Coast
1 Find hidden-treasure towns between Sydney and the Gold Coast
EVEN a road trip WELL-TRAVELLED can reveal plenty of SURPRISES if you take the time to SLOW DOWN, writes Lara Picone.
GONE ARE THE DAYS OF hightailing it to Byron or the Gold Coast with as few stops as bladders will allow. Swallowing homemade sandwiches from the driver’s seat like a seal being tossed a fish, and exclusively stopping for caffeine and fuel no longer works for me. My road trip reality now hinges on two humans in the backseat, who oscillate between requests for food and eye-spy tournaments that entirely miss the point.
Hence, not stopping on a long drive has become a near-inconceivable proposition. But by not trying to beat Google’s predicted arrival time, I’ve unearthed a string of pearlescent towns that make the journey just as appealing as the final destination. Who knew they were all glistening in plain sight? I wholly endorse slowing it down and spending a handful of days to turn this corridor between home and holiday into a true road trip. You might just find a new destination that usurps the usual.
OLD BAR
First stop beyond the city limits is the beachside enclave of Old Bar on the Barrington Coast, just east of Taree. It’s a place where boardshorts are worn year-round and the Kombi van retains eternal appreciation, particularly over the October long weekend, when the Old Bar Beach Festival descends with the headline event a parade of the original surfer transporter. The Manning River makes a break for the ocean here, ensuring it’s a great spot for fishing and water sports; there’s also Saltwater National Park to explore; and the music-themed Boogie Woogie Beach House that will rock you to sleep under the watchful eye of Nick Cave, Dave Grohl or Bowie.
CRESCENT HEAD
This town on the Macleay Valley Coast is certainly not flying under the radar for surfers, they’ve been riding into shore since the ’50s. Somehow, though, it slips through the cracks in the most delightful way, despite being 20 minutes from the route’s halfway-point of Kempsey. Crescent Head has an endless summer vibe that is all casualness and zero pretension. The waves are worthy, the headlands are beautiful, even when windswept, and the chillout factor is high. You’ll find great coffee and breakfast at Blackfish, easy-going Mexican at Chanchitas, and inspired accommodation at The Med.
EMERALD BEACH
Salute the Big Banana as you glide past Coffs Harbour and into the hamlet of Emerald Beach. Here, you’ll find a Discovery Park, which is great if you’re travelling with kids or a caravan, otherwise, this is beach house territory – throw your wet towel over the balcony and settle in for some deep relaxation. The beach itself is stunning and shouldered by a headland that plays host to grazing roos. Further along, the amusingly named Look At Me Now Headland makes for an easy stroll. Once you’ve obliged the attention-seeking clifftop, use it as a vantage point to admire the views, then stroll to nearby La Hacienda 101 for a Mexican fiesta and a bracingly good margarita, or coffee and a burger at the Emerald Beach General Store.
YAMBA
Although I’ve been passing Yamba for decades, I’d never made the detour until embarrassingly recently. My unfashionable lateness means I’ve missed out on many a holiday here. Don’t make the same mistake. Yamba is a brilliant stop on this northward (or southward) drive. It blends excellent dining and a smattering of browsable boutiques with dreamy beachscapes and nostalgic school holiday feels. The riverside Blue Dolphin, complete with giant jumping pillow and swim-up bar, is one of the best holiday parks to ever straddle amusements for kids and adults. Meanwhile, the town’s first boutique hotel, The Surf, is a direct antithesis to the Dolphin and exceedingly well put-together.
ILUKA
Quite literally on the flipside to Yamba, both geographically and energetically, is Iluka. The diminutive town across the Clarence River from its better-known southerly neighbour has a sleepier personality but is a haven for outdoor pursuits. The Iluka Nature Reserve is a place to free-dive into a pristine environment. Let your hair dry with saltwater, your feet toughen under rocks, and eschew dependence on technologies to immerse yourself in nature’s restorative charms. The campground at Woody Head is legendary for barefoot adventures over rockpools and shell-littered sands.
POTTSVILLE
Just 20 minutes north of Byron, this Tweed Coast town is worth a visit, even if your journey ends in the bay. It’s rare to catch a place mid-bloom, but Pottsville is a quiet achiever among the chain of settlements strewn along this coastline and is steadfastly collecting admirers. Walkable from town is Mooball Creek, a glassy, natural swimming pool perfect for splashing and paddle-boarding that’s divided from Pottsville Beach by a protective seawall. Pottsville village offers plenty of destination eats such as the acclaimed Pipit restaurant, proper Italian Pottsville Pizzeria, and artisan gelato at Piccolo Mondo.
DISTANCE: The drive between Sydney and the Gold Coast via these six towns is 966 kilometres.
2 Make grand plans
EVERY NSW CHILDHOOD inevitably includes a summer holiday escape to the South Coast, renting a house near the water and living out a coastal daydream of long, hot days filled with beach excursions and barbecues. My own South Coast idyll was found in a caravan park in the town of Ulladulla, where I managed to score the coveted top bunk for the duration. I realise I have come a long way as I pull into the tree-dappled driveway at Cupitt’s Estate bound for a stay in one of its newly minted luxury pods.
GET OUTTA TOWN
The reason that the drive to the South Coast is renowned as one of the country’s best is evident as soon as you clear the city traffic and enter the Royal National Park on the first leg of the Grand Pacific Drive. Navigating the winding road through this pristine expanse of vegetation, with side roads darting off towards amazing walks and sparkling beaches, the temptation is to stop constantly, but that’s for another road trip (see entry #65) so continue cruising and take in the scenery.
COASTAL NAVIGATION
Once past the park’s limits, it is 60 kilometres of easy roads – including the stunning sweep of Sea Cliff Bridge – to the coastal city of Wollongong, which boasts wide, welcoming beaches such as Thirroul and Austinmer and a laid-back seaside lifestyle; grab a bacon and egg roll and a coffee at Lili J to fuel up for the next leg.
It’s only another 20 kilometres to Shellharbour, which should allow enough time for your brunch to go down so you can take a quick dip or – if you have packed your board – catch a few waves at The Farm, the surfing reserve at Killalea Reserve.
Kiama is the next stop on the journey, celebrated for its naturally occurring blowholes, which spew foaming sea water at surprising intervals. While these whimsical natural wonders have served as the town’s major drawcard for decades, more and more visitors are stopping here for the delightful cafe culture fuelled by the likes of Bouquiniste, a curated bookstore, cafe and wine bar, The Hungry Monkey and Parfait Patisserie. The town of Gerringong, a 12-minute drive through lush coastal-meets-country scenery, is also developing a foodie reputation with inviting wine bars Gather, By The Hill and Bella Char Restaurant & Wine Bar worth investing some time in, if not on this journey then at another time.
The Shoalhaven hub of Nowra, 40 kilometres from Kiama, is the end of the official Grand Pacific Drive route, but from here more coastal delights await.
ACE OF BASE
The family-owned and run Cupitt’s Estate presents itself as the perfect base for exploration and enjoyment on this blissful part of the coast, including the towns of Milton and Mollymook. With bucolic views in all directions, the property is the picture of a restive country escape, especially since the installation of a collection of graciously chic accommodation pods – no bunk beds included. But there is constant industry going on here, from winemaking and tastings to boutique cheese production to considered farm-to-table dishes being served with a smile in the Dining Room, all of which should be sampled during a stay here.
DISTANCE: The Grand Pacific Drive is 140 kilometres; it’s another 60 kilometres to Ulladulla. Leigh-Ann Pow
3 A JOURNEY TO LAND’S END
Coastal drives don’t come more remote – or rewarding – than the one from Broome to Cape Leveque in Western Australia. It’s a 206-kilometre journey taking roughly three hours without too many stops, but, trust us, you are going to want to stop for the stunning beaches and welcoming Aboriginal communities. Heading north out of Broome, the Broome Cape Leveque Road charts a path through the pristine Dampier Peninsula, taking in Beagle Bay, where Sacred Heart Church, with its altar decorated with Mother of Pearl, is a delightful diversion, and Lombadina, to experience the local way of life of the Bardi people. Cape Leveque is famed as the place where the red sands of the outback melt into the startling blue/green waters of the Indian Ocean, and it really is a sight to behold. Continue on to the evocatively named One Arm Point (Ardyaloon) to finish your trip gazing out to the beauty of the Buccaneer Archipelago and camping under the inky black night skies.
4 Wind your way slowly to the Capricorn Coast
Getting to the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef from Brisbane usually involves a flight. But not always. Yeppoon is the gateway to its southern stretches and while this tropical town on Queensland’s Capricorn Coast can be reached by a full day’s drive via the Bruce Highway, breaking up the journey will turn your road trip into a relaxing holiday sprinkled with gourmet and outdoor experiences. Stroll the Hervey Bay pier and take a whale-watching cruise (July to November) on the Fraser Coast; explore Bundaberg’s famous distillery and the golden sands of Bargara Beach; and walk the Paperbark Forest Boardwalk at Agnes Water before catching a spectacular sunset at the Town of 1770. DISTANCE: 1443 kilometres. STAY: Park the car and jump on the Keppel Konnections ferry at Rosslyn Bay, just south of Yeppoon, to overnight at Great Keppel Island Hideaway – a barefoot paradise. Jennifer Johnston
5 The road less travelled in Queensland’s well-travelled north
It takes about five hours to drive from Townsville to Cairns (or the other way round), but don’t do that. Missing the chance to linger along this part of the Queensland coast is to miss what’s truly special about the Far North. I pass through sugar towns, and drink at Queensland pubs where locals still fish and farm for a living. This road’s called The Great Green Way, because it traverses 12 national parks. It’s also the closest mainland access to the Great Barrier Reef – and the area’s World Heritage listed (in a region dubbed the Wet Tropics). There’s places you’d have heard of along the way – like Mission Beach, a 14-kilometre strip of beach fringed by rainforest that’s home to trendy resorts and an eclectic community of creative types (it’s also home to the highest density of endangered southern cassowaries left on the planet). But it’s the places you haven’t heard of that make this drive special. Drive 20 minutes north of Townsville and there’s wide sandy beaches like Saunders Beach: six kilometres long, with not a soul on it. Or drive 25 minutes north of Mission Beach to Kurrimine Beach where only fishermen live, and swim in rock pools within the Great Barrier Reef, accessible at low tide. And if you’d prefer to see a cassowary with no one else, book a cabin on the beach (Etty Bay Caravan Park) just north of there at a secret spot where the birds come to feed each morning and evening. DISTANCE: 350 kilometres. Craig Tansley
6 TASMANIA’S OWN GREAT OCEAN ROAD
Travellers to Tasmania often overlook the state’s east coast in favour of Hobart and Cradle Mountain, but this is where you’ll find the best of what Tasmania offers. Drive the east coast and you’ll pass through four national parks, one of Australia’s oldest wine regions (visit Devil’s Corner’s reinvigorated cellar door, pictured) and fishing ports where seafood comes straight from the trawlers, or off oyster leases. Little penguins swim off the rocks at seaside communities like Bicheno and if it’s beaches you’ve come for, you’ll find two of the world’s best (Bay Of Fires and Wineglass Bay). Though they’re all like that here: there are 200-plus kilometres of white-sand beaches fringed by granite blocks coloured by bright orange lichen. DISTANCE: 220 kilometres. Craig Tansley
7 Trace the tip of a dramatic peninsula
Jutting out into the Great Australian Bight, the dramatic coast of Fleurieu Peninsula is a nature lover’s paradise. Thirty minutes south of Adelaide, Port Noarlunga is a town nestled between the natural beauty of reef and river. Dubbed the ‘Great Southern Reef ’, its marine sanctuary zone is popular with divers, while Onkaparinga River National Park is hiking and kayaking territory.
Further south, walk among the ruins of a 19th-century jetty and shipwreck at Port Willunga before dining at renowned ocean-front restaurant The Star of Greece (pictured right). Then see where the rolling green hills of the Mount Lofty Range come to an abrupt stop at Sellicks Beach, where white sands and turquoise water complete the striking landscape.
At the tip of the peninsula, remote Deep Creek National Park has 15 walking tracks to explore; it’s home to kangaroos, echidnas and more than 100 species of bird, as well as pristine Blowhole Beach. Emerging from the wild tip, you’ll come to Victor Harbor, a vibrant small town nestled on the arc of Encounter Bay. Take a historic horse-drawn tram to Granite Island, famous for its boulder-laden landscape and its colony of little penguins, and board the rattling 1854 Cockle Train for a scenic journey to Goolwa, a historic port where the Murray River and Southern Ocean meet.
Return to Adelaide via the McLaren Vale wine region, stopping along the way to sample local drops at award-winning d’Arenberg (above) or pretty-as-a-picture Down The Rabbit Hole. DISTANCE: 267 kilometres. STAY: Disconnect at the completely isolated yet ultra-luxe Naiko Retreat, an oceanfront stay atop the rolling hills of Deep Creek. Megan Arkinstall
8 MAKE FOR AN AQUATIC PLAYGROUND ON THE MID NORTH COAST
While you can pack a lot in along the Legendary Pacific Coast highway from Sydney to Port Macquarie, you can also just pull out all the stops so you can drop and flop when you arrive in the seaside city that is known for its sun, surf and pristine coastline. Start off on the right foot with breakfast at Little Turkey, and lunch at Cassegrain Wines (pictured left) followed by a quick jaunt down to the harbour for Port Macquarie SUP Fun. You can also string together experiences such as a Hastings River Horse Riding tour, sundowners at the Little Shack and a coastal walk along the breakwall to Tacking Point Lighthouse. As well as being one of the best spots for spotting dolphins and whale watching on the NSW east coast, the watery playground is a top spot to enjoy slurping down a cheeky dozen oysters. DISTANCE: 387 kilometres via M1 and Pacific Highway from Sydney. STAY: Grab a group of
