number_6

Probably takes 4 days to be enjoyable, but a circuit of blue mountains/canberra/tilba-narooma on the south coast is quite nice. Good point about school holidays, which creates incredibly traffic (both on roads and at airports). Making first half of July a bit problematic for travel. Weather is a toss-up, it can go either way and not necessarily better when heading north.

CIT85

OK, looks like I'll change my plan and drive south along M1 and A1. I figure I can always keep driving until I need to return to Sydney at some point, like maybe 3 hrs return drive depending on time.

The school holidays may be why hotels in Nelson Bay were quite expensive, more than Sheraton on the Park and Westin Sydney for the Saturday night.

Recommendations on places I should stop along the way?

bensyd

Forget the M1 and go through the Royal National Park and along the coast. Have a look at what Quarantine did up thread.

JClasstraveller

What Quarantine did is a good trip.

Spend some time though (weather permitting) in Berry. Beautiful little town.

Has a wonderful sourdough bakery which is well worth stopping at.

Kangaroo Valley is nice.

Gerringong I love.

Ouch re the prices at Nelson Bay properties...

CIT85

Thank y'all for the suggestions. I'll check Quanrantine's trip report and get more details.

blue47

We took the Kangarrific tour to Hunter Valley today. Sam is the owner/operator of the tour and takes a maximum of 13 people in a van. Visits include a private zoo that allows you to get close to Australian animals, including Koalas, a chocolate "factory", cheese tasting, two small wineries, and a local brewery. This tour is great and Sam is a great host. Highly recommended.

mattp1987

I'm thinking of booking this tour from my upcoming trip. From the description, it appears the cost includes transportation, zoo tickets, tea, chocolate and cheese tastings, and wine tastings. Guests are responsible for covering lunch and any beer tastings plus, of course, anything they want to purchase from the various tour/tasting locations. Is that correct?

blue47

You are correct. The beer tasting was 2 glasses for $3. Lunch was $10-$15 apiece for us.

pgh234

The wife and I want to do a day trip to the Blue Mountains in July.

1) We understand the weather will be brisk...but it still seems like people still visit in the winter. Is it worth it?

2) Right now we are leaning towards renting a car. It is my first time driving on the wrong side of the road...but the freedom to get the most out of the trip seems worth it. Plus we will be renting downtown and dropping off at the airport for a flight the next morning...so we save the transfer. Would you still suggest I rent a car vs take the train or tour? Most folks in older threads suggest the train or tour over a car.

Annalisa12

If the day is foggy then there is no point. You won't be able to see much.

I often drive past this area and I hate driving it sometimes with my husband. The road is really winding and often narrow. I recall my first time driving on the other side of the road and it takes concentration. Often on these roads when you turn corners you can't see the car in front to follow and if you accidentally forget where you are you might go on to the other side of the road.

If you catch the train it is very easy. If you are on your own you can just cab it where you can't get to easily. It will still be cheaper than hiring a car I am sure.

If you asked me along on your day trip with you driving I would be very very nervous.

Just my opinion.

Happy holidays!

Exec_Plat

I just did the same in Mid March- so different weather. Picked up downtown, dropped at SYD the next day. Overnight at Echoes Boutique hotel in a corner suite that was really spectacular.

Outstanding experience, was able to hike around 3 sisters, Wenworth falls, (i forget the name) cafe, etc. (Stopped for some snacks, wine) Im a driver- any time, any where, any side- so it didnt bother me in the least.

I have been up there in the winter months, with fog and clouds- still an interesting vibe, and OK hikes- but of course no vistas. It will be luck of the draw. Not sure if you can keep it flexible and firm it up once the 5 day forecast is out....

Oh, one thing I like about the car: luggage. You can leave the hotel, pack the car and just keep moving. If you train with luggage you are pinned to 'wherever you leave the luggage'...there are solutions, but sometimes just nice to have a moving storage facility.

bibbju

Firstly, you might want to reconsider your wording.....it isn't the "wrong" side of the road. It may be the other side to what you're used to but there are millions of drivers across the globe who'd dispute the "wrong" comment.

If you only want to go for the day, I'd recommend going with a small tour rather than hiring a car. Having a driver who knows where to go and the best time to arrive will mean you can see more, as well as get some info about the what you're actually seeing. If you were spending a couple of days there, a hire car would be fine but with only one day, I'd maximise what you can see and do by going with a small tour. I've used these guys in the past and they were amazing (Rob the owner is a lovely guy and went out of his way to make the trip very special):

http://www.bluediamondtours.net/

pgh234

Yes my "wrong" side of the road comment was purposely inflammatory

So far we have one vote for the train, one vote for the car, and one vote for a tour. Not exactly a quorum.

Thanks for the insight though, I agree with all of you. Haha

Exec_Plat

What is interesting is that there is never a 'one size fits all' solution- weigh the pros and cons; see how your needs/desires/limitations sync up with the attributes of the options and you can chose the best fit for your trip.

MissJ

I drove out to Katoomba, actually right to where the aforementioned Echoes hotel is located and found it to be a breeze. It's motorway for a while and then a bigger four lane (I think it was almost all 4 lanes) road until you have to exit for the town. From there, just a quick drive. The train did look pretty interesting though. I wondered how the scenery was. I could definitely see the appeal of a smaller tour. I hate big tour groups, but a small one that was more personal could be great.

However, take my experience with a grain of salt. I'm like Exec_Plat, I can drive just about anything anywhere, doesn't bother me a bit. I like my freedom to roam, stop when I like, see what I want. I've driven on the left many, many times before.