how far do you want to drive in one day?

 

straight run or via back roads = interesting towns?

 

either Tamworth or Kempsey/Nambucca Heads

 

Quickest way to dubbo is via Toowoomba, Goondiwindi, Moree, Narrabri, Coonabarabran, mendooran, dubbo.

Bit you can knock 45 mins off the trip by bypassing dubbo.

From dubbo I go Wellington, Molong, cudal, Cowra, Boorowa, Yass, Canberra through Tuggeranong Parkway.

 

Dubbo for the zoo or Bathurst for drive around the iconic track. If going the coast road just pick any one of a dozen beautiful ocean side towns.

 

I always went via Warwick rather than Toowoomba.

 

yup, every time. But then turn left down the NE Hwy, no point in going to Dubbo unless you need to see the zoo.

 

It was usually my overnight spot.

 

Bathurst or Mudgee are nicer

 

Slower trip though according to google maps. As the sole driver with 2 kids, time was everything.

 

nope, 30 minutes quicker. according to google maps. Pacific Hwy is quickest

 

You must be using a different google maps to me. But I don’t really care. However I would never go via pac Hiway. It sucks.

 

Northconnex will make it all interesting in a couple of years. No Sydney.

 

It's so fast nowadays. That new road

 

true, do not need to drive it again.

 

true, but still that drive to get there. yuck.

 

Hate that bit of the trip.

Is that sarcasm font?

 

n
Nah...the bit from Port Mac to Coffs
Prob the best bit of freeway i've drive

 

Orange is a great town and not far off your route.

 

I used to do the inland route via Warwick as well. Stanthorpe, Tenetrfield, Glenn Innes (always stop to check out the standing stones), Armidale, Tamworth (food stop), then across to Gunnedah, Coonabaraben, then Dubbo. When the kids were real young this would be our first night stop which was equal to about 10 hours of driving (pre kids would always start early and overnight in Albury/Wadonga).

Always meant to do the high plains zoo but never did, but have visited the Dubbo Observatory ( http://www.dubboobservatory.com/index.html ) so that could be an option?

From Dubbo we always used to do Parkes then Forbes, West Wyalong then down to Albury/Wadonga before Vic so not sure about Thredbo (which I have visited on retur from Vic journey).

Who reckons Canberra is worth a stop coming back from Thredbo?

 

Canberra is one of the most interesting cities in Australia

 

Yeah I don't mind Canberra - pre kids I have detoured heading back to Brissy either for work, fireworks or porn

Whats the deal with fireworks these days? In the internet age I'm assuming porn isn't a thing anymore and if memory serves I think the last couple of times I have been fireworks aren't a thing these days either.

If the OP had younger kids the inland route is pretty cool with all the planes etc. mounted in some of the parks etc.

 

Pretty sure fireworks sales have been banned in the ACT.

 

Yeah I thought so ages ago - although I thought maybe you could still get them on banger day in the NT (but even that might have been banned). I just wondered if maybe there were any special circumstances etc. (at one point you had to be a resident I thought).

 

But the northern bit last time I drove it still went through all the little towns. Just get to 100, back to 80, 50, repeat. Needs freeway from Coolangatta to Melbourne.

 

Roads much straighter and flatter on to towoomba Goondiwindi route. I'd avoid New England Mudgee and Bathurst as it's in the hills.

 

The little towns are steadily disappearing. Horror spots like Karuah and Bulahdelah are gorn. Hexham is still a problem.

 

Aka The Newell Highway.
There’s a reason it’s the third busiest road freight route in the country

 

Remembering also that the government(s’) Pac Highway is ‘dual carriage Hexham to the Border’.

 

fixt.

 

If you're happy to pay tolls the Pacific is a lot quicker. (14:53 Pacific, 16:45 Bathurst/Tamworth, 17:27 Goondiwindi/Dubbo - though google has you come back in via Khancoban for that one for some reason)

Pretty much the pain points are Coffs Harbour (time your arrival properly and it won't be too bad), the Hexham area, and Pennant Hills Road (hate that road). The Coffs Harbour bypass can't come soon enough, the same with a decent separated connection at Hexham.

The road works sections aren't that bad. Last time I drove it it was mainly 80. There is only about 19% of the Pacific that isn't dual carriageway and by the end of next year (cross fingers) the only parts that won't be will be Coffs Harbour and Hexham.

It's a lot less stressful to drive, the main problem with it is that it has become a really boring drive, though it does have a lot of places to stop and detour to. It's also easier to avoid idiot drivers given the multi-lanes.

I usually go North by one path, South the other, but once it's completed I suspect I'll mainly be going the Pacific unless I want to explore.

The main downsides to the Newell are finding places to safely overtake the trucks, the lack of divided lanes and the wider gaps between stops. I haven't been via Bathurst in a long time. The last time I went though Armidale/Warwick I had to stop off in Sydney, so went along the Thunderbolts way - that is a very rough road unless they've fixed it up.

 

Note. The Newell route I suggested is not the that deye has quoted the time for. Having driven dubbo to gold coast umpteenth times over the last 10 years the route I suggested is the easiest and fastest. Be sure to go Coonabarabran to Mendooran to dubbo. That will save 15-25mins over staying on the Newell and is safer with less traffic.

Overtaking is not a big issue on any of the routes. Long straight roads. Just get it done.

 

But I agree via Pacific would be quickest provided youiss the Sydney peaks.

 

except for the mirages, and police cars

It is odd that Google choose that path across for the Newell. If you ask it to pick Brisbane to Canberra it doesn't even give the Newell as an option unless you add in an intermediate stop. (14 hours if you add in Dubbo, plus the time for Canberra to Thredbo)

Actually I'll probably go the Newell next time I go home on at least one leg, just so I can check out the new Toowoomba 2nd Range crossing. I lived there for 7 years and am kind of curious how it's linked and travels.

 

Google maps sucks. The two inland routes are both far from ideal.

I know from doing the trips lots dubbo to Thredbo is 6hr 20mins at the wheel.

 

Ah, but it can land you in such interesting places

As long as you vette the route it's ok. There are a few oddities that turn up occasionally, but it's also improving all the time. One of the oddities for a while was that it had a break in the hume and sent you off on a side road out west to add an hour or two to your trip.

 

A paper map doesn't do that. A paperaps doesn't lose detail when you zoom out to the whole route.

 

Paper maps are a lot less convenient to use, and are often out of date - more so than online maps. I still carry them for any state that I might be in, but haven't used one in about 10 years.

 

Show me a screenshot of an online map for a decent length route that shows all route options, not just those considered main roads.

 

Drove Coffs (Sawtell) to Thredbo and back last week via Pacific Hwy. Such an easy drive now. Even skirting Sydney is easy if you time it right. The worst part is Ballina to Grafton if you go Pacific Hwy home. I drove Brisbane to Sawtell yesterday and roadworks were everywhere in that section. Once that bit is finished next year as planned, I reckon centre of Brisbane to Jindy in under 14 hours.

 

I do it every year but from the Goldy.

Straight down the Pacific Hway. Not worth trying to cross to the New England or Newell.

Generally take off after work and overnight in Taree, then straight through to Thredbo. It’s the easiest route.

 

I lived western suburbs, so quicker to head west. But from the GC the pacific is a no brainer.