East Coast roadtrip day by day

Day 1: Sydney

My parents arrived in Sydney a day later than originally planned - don't ask me how, but they managed to miss their connecting flight in Dubai...Typical! I was actually quite jealous when I saw the pictures of their stay there, it wasn't such a waste of time for them after all...Quite a nice sightseeing stop on the way to Oz! 

We were really lucky with the sunny weather on their first day - it had been raining non stop before their arrival, and I was beginning to feel quite worried about having to go on a wet and cold road trip. After all, my parents were coming to the other side of the world to escape the French rain! I had warned them about Winter here in Sydney, but still...

We headed out for a full day of sightseeing to beat the jetlag - Central Business District, The Rocks, Circular Quay, Botanical Gardens and the ferry to Manly. My parents' impressions of Sydney were that of a noticeably young, working city, with LOTS of Chinese people.

Day 2: Sydney

Since my parents had slept through their alarm and were suffering from jetlag (and blisters from the day before) we decided to go on a Hop on/Hop off bus tour for the day to take it easy. 

It cost 40 AUD/person for a combined ticket (including the CBD and Bondi routes). Beware of the times during the low season though, it's not very specific and you can end up waiting for the bus a lonnnnng time...

Our first stop was Darling Harbour and the Chinese Garden of Friendship, which I had never been to so far. Very beautiful and so peaceful despite being right in the middle of the city.

We then took the second bus route to Bondi Beach. Check out The Bucket List, a bar/restaurant with live music facing the sea.

Day 3: Blue Mountains 

We rented a car for three days to go to the Blue Mountains (Hertz on William St. Corner Riley St). You can also go there by train but it seemed less convenient to get around properly.

http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/blue-mountains/getting-to-the-blue-mountains

We first stopped at the information centre in Glenbrook and had lunch in lovely little Café Cee on the main road.

Unfortunately it was so cold and windy (approx. 5 degrees) that we were unable to go for a proper walk in the mountains, which was very frustrating. I am thinking of going back in Spring for a day trip to make the most of the many trails out there.

Here are a few pictures:

Wentworth Falls viewpoint

Leura Village main street

Yup, it's Christmas over here!!!

Three Sisters at Echo Point

Katoomba - Belgravia Guesthouse

Day 4: Blue Mountains

We drove all the way to the Jenolan Caves, and visited Lucas Cave for around two hours with a guide.

If you know people who have been to the Caves before, ask them for their Jenolan pass which will give you a 50% discount on a cave tour of your choice. The ticket is reusable until the expiry date (I’ve got three tickets if anyone is planning a trip to the Blue Mountains – they’re valid until 3/05/2014! Merci Doro ;))

We then went up North and stopped at Blackheath viewpoint and the Mt Tomah Botanical Gardens on the way - definitely worth the drive.

Mt Tomah Botanical Gardens

Stop at Bilpin on your way back to Sydney for a taste of their famous apple pies!

Day 5: Morisset kangaroos

We spent the day in Morisset (approx. 1 hour 1/2 drive from Sydney) and had a picnic amongst the kangaroos. Love that place!

Day 6: Port Stephens

We went to pick up our campervan at Apollo Camper, and got a 6berth instead of a 4berth for no added costs – deal!! Not very clean, but I wasn't expecting it to be in perfect condition - campervan rentals are ongoing here in Oz! 

http://www.apollocamper.com/

We drove all the way to Nelson Bay and stayed overnight at Halifax campsite next to Little Beach. Bear in mind that some campsites close at 6pm during the winter so it's best to call them in advance to warn them of a late arrival.

Powered sites cost around 35-40 AUD during the offpeak season.

Little Beach

Day 7: Port Stephens

We spent the morning walking along Shoal Bay and climbed Mt Tomaree (one of the top 10 views in Australia apparently) - approx. 20 minute walk to the top. Spectacular 360° view I must say!

We then had lunch next to the Worimi Sand Dunes. It's a shame we couldn't stay longer, apparently you can go for quad rides and surf the dunes. Reminded me of the sand dunes along the Namibian coast...Magical!

We stayed overnight at Seal Rocks campsite, a fairly isolated spot, recommended by Doro. Quite a long drive from Port Stephens so head out early! The sun sets really early in Winter (around 5/5.30 pm) so you have to make the most of the day time (which means very early starts!)

We actually did see one in the middle of the campsite...

Day 8: 

We woke up to a drizzle, but it wasn't too cold so we wandered along Seal Rocks beach and then went up to Sugarloaf Lighthouse. The sea was wild, beautiful view up there.

Sugarloaf lighthouse

We then drove off beyond Port Macquarie with a few stops on the way:

Booti Booti National Park

We stopped at Tuncurry for lunch - Mum wanted us to go to the local Bowling Club because apparently the seafood is known to be delicious there, but we stumbled upon all these old people playing lotto or something. We decided to go to The Reef restaurant instead, much better option in my opinion.

We stayed overnight at Bonny Hills Big4 campsite. 

Day 9: Dorrigo

We went inland from the coast after a detour via Macksville by the river, then Bellingen (a lovely little town where Doro had spent a few days back in Autumn), followed by the rainforest centre in Dorrigo, which a young man had recommended back at Seal Rocks. The skywalk is magnificent, and there are also plenty of hikes to go on if you like walking!

The winding road to Dorrigo up the mountains has stunning views but I must admit I didn't really take them in, I was in the back of the campervan feeling VERY sick. We stayed in a tiny little campsite, we were the only ones there! (I believe it was the only one with powered sites around that area!)

Day 10: Byron Bay

We drove from Dorrigo to Danga Falls, stopped for lunch in Grafton and coffee in McLean, the "Scottish Town in Australia".

Check out Botero Coffee & Roastery (https://www.facebook.com/espressobotero) Lovely people there!!!

Spent the night at a campsite in Byron Bay - 92 AUD for a powered site...Apparently there was a music festival nearby which "justified" the high season rate! Not such a nice surprise upon arrival...

Day 11: Gold Coast

We started the day by taking a stroll along Byron Beach and going up to Cape Byron, the most easterly point in Australia.
Spotted a few whales and a shoal of dolphins off the coast, amazing!!!!

We then had to speed up the Pacific Highway in order to get to Brisbane before 4pm to pick up a rented car at the airport and drop off the campervan! We unfortunately didn't have a lot of time to make the most of the Gold Coast and briefly drove through Surfers' Paradise, which was just a mess of roadworks...

We stayed at the Metropolitan Motor Inn, very close to the river and the city centre. The esplanade along the river is beautiful at night, full of bars and restaurants, it reminded me a bit of Melbourne.

Day 12: Lone Pine and Noosa

We spent the day at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary - my first koala bear hug :) We then drove up to Noosa Heads for our Fraser Island tour pick-up the next day. Stayed an Noosa Yallambee Holiday Apartments - the lady there was adorable and upgraded us to a huge apartment :) Shame we couldn't stay longer!!!