The Great Australian Road Trip Sydney to Cairns

The Thought it self gets me excited, If only you had an unlimited amount of time =) and a million dollars =) so you can take your time. But if you’re like most people you may have between 5 days to a month and only $5 =(. So what beaches should you stop in at on your journey? Which beaches are worth driving off the main highway to stop and visit? Well since you’re asking Australia’s Best Beaches compiled a list of the beaches that we think are worth visiting on your trip between Sydney and Cairns. So the first stop on the list is the Sydney beaches and that alone is a long list.

We like Coogee, Bondi, Manly, Dee why, Narrabeen and Palm Beach they are all worth looking at I would even throw in Watsons Bay inside of Sydney Harbour. If you’re only in Sydney for a few days I’d probably do Bondi because it’s Bondi and that’s probably the most famous beach in Australia. Watson’s bay in the harbour is unique and very pretty and Manly on a one day daytrip if you like. And if you have more time we would include Palm Beach and the other northern beaches, there are some very scenic cliff views. Also the walk Between Coogee beach and Bondi is filled with amazing scenery.

Travelling north of Sydney the first stop in is Terrigal Beach in Gosford. Terrigal beach has a very exclusive feel and the sand has a vibrant Orange colour to it, the only disappointing thing is the distance between there and the highway. But since you have already turned off the main highway there are 3 beaches in Newcastle worth visiting Merewether, Newcastle City Beach and Light house Beach. All 3 have distinguishing qualities and all 3 are worth seeing.

From Newcastle you want to Travel to the very scenic Nelsons Bay, it takes around 40 minutes to drive there but it’s worth it. Some very nice bays, Shoal Bay, Fingal Bay and of course stop in and see zenith Beach.
After Nelsons bay you need to get back onto the Pacific Highway and head to the scenic lakes way outside of Bulladeallah, from there you can travel to Seal Rocks defiantly worth the drive off the main road (approx. 25min). Seal Rocks is isolated and only has a small community there is a caravan park there if you wish to stay.

Port Macquarie is next on the list the river mouth ends right near their main beach and always looks very beautiful =) also be on the lookout for any Dolphins. About an hour away are Nambucca heads and Valla they are close together. Nambucca is a sleepy costal town and Valla has a few hidden Beaches and has a very isolated feeling to it. Coffs Harbour has many Beaches but the one that stood out for us was Sapphire Beach.

Take another detour off the Pacific Highway and you will come across Yamba and Angourie both have very nice beaches, Angourie is a personal favourite. Turn off the Highway to Evans Heads and it feels like you’re driving through Western Australia with very ruggedly beautiful scenery and the beaches look amazing.

What would be a Road Trip in Australia without a stop in at Byron Bay? Still one of our favourite places to visit in Australia after all these years, the Vibe has changed slightly but the beaches are still so very beautiful.

The Gold Coast has some of the best Beaches in Australia with fine Sand and the perfect temperature water for swimming. Our favourites are Coolangatta, Kirra, Burliegh Heads, Surfers Paradise and Main Beach.

The next Beach is actually an island Morten Island is north of Brisbane and defiantly worth the stop in. The Sunny Coast has Many Wonderful Beaches, but with so many to choose from we narrowed it down to 3, Coolum, Sunshine and Noosa Main Beach.