Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Best Place to Overnight on Drive Between Sydney and Melbourne?

15 years ago, in December, I loaded up a Holden Commodore with the spouse, 2 young daughters and then 75 year old dad and meandered North along the Hume Highway from Melbourne to Sydney & onwards to Brisbane via the Princes Hwy. We had no timetable and took a leisurly 6 weeks to travel. The highways then were certainly not as developed and maintained as they are now... Much of the route then was undivided highway. We had a great drive and made lots of stops along the way.

This January I will be driving a Toyota Camry with one daughter as passenger... This time we're heading South along the Hume Highway from Sydney to Melbourne. I want to make the trip with one overnight stop, not being inclined to haul arse for 10 hours point to point!

Here's my question, can any of you Blokes (or Blokettes) recommend a place to stay between Sydney and Melbourne? Is Albury too far for an overnight or is there a location closer to Sydney that would be a better location to overnight? Thanks.

*

I'm not a bloke but if you are going to drive to Albury you might as well drive to Melbourne.

With the Hume these days it's easeir to make the drive in one day. It's only about a 10 hour drive.

Phoebe

If the above advice makes sense and you wanted to stay somewhere on the way then set out early, here is a hotel/motel (http://www.hunts.com.au/)on the edge of Sydney. I haven't been there a long time but it is at The Crossroads where suburbia (and the M5 motorway) ends and the Hume begins.

A GPS which alerts you to fixed speed cameras might be nice to have, too.

The road is dual carriage way for just about the entire route.

Travelling is easy with no more than 9½ to 10 hours of actual driving.

If you are looking at stopping around ½ way, then Tarcutta and Gundagai would be your best bets.

Albury is fine to stop as well, from there it's about 3½ hours to Melbourne CBD.

I would avoid arriving after 3:30pm weekdays and 5pm on Sundays due to traffic congestion.

G-day prsad,
I agree with serfty but if you get to Albury you will have had an easy 6-7 hour drive (not forgetting to stop at Holbrook to see the sub) and passed the undivided road section. There are many places to stay at and many places to be fed and watered. The following day you can pace yourself for an easy thee hour (approx) drive into Melbourne. This should get you there around lunch time and you cannot check into your hotel before 2pm in most cases, so no need to rush it.

Enjoy the journey :)

ps did you use the vroom web site to hire your car?

Have fun, Ray

ps did you use the vroom web site to hire your car?




Actually, yes... I got a hell'uva deal from Hertz for a full-size car via http://www.vroomvroomvroom.com/ that was substantially less costly then by renting from them directly... Also checked Budget, Eurocar, Avis & Thrifty's web sites and found Vroom's to offer a much better deal. I think that Hertz may want to move some cars from Sydney right after the New Year's festivities to Melbourne due to the Australian Open starting on 14 January and Melbourne being packed with visitors??? For whatever reason, I got a full sized car for an extended rental period picking up in downtown Sydney w/drop-off at MEL for no one-way fee w/unlimited mileage and about half the usual rental fee!

G-day prspad,
Glad to hear it, I have not used it but friends of mine recommended it. I also see they are in the USA. UK. & NZ.

Have fun, Ray

If you are looking at stopping around ½ way, then Tarcutta and Gundagai would be your best bets.


Gundagai? I don't know how it is these days, but about 15 years ago I made a pit stop in Gundagai and it was no more than a glorified rest stop with a statue commemorating the dog that took a dookie in the tucker box!

...Part of Bowyang Yorke's poem about Bullocky Bill:

"As I was coming down Conroy's Gap,
I heard a maiden cry;
'There goes Bill the Bullocky,
He's bound for Gundagai.
A better poor old beggar
Never earnt an honest crust,
A better poor old beggar
Never drug a whip through dust.'
His team got bogged at the nine mile creek,
Bill lashed and swore and cried;
'If Nobby don't get me out of this,
I'll tattoo his bloody hide.'
But Nobby strained and broke the yoke,
And poked out the leader's eye;
Then the dog sat on the Tucker Box
Nine miles from Gundagai."


I recall a grizzly, bearded local Bloke sitting on the rear tailgate of his covered pickup truck beside the dog monument, selling 2 Kilo paper bags of what he said were the best green apples in Australia... My spouse bought a bag and we all munched away, working up to the worse cases of "mal di mare" we have ever experienced! Nothing really here about accomodations in Gundagai, but just another of those Bill Bryson type characters that make for interesting memories!

*

Do you need to take the Hume Highway, or are you looking for shortest possible route?

There are two other routes that are more scenic, but will take longer as the quality of the roads wont be as good as the Hume.

The first option is via Canberra, then down through Cooma and continue on to the Princes Highway east of Lakes Entrance and then follow the Princes Highway to Melbourne. This would take approximately 3 hours longer than straight down the Hume. I have relatives in both Canberra and Sale so tend to take this route if driving between Sydney and Melbourne.

The second option is to follow the Princes Highway right along the east coast from Sydney all the way to Melbourne. You would probably be looking at 2 pretty full days driving if you took this route, but would get to see some nice coastal scenery.

As much as I'd love to spend a great deal of time in MEL, it just isnt going to happen this trip. We arrive in ADL on 16 DEC and are due in SYD on the 22nd. Driving (actually, riding whilst someone else does the driving) on the GOR is high on my list of to do's.

I was thinking: Day 1 ADL- Mt Gambier
Day 2 Mt G.- GOR- Geelong area
Day 3 to Canberra (??)
Day 4 to SYD

This would basically be Princes to Hume.

I would welcome suggestions on route, as well as places to stay or avoid. My wife and her mum want to spend the bulk of our trip in SYD and we've got a place on Bronte. Prior to ADL we'll be in BNE and Noosa for a few days. We also have a 6 year old in tow...

dr freeze,

I would consider the following:


Day 1:

Morning: Adelaide to Mount Gambier (~5h, 450Km)
Have a look at the Blue Lake, enjoy lunch
Afternoon: Mount Gambier to Warrnambool (~2h, 190Km)
Pretty straightforward drive really, Have a look in at Portland (http://www.glenelg.vic.gov.au/Page/page.asp?Page_Id=550&h=0), and if you have time check out Cape Bridgewater (http://www.glenelg.vic.gov.au/Page/Page.asp?Page_Id=551&h=1) ("... rugged windswept cliff-tops, lakes, a sculptured coastline, limestone formations, caves, blowholes and mountainous sand dunes ...")

Day 2:
Drive the GOR (www.greatoceanrd.org.au), take your time, start early and take all day to get to Geelong. (~4h non stop, 280Km)
I suggest going the extra distance to or past Melbourne as it a fairly long drive Geelong to Canberra
Day 3:

Geelong(/Melbourne) to Canberra Good road once north of Melbourne Metropolitan area. (~8 Hours, 750Km or ~7 hours, 670Km)

Day 4:

Canberra to Sydney Easy Drive until you reach Sydney Metropolitan area(~3h, 290Km)

Here's a good trip planning web site: WhereIs.com (http://www.whereis.com/whereis/directions.do)

I was thinking: Day 1 ADL- Mt Gambier
Day 2 Mt G.- GOR- Geelong area
Day 3 to Canberra (??)
Day 4 to SYD

I'd suggest going further than Mt Gambier on the first day. Accommodation is available at Portland, Port Fairy, Warrnambool, Port Campbell and Apollo Bay. The really scenic parts of the GOR start just before Port Campbell - but many of the good sights require you to stop and walk to see them.

Do you need to drive Melbourne-Canberra specifically? It's not an exciting drive and frankly I'd fly straight to SYD. Canberra is not on the main MEL-SYD highway and will require a diversion that will take you even longer. I'd spend more time on the GOR, personally and spend a bit of time walking to see everything.

Also consider the Otway Fly or even Cape Otway. Much nicer than CBR!

Audrey

If I can semi-hijack this thread, what about driving from Sydney (or starting from Blue Mountains?) coastal route to Melbourne? Places to see/stop/eat?
Is 2 days reasonable drive (not over 6 hours actual driving per day) feasible?

If I can semi-hijack this thread, what about driving from Sydney (or starting from Blue Mountains?) coastal route to Melbourne? Places to see/stop/eat?
Is 2 days reasonable drive (not over 6 hours actual driving per day) feasible? If you don't want to drive more than 6 hours per day, you will probably need three days, maybe four, to cover Blue Mountains to Melbourne via the coast.

As for places to stop on the way, it is a long time since I have been down that way from a touristy POV, it has always been work related, so can't really comment.

HOWEVER, Merimbula is really nice, Lakes Entrance is really nice, and Sussex Inlet is where I spent a lot of time as a kid (and it was really nice back then, my grand parents retired there).

Dave

As the OP of this Thread, here's an update...

I made a reservation at the Sundowner Paddlesteamer in Albury via the Country Comfort web site http://www.constellationhotels.com.au/countrycomfort

I booked a Deluxe Room, including buffet breakfast for $95 AUD. Most of the other booking engine's rates (i.e., Expedia, etc.) were $40+ AUD more for the same type booking!

*

Is there any reason I should drive MEL-SYD rather than fly? I think it is actually cheaper for me to fly than to do a one-way rental, but I'd hate to miss something. Then again, there is no shortage of things to do in either city :)

You'll miss lots of speed cameras, average speed cameras, radar traps, flat plains, trucks overtaking each other for 15km on a two lane highway and overloaded commodores with sagging springs sitting in the right lane. And speed cameras. Lots of them.

Unless you go via the mountains or do the drive late night cannonball run style it pretty much has no redeeming characteristics whatsoever. Unless you like speed cameras.