Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Sydney to Canberra by car

What is the time and distance required to go from one city centre to the other city centre (if we do not stop)? Are there freeways/motor expressways between the 2 cities.

Are there any sights to see enroute, between the 2 cities?

Motorways, largely 110 km/h, but less in certain points, and watch out for average speed cameras!

From the centre of Sydney you take the Eastern Distriibutor which becomes Southern Cross Drive (airport freeway) then take the M5 East (as you come out of the tunnel that goes under the Runway you veer to the left, which will link into the M5, this becomes the Hume Highway and will take you all the way to Canberra. Time is about 3 hours if you don't stop.

I would also suggest leaving early as the M5 East is a disgraceful example of the state government's inability to plan and will be bumper to bumper after about 230pm.

If you want to take the scenic route I would (albeit longer) I would suggest heading straight South through the National Park along Seacliff Bridge (the bridge winds along the cliff face but is actually out over the water) into Thirroul then rejoin the Highway to Nowra, then head inland through Berry and into Kangaroo Valley (stop and have lunch) then continue up through to Moss Vale and rejoin the highway there. That will probably add a couple of hours but it is worth it IMO.

Sydney to Canberra = approx 3 to 3.5 hours to drive at the speed limits.
Once you get out of Sydney it's pretty much 100/110kmh speed limit all the way down to Canberra on a highway.

I took a bus there... 3.5 hours highway all the way

not much to see other than an occasional kangaroo jumping along the road

and watch out for average speed cameras! Point-to-point speed cameras (if this is what you are referring to) do not exist in NSW or the ACT (YET - but it will have to happen eventually).

Dave

Are there any sights to see enroute, between the 2 cities?

Apart from potholes close to Canberra (which I was shocked to see so many, considering that it was a main road between the capital and Sydney), not much there to see.

You could fly for very little between those two cities, or catch the bus.

Motorways, largely 110 km/h, but less in certain points, and watch out for average speed cameras!

Motorways marked 110km/h are easily (and safely) negotiated at 130km/h.

Fixed speed cameras in NSW are clearly signposted and marked by piezo sensor grids in the road surface.

Unless something has changed in the very recent past, mobile speed cameras are no longer operated in NSW.

Unless something has changed in the very recent past, mobile speed cameras are no longer operated in NSW.
So that's why I still have my licence :D In spite of that, a stationary police car beside the road with a fixed radar can be just as lethal to your licence and wallet as any camera. Oh, and be careful on the Goulburn by-pass ;).

Be aware that there is a tollway part of the way and it is hard to find out how to pay if you're new to the place. The hire care companies give you a brochure on which companies to call assuming you know which roads you've travelled on. An absolute disgrace of a system.

Of course failure to pay the tolls means you get a toll payment request from the hire car company with a handling fee of approximately $30AUD.

Be aware of police cars around the Goulburn area, it is where the police academy is located and they book anybody including their colleagues. I have done this trip a few times for work and every time I see someone pulled over by the police. Absolutely guaranteed.

Point-to-point speed cameras (if this is what you are referring to) do not exist in NSW or the ACT (YET - but it will have to happen eventually).
Dave

I heard some chatter about these cameras being installed on Mt Ousley Road, southbound, driving in to Wollongong form Sydney, on a trial basis.

Motorways marked 110km/h are easily (and safely) negotiated at 130km/h.

Fixed speed cameras in NSW are clearly signposted and marked by piezo sensor grids in the road surface.

Doing 130km/h in a 110 zone is also likely to get you fined and/or get you to lose points on your license.

Quite a few times I've noticed police cars with a hand held radar gun, on the median strip on Hume Hwy. There are sections on the hwy where the median strip is wide enough and has enough tree cover for a cop car to be in there without the driver noticing it till they actually pass it.

Average speed cameras is the British term apparently, so Point to Point it is.

And, yep, apparently they don't yet exist in NSW. Except for lorries. Wunderbar!

Ugly rumor, probably started by the coppers.

From the centre of Sydney you take the Eastern If you want to take the scenic route I would (albeit longer) I would suggest heading straight South through the National Park along Seacliff Bridge (the bridge winds along the cliff face but is actually out over the water) into Thirroul then rejoin the Highway to Nowra, then head inland through Berry and into Kangaroo Valley (stop and have lunch) then continue up through to Moss Vale and rejoin the highway there. .
Or, to extend the scenic route a little, after leaving Moss Vale, turn left at Sutton Forest and take the Highland Way through Bundanoon, Penrose and Tallong, rejoining the main highway near Marulan. This section is quite lovely and cuts out a very boring stretch on the main road. Of course, it is slower again, although the roads are fine for the amount of traffic they carry.

Average speed cameras is the British term apparently, so Point to Point it is.

And, yep, apparently they don't yet exist in NSW. Except for lorries. Wunderbar!

Ugly rumor, probably started by the coppers.

Average speed cameras would be the most common term in aus, the point is that they simply aren't in operation in NSW (they are in use in VIC). They have been trialled in NSW on the north coast using the existing truck cameras and they found that there was actually a very low incidence of speeding over a long distance. I suspect the main reason they haven't been installed in NSW is that a garden variety speed camera just around a bend at the bottom of a hill has a much better return.

Afaik there aren't average speed cameras being trialled in Woolongong however this is where they are doing the gps trials