10 Day Road Trip- Coffs Harbour to Sydney

Are You Ready For A Road Trip?

Coffs Harbour- 2 Days 

Coffs Harbour is a busy suburb along the New South Wales Coast with an outstanding coastline. Coffs Harbour has many amazing beaches and our favourite place to explore was Muttonbird Island. Read here for our top 5 things to do in Coffs Harbour.

Accommodation- We loved Clog Barn Caravan Park, this quirky place has not just a place to park your van but a miniature village to explore for free. Let me not forget to mention they serve the best pancakes in Coffs Harbour (we think so anyway)

Nambucca Heads- 1 Day

We stopped through Nambucca and spent the day here, it is gorgeous. We arrived in the morning and it was a hot day so the kids were eager to get in the water and have a swim. We found parking the rig easy enough as there was a heap of roadside parking spots available. 

Parking close to the water allowed us to come back easily to the van and have lunch plus change into some dry clothes for the next leg of the journey. 

V-Wall

This should be high on your list if visiting Nambucca Heads, the rocks are all painted along the jetty and we spotted dolphins many times throughout the day. It was a real treat. This is also where you will find a great big lagoon. At low tide, the lagoon attracts boats, SUP’s, canoes and everyone who wants to have a swim. 

Captain Cook Lookout

As you all know, we love a good lookout and this is the one we visited in Nambucca. Captain Cook Lookout is a beautiful lookout overlooking the ocean. The walk is easily accessible and has some great historical information just before you walk onto the platform. 

Accommodation- For a cost-effective accommodation option then we recommend Nambucca Bowling Club. The cost is $5 and you must be fully self-contained. 

Port Macquarie- 1 Day

Port Macquarie is another coastal suburb that we really enjoyed visiting. We stayed at Kempsey Showgrounds and took day trips into Port Macquarie. Our kiddos do Distance Education with NEPSODE  and they were excited to visit their online school in person. 

Other places include- 

Koala Hospital

The Koala Hospital was established in 1973 and is a not for profit organisation, with over 175 volunteers. The centre rescues, rehabilitates, releases and researches koalas. This free point of interest and is a brilliant place to visit. Bookings are essential and must be done online.

Flynn’s Beach

All along the coast, there are many beautiful beaches that are available to visit. We went on the weekend and during the school holidays so it was extra busy and we really struggled to find a carpark at the main beach.

We did however find a great beach further down called Flynn’s Beach and Shelly Beach. At Shelly’s Beach, we even met the local goanna. If you are heading here keep your eyes peeled on the grass area near the tables and coffee van as that is where he likes to hang out.

Accommodation Port Macquarie- When travelling we enjoy our space so we usually camp at showgrounds. When exploring Port Macquarie we parked up at a Wauchope Showgrounds. The cost for our family of five was $20. 

Forster and Tuncurry- 1 Day 

 We took a day trip took the drive around Tuncurry and Forster for a day adventure. We think a day exploring here is enough. We stayed at Bulahdelah Bowling Club which was a 65 kilometre drive to Tuncurry.

The best places to visit are-

John Holland Park

This is a beautiful place for a picnic lunch or some tucker from the local cafe. We grabbed some Fish and Chips and came down on the grass overlooking the water to enjoy lunch and the beautiful scenery. 

Ocean Baths and Bicentennial Walk

If you are keen on a dip in the ocean then this is the main beach in Forsters. Our kids loved the waves and there are also showers and toilets up behind the grass area. 

If you keep travelling along The Lakes Highway you will pass Wallis Lake, this drive is scenic and has many places where you can stop and enjoy the scenic views. 

Accommodation- Bulahdelah Bowling Club is a great place to park up while exploring surrounding areas. For $15 you can access both power and water, which makes for a very cheap place to stay. Don’t forget to head on over to the club and grab a cold bevvie and chat with the staff. 

Lake Macquarie- 2 Days

As always the NSW coast did not disappoint, although we did have a few days of rain, the remaining days were crystal clear blue skies. 

Lake Macquarie is a big place and has lots to explore and see. One day there won’t be enough but it will give you a taste of what can be found here. 

Caves Beach 

Caves Beach is a popular patrolled beach that holds the famous sea caves and rock pools. We would advise that you visit there on low tide, this way you can explore much more.

Watagons Mountains

If you are looking to escape the hustle and bustle then I suggest you head to the Watagon Mountains. This place is filled with many walking trails, waterfalls, scenic lookouts and bush camping. It is located West of Lake Macquarie in the Watagons National Park. 

Accommodation Lake Macquarie- We decided to stay at Bateau Bay Caravan Park at the very bottom of Lake Macquarie. This caravan park was lovely and had ocean views from our van. The kids loved the swimming pools. This was also the very first caravan park that had FREE washing machines and dryers to use. 

Sydney- 3 Days 

Arriving in Sydney was a little bit exciting for us as we are from Perth and is often known as the sleepy state. So arriving in Sydney was well…busy, very busy!

We were grateful enough to meet another family over the Christmas break and we bonded over both having an Essential Caravan, the kids made good friends and we were invited to stay at their house for a few days while they took us on a tour of their hometown- Sydney. 

We were sincerely grateful for this and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. 

There are plenty of things to do and places to see when in Sydney and I couldn’t possibly list them all. Although the two places we did want to tick off our bucket list were-

The Sydney Opera House 

Luckily enough the Sydney Opera House is located in the city centre and if you visit early enough on the weekend then you will find a parking spot easily enough. After visiting the Sydney Opera House you can then go for a stroll through the city, grab some brunch and enjoy the hill climbs that come about as you turn the corner of nearly every street. It certainly is a good work out!!!!

Bondi Beach 

Our kids love the TV show Bondi Rescue and were very excited to see the beach where this is filmed. We all love the beach so we enjoyed the beach vibes and swim. 

**** Parking is shocking and it’s busy! 

We hope you enjoyed our 10-Day road trip and if you have any feedback please drop it in the comments section below and we will get back to you ASAP. 

Safe travels to everyone

From Kylie and Dan