The East Coast: Sydney to Brisbane and the Gold Coast
About 920 kilometres of coast. Seven to ten days, with the same driver and the same vehicle from the first morning to the last.
Seven to ten days, not ten hours
Australia’s east coast is the drive most visitors picture when they think of an Australian road trip, and it is the one that suffers most from being rushed. Sydney to Brisbane along the Pacific Highway is about 920 kilometres and can be driven in ten or eleven hours. Done that way, you will have seen the highway and nothing else.
We plan it as seven to ten days. Five is possible one way if you are moving briskly and skipping the Blue Mountains. Longer is better.
Stops along the way
Sydney
New South Wales
The harbour, the Opera House and the Botanic Gardens are the obvious start, and worth a full day at the pace you actually want rather than the pace a coach sets.
The Blue Mountains
A day each way
Worth saying plainly: the Blue Mountains are west of Sydney, not on the road north. Getting there and back costs you a day. It is a day most guests are glad they spent — Katoomba, the escarpment lookouts and the eucalypt haze that gives the range its name — but we would rather you decide that with the trade-off in front of you.
Port Stephens
About 2.5 hours north of SydneyA resident population of bottlenose dolphins in the bay and the Stockton sand dunes behind it. The dolphin cruises leave from Nelson Bay — they are boat trips, booked separately, and we time the driving around the departure.
Byron Bay
Northern New South Wales
Cape Byron is the most easterly point of the Australian mainland, and the lighthouse walk at first light is the reason people set an alarm on holiday. Between May and November, humpback whales pass close to the headland on their migration, and you can often see them from the cliff without a boat at all.
The Gold Coast and Brisbane
Queensland
Surfers Paradise for the beach and the skyline; the theme parks sit in a cluster twenty to thirty minutes north of Surfers, which makes them an easy day with a driver waiting rather than a car park to find. Brisbane is about an hour further north again, and works well as either the finish or the turnaround point.
Who this journey suits
Families with teenagers, for the theme parks and the surf. Couples who want beaches and small coastal towns rather than a city holiday. Groups travelling together who would otherwise be splitting across three hire cars and losing each other at every stop.
It also suits anyone who does not want to drive on the left for 900 kilometres.
Nine days on the road is a different proposition
Seat comfort and luggage space decide this one.
Mercedes-Benz V-Class
Up to 7 passengersThe usual choice.
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
Up to 11 passengersThe only sensible option for a group with a full set of checked luggage plus surfboards or golf bags.
Toyota Alphard
Up to 6 passengersIndividual reclining seats. The most comfortable vehicle in the fleet for long days.
Kia Carnival
Up to 7 passengersPractical and easy to load.
Practical notes
Distances are real
- Even on an unhurried plan, several days involve three to four hours of driving.
- We spread them so no single day is punishing, and we will tell you during planning which days are the long ones.
Season and crowds
- December to February is peak season: highest temperatures, highest accommodation prices, fullest beaches.
- Autumn and spring are more comfortable in every respect.
- NSW and Queensland school holidays fill the Gold Coast and push prices sharply. If your dates are flexible, we will tell you which weeks to avoid.
Boat trips are separate. Dolphin cruises at Port Stephens and whale-watching boats at Byron are run by licensed marine operators, booked separately and subject to their own weather cancellations. We plan the driving around them and we will say honestly whether a given date is likely to work. Entry tickets and meals are not included; your vehicle, fuel, driver and route planning are. See how a multi-day journey works.
Tell us where you want to go
Send us your dates, how many are travelling and how many days you have. We will come back with a route and a written quote.
Or call or message +61 437 384 719, or email Enquiry@mpjaustralia.com.au. Deposit and cancellation terms are set out on the multi-day journeys page.