Driving from Sydney to Melbourne and back

[Bill S]

We have booked a January 20 cruise from Sydney and we are flying in early on January 14. Of course we want to see and enjoy the fabulous sights and attractions that Sydney has to offer, but we think that 6 days may be too long for one city, even if it is wonderful Sydney. We would like to see a bit more of Australia.

So, would it be feasible to rent a car and drive to Melbourne for a day or two and drive back to Sydney? How long of a drive is it, time-wise? Is Canberra on the way, and if not, how much out of the way is it?

Any suggestions/recommendations will be appreciated. Thanks!

[The_Big_M]

Sydney to Melbourne, similarly to Brisbane, is about a full day drive each way. Depending on how frequently you stop, it's probably a minimum of 11 hours, up to 13-15. I'd say it's not really feasible for what you intend as, if you do an all-nighter you'll probably be too tired to see much the next day, let alone have much energy for the drive back and if you go during the day, then that's taken away 2 whole days from the 6 leaving a lot less for sightseeing in both cities.

 

If you want to go there, I'd suggest flying which takes away the tiredness and save some time. Alternatively, if you want to drive, a day trip to the Hunter Valley and/or Newcastle is probably more worthwhile. Regarding Canberra, it isn't directly on the way but need not be that far off. It's about 4 hours direct driving out of Sydney. It's nice but not so well known for sight seeing.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Does your cruise call into Melbourne?

It is a long way to drive there and back.

6 days in Sydney will just fly by.

Do a google on Sydney Day Trips.

You can do organised day tours to Canberra, Hunter Valley, Blue Mountains, Northern Beaches.

On your own you can do tours on the ferries to Manly,

Explorer Bus to Bondi......Opera House tour, and numerous Harbour Cruises.

We quite often pop over to Sydney and can easily spend a week there.

Another option would be to fly up to Cairns and visit the Great Barrier Reef, but even then you would have allow 1 day to even fly there and another to come back as most flights have to change or stopover in Brisbane.

[Globaliser]

Of course we want to see and enjoy the fabulous sights and attractions that Sydney has to offer, but we think that 6 days may be too long for one city, even if it is wonderful Sydney.

No, six days is not too long for Sydney. Arguably, six weeks might be a bit on the long side, but not six days. You really don't want to be wasting time getting to and from another place if you only have six days.

 

And you certainly don't want to be wasting an entire day driving from Sydney to Melbourne (or back). For comparison, the distance involved is a bit like driving from New York to Detroit.

 

Canberra is an easier drive - about three hours. It's the sort of distance that makes flying a marginal exercise as far as time is concerned. But if I were going to Canberra for the day, I would probably still fly.

[MMDown Under]

6 days in Sydney is not too much, however, if you want a taste of the countryside, I recommend you include a visit to Canberra.

 

If you decide to visit Canberra, which has a lot to see and do, I recommend you take the bus to Canberra direct from the airport.

 

It is a pleasant three hour drive and the bus stops in the centre of Canberra.

 

Greyhound is the bus line, which you can book on the Internet (request a window seat). When you return from Canberra, the bus stop is at Central Station in the city.

 

I flew to Sydney in April, returning from Canberra, and found this was the most convenient inexpensive way to travel between the two cities.

 

In Canberra, you can see lots of wildlife, as it is in the country (kangaroos on golf courses and beautiful birds (cockatoos, galahs, etc.). Canberra also has a beautiful Australian Native Plants Botanical Garden, with a Cafe in the middle of the Gardens.

[MMDown Under]

We have booked a January 20 cruise from Sydney and we are flying in early on January 14. Of course we want to see and enjoy the fabulous sights and attractions that Sydney has to offer, but we think that 6 days may be too long for one city, even if it is wonderful Sydney. We would like to see a bit more of Australia.

 

So, would it be feasible to rent a car and drive to Melbourne for a day or two and drive back to Sydney? How long of a drive is it, time-wise? Is Canberra on the way, and if not, how much out of the way is it?

 

Any suggestions/recommendations will be appreciated. Thanks!

 

If you are happy to drive on the other side of the road, a car trip either south or north of Sydney, visiting the beaches and national parks along the way, is a wonderful way to see the countryside.

 

Just remember January is the Australian summer school holidays and the beaches are more popular at that time of year (whilst the inland country is deserted).

[Bill S]

Wow, you all are great--we are convinced to scrap the idea to drive to Melbourne. It is a longer drive than I thought. Also, after doing some more research, I think that Sydney and nearby places like the Blue Mountains, will keep allow us to liesurely enjoy all it has to offer.

At least we have a few months to construct a list of things to see and do.

KiwiKruzer: Our cruise is a round-trip out of Sydney and we will visit New Zealand ports only, between embarkation and disembarkation. Our itinerary in New Zealand is: Milford Sound, Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga (Rotorua), Auckland and Bay of Islands. It is pretty port intensive, but we can handle it. :)

 

Thank you all! I appreciate your suggestions.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

KiwiKruzer: Our cruise is a round-trip out of Sydney and we will visit New Zealand ports only, between embarkation and disembarkation. Our itinerary in New Zealand is: Milford Sound, Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga (Rotorua), Auckland and Bay of Islands. It is pretty port intensive, but we can handle it. :)

Thank you all! I appreciate your suggestions.

 

Nice itinerary, not all cruises include Napier and Bay of Islands.

I am sure if you search this board you will pick up lots of ideas, but during your research if you have any questions ,just fire away ,and someone from down this way will be very pleased to answer as best we can.

[Aussie Gal]

I am sorry you will not be visiting Melbourne as our city has a lot to offer but it is a long drive from Sydney even if you spent a night in Canberra, it would still take you a further 6 hours driving though once you crossed over the border at the Murray River, it is an easy drive, as it is a 4 lane highway and there isn't a single traffic light until you reach the actual city.

 

It is a pity you cannot allow a couple more days to fly down to Melbourne and enjoy what we have to offer. Of course, being school holidays wherever you visit, will be crowded and busy.

 

Jennie

[Bill S]

Hi Jennie!

Yes, I wish we could swing a visit to Melbourne on this trip and still see all the sights in both your city and in Sydney. We have read "In a Sunburned Country" and would love to visit all the great places described in that good book. I guess we will have to visit Australia a second time to take it all in! :)

[Trvlingal]

We (4 of us - two couples) are going on a Princess cruise Nov 14 to NZ out of SYD roundtrip. Since I have a lot of family in Australia thought we would go early, drive to Canberra and then onto Melbourne see family there and then back. We have a 8 1/2 days to do this. We are madly searching to find info on the coastal route from SYD to Canberra and from there onto Melbourne. We know there are sights to see Canberra to MEL but is the coastal route interesting SYD to Canberra? Any suggestions on either route of places to stop or places to stay. We thought we would stay outside of Canberra the first day as we will be arriving in SYD in the early morning and wanted to hit the road. We plan to spend 2-3 nights in the area and see the sights of the city and then head for Melbourne and take two or three nights back. I know, short visit with family but better than none. Any help is appreciated. We have driven on left side before and we are seasoned travelers. Thanks for any thoughts you might give.

[Aussie Gal]

The coastal drive (Princes Highway) from Sydney to Melbourne (or from Canberria to Melbourne) is a lovely drive but you will need to break it. I would suggest if you leave from Canberra, to stay a night at Gypsy Point before heading directly to Melbourne.

 

On the return journey, definitely go up via the Hume Highway. If it were me, I would go directly from Sydney to Melbourne on the Princes Highway, perhaps stopping at Mollymook and Gypsy Point or Merimbula and Lakes Entrance.

 

On the way home, I would go via Canberra and spend a night or so there to break the journey (it is a 6 hours trip from Melbourne) before heading directly back to Sydney.

 

Jennie

[MMDown Under]

We (4 of us - two couples) are going on a Princess cruise Nov 14 to NZ out of SYD roundtrip. Since I have a lot of family in Australia thought we would go early, drive to Canberra and then onto Melbourne see family there and then back. We have a 8 1/2 days to do this. We are madly searching to find info on the coastal route from SYD to Canberra and from there onto Melbourne. We know there are sights to see Canberra to MEL but is the coastal route interesting SYD to Canberra? Any suggestions on either route of places to stop or places to stay. We thought we would stay outside of Canberra the first day as we will be arriving in SYD in the early morning and wanted to hit the road. We plan to spend 2-3 nights in the area and see the sights of the city and then head for Melbourne and take two or three nights back. I know, short visit with family but better than none. Any help is appreciated. We have driven on left side before and we are seasoned travelers. Thanks for any thoughts you might give.

 

Goulburn is an interesting historic town, 2 hours from Sydney, less than an hour to Canberra and just over an hour to the Coast.

 

http://www.igoulburn.com/

 

We stayed at this spotless reasonably priced motel in January.

 

http://www.clintonlodgemotel.com.au/

 

In Canberra, we have stayed in many places, however our favourite is Telopea Inn on the Park, in a beautiful neighbourhood, walking distance to Parliament House.

 

http://www.telopeainn.com.au/

 

If you can spare the time, I would recommend you return from Melbourne by the Coastal route all the way from Melbourne to Sydney.

 

http://www.visitnsw.com/zone/South_Coast.aspx

[Trvlingal]

Thanks for your input. To complicate things I want to be in Melbourne on a weekend so I can see my brother who would fly up from Tassie for the weekend. Since we are in the US and he has been in AU for years it is important to catch him when he isn't working. So going directly there was our first thought until we looked at dates and realized we'd miss him if we did. So will do Canberra for a couple nights, maybe even 3, on to MEL breaking the trip up into 2 nights arriving on the 7th with at least 2 days there and then back to SYD on the 9th arriving back sometime the 10th. If this is nuts we may have to rethink. Is Canberra worth staying for 2 full days? I'd rather see the countryside after a 1 day stay (maybe two nights) and then have 3 full days to get to Melbourne but our friends think we need 2 full days in Canberra. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

[MMDown Under]

Thanks for your input. To complicate things I want to be in Melbourne on a weekend so I can see my brother who would fly up from Tassie for the weekend. Since we are in the US and he has been in AU for years it is important to catch him when he isn't working. So going directly there was our first thought until we looked at dates and realized we'd miss him if we did. So will do Canberra for a couple nights, maybe even 3, on to MEL breaking the trip up into 2 nights arriving on the 7th with at least 2 days there and then back to SYD on the 9th arriving back sometime the 10th. If this is nuts we may have to rethink. Is Canberra worth staying for 2 full days? I'd rather see the countryside after a 1 day stay (maybe two nights) and then have 3 full days to get to Melbourne but our friends think we need 2 full days in Canberra. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Both suggestions are good, depends what you prefer. We drive annually from Melbourne to Canberra in a day, then spend 2 - 5 nights there, as there is a lot to see and do in Canberra. However, going down to Melbourne we usually do a more scenic route, via the Southern Highlands, Wagga Wagga, the Murray River, Beechworth, Milawa, etc. (if we do eastern route) or via Deniliquin (western route).

 

http://www.milawagourmet.com/

 

http://www.visitnsw.com/area/Deniliquin_and_Surrounds.aspx

 

We love these Aussie rural towns.

[Aussie Gal]

Canberra is a great city with lots to see. You can easily fill in two days. I would suggest the first day to visit the National Gallery or Portrait Gallery and old Parliament House. On the second day I would visit our National War Museum and new Parliament House. If you are not interested in any of these there is also our National Library and High Court. It is an easy city to walk around and we spent 3 lovely days there in April. We stayed at the Hyatt which was close to everything. Canberra also has some good restaurants as well.

 

Of course you are not leaving enough time to visit Melbourne which has a huge amount to offer. You could spend quite a few days in our lovely city without touching the surface.

 

Jennie

[MMDown Under]

 

Of course you are not leaving enough time to visit Melbourne which has a huge amount to offer. You could spend quite a few days in our lovely city without touching the surface.

 

Jennie

 

Agreed, Jennie.

 

Which is why I spend at least ten days to a fortnight there every January.

 

Melbourne is our most elegant city, with beautiful parks and gardens (despite the on-going drought), great shopping with lovely arcades and laneways to explore, plus the best live theatre and sporting events in Australia.

[donaldsc]

It will not be a problem spending 6 days in Sydney, especially if you plan on 2 of them in the Blue Mountains. Remember, you are on vacation and part of the vacation is to spend time sitting in sidewalk cafes drinking the best coffee in the world (makes American coffee taste like brown dishwater) and watching the world go by.

 

DON

[donaldsc]

Canberra is a great city with lots to see. You can easily fill in two days. I would suggest the first day to visit the National Gallery or Portrait Gallery and old Parliament House. On the second day I would visit our National War Museum and new Parliament House. If you are not interested in any of these there is also our National Library and High Court. It is an easy city to walk around and we spent 3 lovely days there in April. We stayed at the Hyatt which was close to everything. Canberra also has some good restaurants as well.

 

Of course you are not leaving enough time to visit Melbourne which has a huge amount to offer. You could spend quite a few days in our lovely city without touching the surface.

 

Jennie

 

I am not sure if you are going to be in Canberra on Sunday but if you are there, don't miss the Sunday market at the Glassworks. We spent several hours there.

 

Just don't make the mistake of buying mead wine from the guy who sells it for about $5.00 per bottle. I should have been suspicious at the low price but at $1.00 per bottle, would have been overpriced.

 

DON

[mochuck]

Remember, you are on vacation and part of the vacation is to spend time sitting in sidewalk cafes drinking the best coffee in the world (makes American coffee taste like brown dishwater) and watching the world go by.

 

There's a reason for that ;)

[captainron]

G'Day David,

We're on the Star into Port Chalmers (Dunedin) on 28 Oct, and a few of us have booked a group fare on the Taeri Gorge train to Pukerangi and back (the 4hr one).

Question...don't know if you're on the north or souith island, but here goes:

 

I know Citibus in Dunedin does service to ther port in Port Chalmers and I have the daily schedule, however I'm trying to determine:

a. Where the Taieri Gorge train leaves from ( the old NZR station?)

b. Does Citibus run a service direct to the trains departure point from Port Chalmers?

 

Have emailed citibus in Dunedin (Dundee/Edinburgh) but to no avail. As yet they haven't had the courtesy to rtn or cfm receipt of my email.

 

Can you help us out with the above questions?

 

Thanks, and...

 

Ciao for now!!!

[Kiwi Kruzer]

G'Day David,

We're on the Star into Port Chalmers (Dunedin) on 28 Oct, and a few of us have booked a group fare on the Taeri Gorge train to Pukerangi and back (the 4hr one).Can you help us out with the above questions?Thanks, and...Ciao for now!!!

 

Hi captainron,

I have not done that tour,so all I can pass on is what I have observed.

If you have booked the ships tour the train comes to the wharf to pick you up ,then off to the Station in Dunedin. I have read of people doing it themselves and they have caught the train at the main station.

The bus will take you in there, but we found them rather slow ,so took a taxi, into Dunedin , and got off at the Railway Station as that is an Historic Building. Might add it took a while to find a taxi, but things may have improved now.

The train is a popular tour and many people on the board have done it.

You might like to start a new thread as this question may be missed here, and others who have done the tour may be able to give you the answers you are looking for.

[donaldsc]

There's a reason for that ;)

 

 

Some of the best times on my vacations have been spent sitting at a cafe' for an extended period doing absolutely nothing but watching the city go by.

 

You do not have to be doing something constantly.

 

DON

[mochuck]

totally agree - I was commenting on American coffee :D. people watching is a great exercise

[Nancy53]

To Trvlingal: We to are on the same cruise as you. Sounds like you have a great itinerary before going on the cruise. We are coming in 3 days early so that we can see Sydney. We are very excited. Can't wait. Hope to see you on board. I started a roll call for this cruise on the other board for Sun Princess roll calls for Nov - 14 - 27th. Thanks.