Sydney the road trip summary

 

A summary of the road trip to Sydney. (see each day's post for more info)

A great road trip along the east coast from Melbourne to Sydney and back via the inland freeway.

A great week in Sydney, with daily adventures and explorations.

View from Apartment.

Day 1 Melbourne to Eden

A relaxing day following the coast upto Eden.

Day 2 Eden to Sussex Inlet

Mounties @ Sussex was the accommodation find of the Trip

Day 3 Sussex inlet to Sydney

The Pacific Grand Drive, with some great views

Day 4 Bridge Opera House city walking

Day 5 Summer bay, palm beach. Day trip

Yep, it had to be seen!

Day 6 Bondi walking and swimming

A walk from Bondi to Coogee , followed by a swim and Lunch at Bondi

Day 7 Manly, Kayak on the Harbour

Day 8 Navy review and homeward bound

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day 8 Navy review and homeward bound

 

The final day of our adventure , starting with an early look at the navy 125 years celebrations on the harbour, due to the early time only the first wave of ships were in and with them actually dropping anchor toward the heads and not so far down the views were limited,. Still good to see but home was calling!

The journey home was the straight route via Goulburn, Albury etc and was an easy and enjoyable drive of 10 hours.

Morning walk and last look at the bridge

Where we used to watch navy boats, right next door is Kirribilli house , so the view point was excellent.

Day 7 Manly , Kayak on the Harbour

 So with the morning kayak cancelled but rebooked for the sunset one, it was off to manly beach..

and then we finally get to paddle in the evening on the harbor!

Morning coffee view 

Day 6 Bondi walking and swimming

 A nice lazy day, over to Bondi for the walk from Bondi to Coogee beach, lots of very nice views along the way and the walk is well setup albeit with a fair few stairs,  6.5 klm in 80 minutes.  But you could stop at the various coffee houses etc for a break.  Highly recommend, but would start in Coogee as the beach there is not as good as Bondi, so a quick drive back to Bondi for a great swim in the surf and then a late  lunch.

Interestingly the cafe on Bondi was reasonably priced and had a very very good chicken salad.

A very good day, you could catch the bus but parking wasn’t really that bad but it was mid week out of season.

Pics in reverse order for a change.

The mandatory brunch.

Nearly there! coming down into Coogee Beach

Day 5 Summer bay, palm beach. Day trip

 

A very early start today for the planned kayak on the harbour event.

However a text at 5.15am to postpone due to lightning and rain.  So back to bed !

A day drive to palm beach for the "Summer Bay" exploration.

Fun day and palm beach is an exceptional place, great beach, little commerce , crowds.

Saw the filming sites, and then a nice Nice lunch , followed by a drive back past skein sisters wool shop, before home, walk to see admiral and kirribilli house , the sydney residences of the governor general and prime minister.

Then for the heck of it a night walk on the bridge to round out the day.

Walk in Kirribilli, past the two famous houses, for the PM and Governor General.

The lookout next to Kirribilli house.

Day 4 bridge opera house walking

 First day was an early morning walk over the bridge around to the opera house coffee and return.

Then we caught the train to the QVB shops and a general look around the city with a late lunch at darling harbour followed by a ferry ride back to kirribilli.  Then a chill time given we had been on the go for a few days.

Morning walk to the Opera House.

Day 3 Sussex inlet to sydney

 A nice day leaving Sussex inlet , Mounties Sussex camp ground.  A very nice place.

Driving up along the coast and the tourist route had a lot of great views, the road was windy with lots of Forrest’s and bays. just outside Wollongong we took the pacific tourist drive , with some great views and bridges. Then onto to see Homebush and the sites of the olympics then onto the dfo outlets for some retail therapy. Then into Kirribilli to the apartment for dinner.

A very enjoyable day.

The Pacific Scenic drive just outside Wollongong.

Day 2 Eden to Sussex Inlet

 Nice lazy day drive today to jervis bay.  Started filling senic drive 6 along the coast from Eden very nice but did get a bit winding road so after beumaquie we stuck tot he highway.  Lots of places to stop eat drink and look.  All a bit touristy and more expensive.  But hey that’s the area.  

Tonight is the mounties@ Sussex. Park one I throughly recommend as being friendly very clean and with some great facilities for the price.

Sussex inlet RSL , very nice meal and place

Day 1 Melb to Eden

 Day one was the transport day.  From Melbourne to Eden but a very pleasant drive with stops at bakeries opportunity shops and absolutely delightful views through the Gippsland and the start of the sapphire coast as we approached Eden.  

Highlight in Eden was the cruise ship in port and watching it leave.  A walk along the beach front with dolphins' surfers and just a very nice beach outlook.  Like the look of Eden and surrounds as a place to come back to and explore more.   

Trip Summary SA East Coast

 A slow wander along the southeast coast of SA from Warrnambool to Adelaide.

As part of getting to Adelaide for a wedding, we took a slow wander along the coast.

Most places we had previously visited but not stopped and just enjoyed or explored the parts a bit off the track.

Day 4 Beachport to Adelaide

 A nice night at the Beachport motel, we continued up the coast, 

Cape Jaffa, interesting new developments and a sandstone factory,

Robe, nice town but a bit ordinary

Kingston SE. The big lobster but also lunch stop.

Then past the corrong, the 2 hour drive of really not much.

Turning off at Wellington to catch the ferry across the Murray and then down past lake axeladier to Goolwa and onto Victoria harbour. Nice drive with lots of vineyards, the lake and bits to see,

By Goolwa the rain was settling in and with a forecast of high winds and rain to come a change in plans so onto Adelaide for a down day whilst the wind blows!

Day 3 Mount Gambier. To. Beachport

 After a nice night and great breakfast , it was included and featured bacon eggs so really just had to!

Off to look around Mountain Gambier, the lakes of course, and then onto Mount shank volcano for a brisk walk to the top, very nice and the 1000 steps were well constructed, the path around the top was very narrow so not for me…but a good walk..

From there it was onto port McDonnell , the lighthouse followed by a wander up the coast and the various sea sides. A diversion inland to Millicent for lunch and onto Beachport. Which is perhaps the pick of these towns lovely bay. Small but has a pub or two and looks great spot for future relax stop off for a. Few days.

Blue lake  at Mount Gambier

Day 2 Warrnambool to mt Gambier

 After a nice night we set off for port fairy,  a nice pretty little town, then onto Portland for nice wander around and lunch,  off to the lighthouse for a look, the scenic drive back to Portland then onto Nelson, with the backroads taken to explore parts of the glenelg river , the countryside is very nice with massive plantations and nice rolling green paddocks.  

The plan altered at Nelson’s, as accomodation at Nelson’s was sparse and we had time, so a quick trip to Mt Gambier for a wonderful night at-the park hotel.

Portland  , docks   A much larger port than expected

Day 1 sat Melb to Warnambool

A very nice day of travel
First stop was the wool mill  Tarndwarncoort.  
A small but interesting farm where the wool is processed on-site with wool purchased onward bound

2nd stop was the Colac botanical gardens and the lake.  A very pretty area 

For a late lunch a stop at Camperdown Bakery very nice pies and cakes, certainly on the list for return visits

Then onward to Warrnambool. And a look around the shore front and a walk through the city centre.  

Warrnambool shots mainly of seafront

Trip Summary: 2025 Sunshine Coast

 The 2025 Queensland Trip to Celebrate Retirement!

The trip's objective was to celebrate full retirement and learn to adopt to slow travel and the idea of staying in one place.

The road trip was fanastic with lots of wonderful places found and lots more to go back and spend more time at.

The two weeks at Caloundra was fun and enjoyable , but we think that next time we will try one week at a time for each place, especially on the first visit.

Total klm's 5,100

OutBound

Homeward bound 1

The back road option on the Toowomba to Tamworth section went astray with flooding on roads, hence the left hand turn , but wass nice to see Texas and Tenterfield.
Armidale was a very nice town and overnight stop

Homeward Bound 2

Final days to home

The final two days of this wonderful holiday were mainly travelling around 5 hours per day , with stops at some nice towns on the way.

The two hotels we stayed at were very good , the Coach inn in Giliganra and the  Camilia Motel in Narrandera both very clean with good beds and facilities.

Suggestions from both saw us having dinner at the Imperial in Giliganra ( two for one on Wednesdays) and the RSL in Narrandera.

Day two also stopped at Tocumwal and Nagambie both very nice towns worth a revisit.

Day 21 Armidale Nundle Tamworth Coonabarabran

Nice night in Armidale good hotel. 
Very nice drive to Nundle perhaps some of the best we have yet on the trip.
The wool mill at Nundle was interesting being one of only a couple of wool mills in Australia

.
At Tamworth it was the golden guitar , the wax museum of country music. Interesting and even knew most people displayed.
Followed by a nice drive to Coonabarabran for the night 

Days. 18 to 20 Toowoomba to Armidale

After leaving the sunshine cost we spent a wonderful 2 days catching up with the sister in law and children.  
Toowoomba has a number of great things to see and we included a wonderful lunch at picnic point 

Monday morning saw us on the road toward Tamworth but a great maybe not so great idea to take the back roads saw us hitting water covered flood ways. Not something I really wanted to try for the first time in a place I didn't have mobile access etc. so a detour which was very pleasant saw us across to Texas and then over on the New England highway with lunch at   Tender field , an interesting town worthy of a future visit to explore and stopping for the night at Armadale which is a very pretty town also.

Day. 17 Last day. Kayak swimming relaxing

The rain has stopped and this morning was a good kayak followed by a beach swim. A late lunch and relax for this afternoon as we prepare to head off in the morning

Day 16 a rainy relaxing day

So a rainy day but very relaxing with a drive to golden beach for a Thai lunch which was very nice but not quite ped standard

A walk this afternoon during a lul in the rain watching the bigger waves crashing in. Funny enough most people out and about looked like fellow melbournities!

An interesting part was the Main Street pavement stars. The sad part I remembered almost all, the stars have been there a while.