Hi,
Im 21 and live in Brisbane and feeling real down lately im thinking getting away would be a good option. Im wanting to go somewhere by car but need some ideas on where to go? Going south seems favourable. Id be travelling alone (Im friendless :(), Two weeks max. Ive never really gone anywhere or done anything so this is why im asking.
Some others experiences of places would be great.
thanks
Collect some clothes a toothbrush and drive then. Stop somewhere that seems interesting. plenty of places within a few hours drive and if you've got two weeks you could cover a lot of ground if you drive all day.
What are you interested in? Surfing, walking, fishing, photography? bush, beach, city? Hamburgers or smashed avo and kale? Soy latte, craft beer, XXXX or JD and coke in a can? Trendy cafe or pub? Tent in the bush or 5 star hotel?
Might help get some suggestions if you give us some hints what you like.
And budget?
There's some great National Parks inland from the coast of NSW as you go down, Washpool would be closest. You could head down as far as Yamba, then turn inland.
head west. then north. then east (stop when you hit water) and then back down to Brisbane. clockwise loop.
if you're looking for a travel buddy then post a notice at some backpackers hostels stating "random 2 week drive around QLD" -which actual does sound pretty suss……but hey.
Doing all the driving solo can be draining for a road trip. Since OP is young and from the city I'm guessing there's not many years of driving experience in rural and mountainous roads. If you're not confident of driving mountain roads then I would only drive as far south as Nowra in NSW (about 2 hours south of Sydney) as the Princes Highway become very windy all the way till Melbourne.
Easiest roads to drive on are the express ways. Travel Brisbane to Sydney via coastal or inland. Then Sydney to Melbourne via Canberra.
If OP has confidence to drive mountainous roads then drive the Princes Highway to Melbourne. There are numerous caravan parks in NSW and Victoria that are on the the beach, river or lakes (especially in Victoria).
If its during winter an interesting solo activity is snowboarding/skiing for 2 weeks in NSW/VIC. 2 weeks is plenty of time to drive, arrange lodges/accommodation, lessons and lift passes.
If you're interested in meeting travellers and sharing the costs and driving
Couchsurfing.com
As OP said "Id be travelling alone (I'm friendless :(,
I suggest you book accommodation at YHA's as you can socialise and meet other travellers. They might want to join you on day trip or activities in the area. Take a pack of cards with you and a smile :)
I just found this official website concerning the NSW Pacific Coast from Tweed Heads to Sydney: http://www.visitnsw.com/things-to-do/drives-and-road-trips/t…
I haven't really stopped at places along the way before but it might be interesting. The weather is forecast to be quite wet though so it might affect the outdoor activities and sightseeing you could do.
If you have the money I'd suggest stopping in a few hostels along the way. You'll feel like the foreign tourist being the only Australian in them :) Except for Cairns, Adelaide and smaller destinations it seems I've always been the only Australian. Heading south from Brisbane, Gold Coast hostels are cheap and Byron Bay can get expensive. I've always wanted to travel the coast and inland town along the coast with a bicycle and train but it seems the inland town centres rarely have camping sites.
You could also post a rideshare on Couchsurfing.com.
If you've never done it before it could be worth working as a fruit picker for a few weeks somewhere remote for a laugh/torture. I think it's apple season now in a few places (http://www.visitnsw.com/things-to-do/drives-and-road-trips/t…)