I'm thinking of driving from Sydney to Gold Coast stopping in Coffs harbour on the way and have never done it before.
Anyone know if going through freeway, would it be too rough for the car (ie. bugs, potential gravel flying from trucks, etc)?
Driving from Sydney to Gold Coast
hhbb555 on 11/10/2023 - 18:10
Comments
Thanks mate.
What do you mean by don't leave the car unattended in coffs for long? Is it due high theft in the area?Its not a good area
Don't listen to that rubbish. Your destination is FAR worse than Coffs for crime. At least the highway doesn't go thru Kempsey anymore!
Yeah, I’ve done this trip a lot.The drive is no problem but on one occasion at a resort in Coffs someone’s vehicle was broken into and all their tools stolen. Preferably stay somewhere that has car close to accommodation or secure parking. Also don’t leave anything of value in the car, especially not visible and ensure your car is locked, and room is locked.
Noted. Thanks
Don't you mean Kempsey?
Kempsey only holds the overflow from Port Mac.
Coffs is a whole new dusk til dawn breed.
Watch out for big bananas.
I did Brisbane to Sydney last Christmas. It was my first time and quite a pleasant drive actually. There were 2 lanes each direction most of the way so you don't need to worry about tailgaters or slow drivers or stuck behind falling gravel trucks?
We did this last summer with 2 stops to Coffs to make drive smoother.
Stopped every 1.5-2 hours at Maccas for 'supplies' :)No worries with the drive, use Waze to get any alerts in case of emergencies.
Stopped every 1.5-2 hours at Maccas for 'supplies' :)
I don't usually get my supplies there but I often do 'deliveries' there.
I'd recommend a dashcam with GPS if you don't already have one. And avoid driving at dusk when the drop bears are most aggressive.
noted. planned on getting a dashcam.
Anyone know if going through freeway, would it be too rough for the car (ie. bugs, potential gravel flying from trucks, etc)?
We'll need the make/model/year of your motor vehicle to determine if too sensitive for freeway commute
Dual carriageway the entire way now (except Coffs). It's an easy drive, don't know why you would think it's hard on your car? Can be done in one day if leaving earlyish like 8am, stopping at Hexham, Taree, Coffs, Ballina, then arriving at GC about 8pm. Long day of driving, but very easy to do.
Dual carriageway the entire way now (except Coffs).
Yep, we almost have a 1980s caliber 'first world' road covering a major part of our population in 2023. Winning.
First world would be a fast train
Minus the US
Some friends mentioned that they regretted doing long drive on their cars as there were chips, dents, as well as bugs remains that's quite hard to clean on small crevices.
I'm more concerned about the chips and dents on a newish car that hasn't had any damage.That made me rethink, and thus asking the question since I'm not familiar with the route
i saw that before, although I have to say it looks terrible… :-P
I wonder how much it costs@hhbb555: looking at some the reviews, it doesn't seem it would help much, and potentially might even scratch the car bonnet based on one of the review
@hhbb555: Another option is a clear bra, urethane film https://www.provinyl.com.au/paint_protection_film.html
@sumyungguy: that's PPF isn't it?
it's so expensive I think at least $4k+ and only last for max 5 years..
I'll try to contact them and see what's the cost only for the front partsshame that there's no pre cut ppf available in australia. I've contacted paintgard if they have the pre cut template for my car
thanks
Well your alternative is driving on non-Freeway roads, like taking the New England Highway, which would have a MUCH, MUCH higher risk of stone chips and interactions with heavy vehicles on single-lane each-way roads. Not to mention, generally less safe than the M1 per km travelled.
It's why you have a car, and undoubtedly why you have insurance for that car. To drive places. You've probably got the same risk of stone chips and bugs driving around your neighbourhood!
It's a car, the purpose of which is to get you places! What's the point in owning it if you're worried about the damage driving will do to it?
Maybe I got use to it from always doing road trips as a kid but it's not hard. Pack the car, take company or some good tunes. I find the trick is leaving really early and a solid first stint. If you can get more than half the drive down by 12 it makes for an easy afternoon.
The drive is fine, but still worth considering flying depending on the nature of your trip. If you’re time poor you may value one less day of travel. If you’ve got a number of people in the car is more economical, but just one, you’d be better off flying. GC is a good place to have a car, but depending on where you are staying and what you are doing you may not need one.
It's for holiday with family (2 adults and 1 child). I did a comparison for other options before asking here:
Around $818 for flights (excl. taxis/ubers/public transports)
Around $1100 for 7 days of car hire (excl. tolls, fuel)Based on the responses here, I'm leaning to just drive my own car.
Did brisbane to Sydney once for work, wouldn’t recommend it for fun haha
Still better than Brisbane to cairns though I will say
Cairns to Newcastle overnight on the back roads if you're adventurous…
I think the thing I miss least about full time on the road rep/consultant life was the racism that occurred pretty much from Byron to chatswood, and from Gympie all the way north haha
Aye Karumba.
All downhill from Noosa to Toonsvillle.
Nice troll post. I'm not falling for it.
At least it’s not the Camry guy
I thought everyone here was a Camry guy. 😉
I like the Camry guy. He overthinks stuff too much and reminds me of my dad
Not everyone. You’re either a Camry Guy or a high yield investment vehicle guy
Can assure that it's a genuine question..
i used to drive from syd to gc as a kid and the road was mostly one lane each direction in the 90's
Aah, the good old days when highway driving was like flying low level in a Cessna through a gully but with oversized transport aircraft flying in the opposite direction at three times your speed and piloted by a wannabe cowboy whose pre-flight meal was a half ounce of actual speed.
Good times.
Recommend "touch of india" toormina/sawtell on the way out of coffs harbour. Best naans ever…
"touch of india"
Username checks out….. (for the next morning!)
Anyone know if going through freeway, would it be too rough for the car
Is your car made of Papier-mâché?
Possibly. Flying gravel from trucks would pierce the vulnerable panels.
They are mostly taking the piss.
Easy drive, bugs wash off. Stone chips are possible but that's the life of a car. Don't tail gate large trucks they will throw up more some gravel at the sides of roads.
Watch out for coppers they love hiding at places where the speed zones change. Mostly 110kmh all the way except for when passing throuh towns or road works. Use your cruise control. Pacific highway is nice and scenic or you could use the new England highway for some scenic inland towns prob 9-11 hours
Cruise control is a must, and for
Watch out for coppers they love hiding at places where the speed zones change
Waze is the waze to go
I'm guessing that OP will sit on 80km/h in the fast lane (less trucks there and friends said less duco destroying bugs in that lane), won't engage cruise control (cos that is scary Hi-Tech sh!t, so police probably aren't really a concern.
Assume much?
I use cruise control all the time, and agree with the mentions above that it is a must. Can't imagine driving that far on a freeway without CCBut you will be in the right lane doing 80?
@Muzeeb: you meant blocking the right lane?
I don't know why you assume that.. you don't have to assume the worst in people you know
Only one important OzB piece of info:
Last 7-11 is Newcastle until tweed heads
Plan your chopper wisely 👍The road is fine. Your car will likely be splattered with bugs by the time you get there but this goes for any long distance drive. Coffs is a great place to stop as you don’t need to leave the hwy. Be aware that Coffs isn’t half way, it’s closer to GC. Macksville is probably half way but much smaller. South West Rocks is stunning but out of the way. It depends on the purpose of your trip, ie just get there as efficiently as possible, or seeing something nice on the way. The trip can also be done in one go, I’ve done it many times, including to Bris.
Macsville aint on the motorway, it was bypassed
Still pretty close
noted. thanks
Just go straight through, if you leave Sydney around 7am you'll be in coffs for lunch. From there you could be in GC by 6 or 7pm depending on stops for refreshment, fuel and etc.
I stopped at Coffs the last 2 times I went to QLD, both times i feel like everyone resented living in Coffs, rude drivers (worse than Sydney), attitude from food servers, hotel keepers and petrol station workers. The only place I will ever visit again is the Mobil cause the attendant was friendly and seemed to get that stopping there isn't neccessary anymore.Can't wait for the bypass to be complete in 2027(fingers crossed).
would it be too rough for the car: NO, it's a 2 lane seperated highway all the way (except for the redundant Coffs crawl)
bugs: possibly but who cares, that's why theres car wash and detailers everywhere.
potential gravel flying from trucks: Is it any different to the M4/M7 etc in Sydney?wow.. i didn't know many people has strong feeling against Coffs..
Good to know.On my way back the second time i purposely stopped at Port Macquarie because I didn't want to spend any more time at Coffs than I had to.
PM peeps seem to understand they are a potential holiday destination and appreciate travellers.The reason I planned on staying overnight on Coffs is just to have a shorter distance to visit the banana park in the morning
So you reckon Port Macquarie overall is a better place for a stop over than Coffs?
@hhbb555: I find it a bit nicer and more relaxed, but that might be just me.
Doesn’t take too long to take a photo with the banana, depends if you’re doing a tour or any of the other activities you might want to stay in Coffs to get in early before you continue with your travels.@hhbb555: Isn't that where you shouldn't swim cause of all the mummy and daddy sharks making baby sharks do do do do do do baby sharks do do do do do do do do baby sharks.
you're welcome for the earworm everyone
@Brian McGee: 🫣
whaat?? wow.. never occurred on my mind..
so many new things that I learned just from this thread…@Brian McGee: I "swam with the sharks". The spot is called Fish rock. My friend was hosting a backpacker that was into diving. Fish rock at South west rocks is a "nursing area" for the sharks. The dive operator took me along to "snorkel" while they dove. After a while noticed the sharks in the distance. Would rate South west rocks as a good spot, small town vibes. Might be boring for kids though vs Coffs Harbour.
In my opinion, your car is more vulnerable to damage driving around the inner city. I've been driving for 20 years, including hundreds of long trips. The only significant damage I've seen on the car is 1. from a hail storm on a 20 min drive home from work; 2. dents and scratches from people bumping into my car when it was parked on an inner-city street or in a shopping centre. Never seen noticeable damage caused by a long drive.
good point. thanks
Used to drive Sydney to Gold Coast in the mid 90's during uni summer break. Did it for a few years on my old Daihatsu Charade, when the Pacific Hwy was still mostly single lane, going through towns dropping the speed limit to 60k/h. These days it's mostly 110k/h all the way through & much easier to drive.
Nice easy drive
Many cars make it through unscathed every day, should be fine.
Don't leave the car unattended in Coffs
too long, easier journey on 4 wheels.