to see or do on the way ?
Thanks for any suggestions ,

Jim

Hels

It depends which way you go and how long you want to take to get there.

You can travel the Hume Hwy which will take about 9=10 hrs straight through from CBD to CBD, however its a pretty boring trip. This is the quickest route and the easiest drive.

You can go via Gippsland. Although will take quite a bit longer, is much more scenic.

Hels

Flying Banana

I've done the trip twice to visit friends in Sydney, both times using the Hume highway which as Hels said is the most direct route but can be fairly boring (find any drive of 900km which is interesting the whole way lol). I assume you'll be using a hire car so would suggest getting something of a decent size (ie a commodore or falcon) and make sure it has cruise control as it really does make such a difference. You'll have to let the hire company know you are planning an interstate trip (it's not a problem but you have to inform them). And don't speed!! The police here are anal about speed limits (no 10% allowance, in Victoria they will allow you a max of 3km/h over before they will fine you and they are past masters at hiding in the undergrowth at the bottom of hills etc (which is why cruise control is so useful). On my last trip back from Sydney a few weeks ago I spotted 29 speed traps set up, and those were the ones I spotted.

The trip itself should take 9-10 hours and it's a good road, in Victoria, once you leave Melbourne it's a proper three/two lane highway, all 110km/h and there are regular rest stops with toilets, and place to get out and stretch your legs. Once you get over the NSW border there is a stretch of about 200km which varies from 2 lane dual carriageway (110km/h and single carriageway A Road (100km/h) before it returns to a three lane highway (110 km/h) all the way to Sydney.

I usually make it with two 45 minute food/rest stops and a quick gas and go stop on the outskirts of the city. A V6 commodore will do about 850 km on a 50 ltr ($50-$60 of fuel) tank of fuel so will almost make it on one tank.

Regarding places to stop along the way most of the towns are fairly small and in a lot of places the freeway will bypass them. There is a decent rest stop at Benalla/Wangaratta about 300km from Melbourne with a petrol station, McDonalds, BBQ area etc which is usually my first stop. Along the way if you fancy a trip off route there is Glenrowan where the Ned Kelly gang were caught, the ski fields are about an hour or so off route if you want to see some Aussie snow in winter, the highway passes close to Canberra, there is an aviation museum at Temora (just off the highway at Yass in NSW http://www.aviationmuseum.com.au/vis...ToGetThere.cfm).

On the highway itself a couple of places which are pleasant to stop are Holbrook which is roughly half way. A small town which has a submarine on display in the middle of town, loads of cafes and places to get some food. 'The Dog on The Tuckerbox' which is a small rest area with a cafe, petrol station and a nice leafy tree lined picnic area. As you cross the VIC/NSW border you go through a fairly large town called Albury, there is a decent park/rest area on the VIC side of the town with a paddle steamer on display and it's on the river. As you drive through the town there are plenty of places to stop for food and drink.

The best way would be to get a map and tourist guide book and have a look and see what interests you. Bearing in mind if you don't want to drag the journey out oo much then probably best not to detour too far off route or else plan to stay overnight somewhere.

bondipom

There is always the Big Merino on the Hulme Highway.

Hels

Yeah...but I thought they meant interesting places to stop!!

NJJ

or the dog on the tucherbox. you'll have that bloody song in your head for days if you go there, it is piped around the whole place inside & out - there's no escaping it!!

another tip would be to rent the fat pizza dvd and watch the episodes where they did a road trip to melbourne..

HUP

Weve done the journey 2 ways. First time we went up on the Princes highway. Its a long trip and we did it over 2 days. We had borrowed a strip map from Hevs auntie. It basically breaks down the journey into different sections and lists what there is to see and do along the way. Unfortunatley you can only get it off the RACV site if you are a member.

This site offers something simillar, i'm sure there are more

Melbourne to Sydney via Princes Highway

IMO this route is preferable if you have a couple of days and want to do some stuff. Hume Highway is a lot quicker but a bit dull

Bordy

Didn't think Hevs would need one of those.

Juliecabs

Hi,
When we drove between Melbourne and Sydney last August, we drove for about 6 hours via the Hume Highway and stopped off at Wagga Wagga for the night. We arrived there mid afternoon, had a look round the town, had a good meal and a very good nights sleep. Left Wagga the next morning around 9.30am and arrived in Sydney around 3pm. There's plenty of rest stops along the way, and with the car we were driving (Ford Falcon), found the whole experience really enjoyable. Me and hubby looked out for speed cameras and the kids looked out for koalas in the trees!
Hope this helps!
Julie

hunser

Darn you, bondipom, you beat me to it! I made the trip a couple of times back in 2001 following the Lions tour and my abiding memory is of the Big Merino - no idea why, just one of those things that just sticks with you.

Can't wait to get my 136 and go visit it again!! ;-)