9 Destinations For Your Sydney To Gold Coast Road Trip Itinerary

The drive from Sydney to Gold Coast is a popular choice for backpackers and road trippers making their way around Australia. 

Many people choose to focus on the popular places like Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay, which means they often miss some of the more hidden places to see on a Sydney to Gold Coast road trip.

To help you avoid making the same mistake, this guide is going to show you everything you need to see along the way including a few places that might surprise you!

Want to explore an abandoned plain, historic prison and discover the best places for whale watching? Keep reading to find out more

9 Bucket List Sydney To Gold Coast Road Trip Destinations

If you’re eventually working your way up the entire length of the East Coast, this will be the shortest stint that you do. 

However, to really make the most of these itinerary suggestions, we recommend planning to spend at least 7 days making your way along the coast.

Woy Woy

You won’t be driving for long before you come across you’re first stop of the drive, as just an hour from Sydney is the small town of Woy Woy.

This cute town sits on the edge of a river and is a gem between Sydney to Gold Coast.

There are no high-rises here or big shopping centres, so a lot of people just drive straight through. To us though, it’s a highlight of our trip.

The river that runs through it provides a home to hundreds of pelicans who call the nearby island – Pelican Island – home.

If you’re there around 3 pm, you’ll get to see the daily feed; the local rescue team comes to feed them scraps of fish and check their health. They’re really helpful and happy to answer any of your questions.

Other Things To Do In Woy Woy

Take a stroll down Fisherman’s wharf, grab a bite to eat at the waterfront cafe or indulge in a bit of history at the Aboriginal carving site just south of Woy Woy.

Long Jetty

Long Jetty is yet another unique little town on the Central Coast. 

Its streets are lined with vintage stores and trendy cafes but this wasn’t what we loved most about Long Jetty.

Long Jetty is a photographer’s dream as its lake consists of, you guessed it, Long Jetties.

Three historic jetties extend from the shore: Parry’s, Watkins, and the original ‘long jetty’ that gave the town its name.

Each jetty has its own story, but the ‘long jetty’ is the star of the show. Stretching 351 meters, it’s the longest jetty in New South Wales, built back in 1915

Other Things To Do In Long Jetty

Cycle the 12km track around Lake Tuggerah to Chittaway Bay and back, or you can head in the other direction to a small town called The Entrance.

Bike hire is available at the innovation centre, or you could hire paddleboards and head out on to the water!

There’s Pelican feeding along here too by the rescue team, but it’s a lot busier than at Woy Woy.

Watagans National Park

Ready for a truly unique stop between Sydney and Gold Coast?

This state forest is just one hour inland from Newcastle and is one of our favourite places to visit between Sydney and Gold Coast. It’s always the first place we’d recommend in a heartbeat.

The abandoned plane at Watagans state forest isn’t well known about, it isn’t signposted and there are no official tracks to it, so it really is like hunting for lost treasure.

We stumbled across it thanks to the Wiki Camps app (I’ll link to its pin here to help you find it). The track up to the nearby car park is so steep we actually ended up parking in a pullover and walking for 20 minutes to reach it, but it was worth it.

Note: Miraculously, nobody died in the crash. So as eerie as it looks, it isn’t a location seeped in tragedy.

Other Things To Do In Watagans State Forest

With over 40 aboriginal sites that have historical engravings and stories attached to them, there’s plenty to do at this stop on your Sydney to Gold Coast drive.

There are also plenty of walking tracks and lookouts, including one track that goes to creek falls which looks beautiful after heavy rain.

Port Stephens

Our next stop is ust 2 hours drive from Sydney, and the perfect place to have a go at sand dune surfing!

Just a stone’s throw from Newcastle, Port Stephens is home to beautiful sandy beaches with crystal clear waters and a whole host of activities from surfing to whale watching. There’s a reason it has the tagline Incredible By Nature!

Whether you want to hike to Tomaree Head Summit, visit Gan Gan Hill Lookout, or paddle with rays and reef sharks on the coast, Port Stephens is a great place to unwind away from the city.

For those of you who love good food and wine, Port Stephens is also a great launching pad for a tour of the Hunter Valley region, a popular spot for vineyard tours and wine tasting.

While it is possible to reach Port Stephens by public transport. It takes over 4 hours, so we don’t recommend it as a day trip if you don’t have your own car. If you want to spend multiple nights here though, go for it! Hop on a train from Central Station to Newcastle, then transfer to a bus that will take you the rest of the way!

Camden Head

While you’re travelling along the East Coast, it’s safe to say you’re going to see your fair amount of beautiful beaches.

Camden Head is a beach with a difference and one of our most memorable things to do between Sydney and Gold Coast.

Camden Head is home to a huge rock platform that sticks out from the beach, creating some epic rock pools and fishing platforms.

At low tide, you’ll be able to explore the pools and try your luck at finding a blue-ringed octopus… just be careful where you’re sticking your hands.

Other Things To Do At Camden Head

Camden Head is actually within Kattang Nature Reserve so there’s a lot of wildlife spotting to be done here.

Or if you fancy a walk, Perpendicular Point walking track is a 3.7k return walking track that offers some fantastic views from the cliffs edges as well as a good vantage point for whale spotting.

Port Macquarie

Sticking with the wildlife theme, Port Macquarie is another must-see place as you drive from Sydney to Gold Coast, if only for their Koala Hospital!

There is so much to do here, we’d recommend coming for a few days as a good halfway point on your road trip.

Our favourite thing in Port Macquarie was its free Koala sanctuary.

They do guided tours every day at 3 pm where you get to learn a lot more about their patients and resident koalas as well as see them getting their daily treat; so you’re almost guaranteed to see them awake.

Other Things To Do In Port Macquarie

While you’re in Port Macquarie, you can visit the lighthouse or take a walk around the historical Rotto House, located next to the Koala sanctuary.

We have heaps more suggestions in our post all about our visit to Port Macquarie.

South West Rocks Gaol

Stepping away from the wildlife just for a moment, if you like history and old buildings, this is one of the most interesting places to see on the way to the Gold Coast.

It’s an old abandoned prison that’s seen its fair share of inmates but it isn’t like other prisons, it’s located right on the coast and offers a great vantage point for whale watching… I did say we’d only be stepping away from wildlife for a moment.

Entrance is around $10 and there are options for a guided tours as well. You can find out more about it in our dedicated South West Rocks post.

Other Things To Do At South West Rocks

There are some really nice walks around the South West Rocks area, as well as a clean camping site if you want to splash out and pay for a site.

They get kangaroo visitors around here so don’t be surprised if you get one pop by to try and steal a biscuit or two.

Coffs Harbour

Coffs Harbour is famous for being home to The Big Banana, and is probably one of the more popular spots along the pacific highway. 

You can grab your photo here, as well as buy tickets to the Big Banana Fun Park if you fancy a splash around to break up your drive.

After you’ve snapped your snap, head to Muttonbird Island for a stretch of the legs, hire a kayak/SUP board to explore the waters around the harbour or admire the views from the Forest Sky Pier.

Other Things To Do At Coffs Harbour

If you stay around for a day or two, Coffs Harbour is home to one of the few – if not the only – tour company that gives you the chance to experience swimming with humpback whales. Of course, there are also plenty of boat tours for those who don’t want to get so close, or you could take a walk around the local wildlife park. 

Byron Bay

We admittedly didn’t spend too much time in Byron Bay, but we did squeeze in a walk to the lighthouse at Cape Byron. This is a moderate walk that takes 1-3 hours depending if you choose to complete the full loop.

It gives you varying views over the region but if you just want to see the lighthouse, or do a short walk at the top you can park at the top then explore the Cape Byron walking track from here. This will also give you easy access to the lighthouse if you have a wheelchair or pushchair. Parking ranges from $5-10 for an hour though, depending on the car park you choose. 

Other Things To Do At Byron Bay

There’s a really relaxed atmosphere to Byron Bay, which I think is why so many backpackers and travellers love it so much. You’re not short on watersports here, with many locals taking up kayaking and surfing in their spare time. If you want to brush up on your skills before you reach Surfers Paradise, this is the place to do it!

Farmers markets, cafes bars and boutiques are a-plenty here too so it’ll be easy to pick up a souvenir or two while you’re here.

Tweed

This is the last New South Wales town you’ll visit on your East Coast Australian road trip, and the first town of Queensland. But how can it be both?

Tweed is a border town that is split almost completely in half by the NSW/QLD border and it’s such a cute little town you have to stop and see it. In the centre, right on the border, you’ll find the border statue in the middle of the round-a-bout.

It makes for a great photo opportunity and inside there’s a little bit of history on how the border was decided.

Other Things To Do In Tweed

Besides all the shopping and little cafes available at tweed, it also has possibly the most unique coastal landscape that you’ll see on your drive to the Gold Coast from Sydney.

At Tweed, you’ll find Australia’s very own Giant’s Causeway, which offers some really good photo opportunities, as well as a unique place to lookout for Whales!

How Long To Drive From Sydney to Gold Coast?

You could complete the Sydney to Gold Coast drive, which is a distance of 836 km, in just under 9 hours but where’s the fun in that?

We recommend setting aside at least 7 days to do this road trip and really make the most of the destinations we recommend. This way you’re more likely to enjoy it, and who knows, it might even become one of your favourite road trips!

Is The Drive From Sydney To Gold Coast Worth It?

Even if your end goal isn’t to get to the top of the East Coast, we think driving from Sydney to Gold coast is absolutely worth it.

From small fishing towns, to bustling urban oases and hidden gems in the forest, we think this route has a little bit of everything!