Thinking of driving from Brisbane to Sydney? Here’s how to get the most out of your trip
Driving from Brisbane to Sydney has been one of my favourite road trips. Exploring East Coast Australia has been something I had wanted to do for a while, but had never really found the time before this trip. And wow I wish I had done it earlier!
This section of East Coast Australia is filled with dreamy beaches, seaside towns and hidden swimming spots. Exploring Brisbane, Byron Bay, Coffs Habour and Port Macquarie along the way, we spent 5 days driving down the coast. I have detailed every step in this blog post!
I have included our route and itinerary from Brisbane to Sydney. As well as where to eat along the way, and the most beautiful things to do along East Coast Australia.
Tips for hiring a car on a budget
Brisbane to Sydney Return Rental Car
We hired our car from transfercar.com.au and it was a great way to save money! The car was a 5 seater rental car from Jucy, the rental company. The car needed to be returned back to Sydney 5 days later for another customer. As we were helping return the car, it was free. We had one tank of petrol included for the journey but has to pay for the rest. We ended up paying $70 for insurance on top of that just incase. It still worked out much cheaper than hiring a car the traditional way!
Hiring return rental cars is a very popular way to travel in Australia. With this method you need to be quite flexible in your trip destinations and dates because there are not always cars available. Saying that, this route is really common for the free rental cars because it is a touristy drive where a lot of cars get left behind in Brisbane or Sydney.
Brisbane to Sydney Itinerary
Day 1: Sydney to Brisbane
We flew with Jetstar from Sydney on the 6am flight which got us to Brisbane at around 8.30 am. This meant that we had more days for our road trip later on. When we arrived in Brisbane, we went straight to our hostel, checked in, and then went out to explore the city.
Top Things to do in Brisbane City:
- Visit the Brisbane City Markets
- Visit the Botanic Gardens
- Take a stroll around the South Bank
- Swim at the Lagoon on South Bank
- Visit the Brisbane twilight markets
- Walk along the Cliffs Boardwalk
- Take the city ferry to Kangaroo Point
The best brunch in Brisbane: NODO Cafe
There are two NODO Cafe’s in Brisbane, one on the south bank and one a little further out of the city centre. They sell a lot of smoothie bowls, cooked breakfasts and pastries so they have something for everyone! I had the blue smoothie bowl and it was honestly the best I have ever eaten. It was made with coconut milk and was incredibly creamy and delicious!
Where to stay in Brisbane:
Where to stay on a budget: Bunk Hostel
We stayed at Bunk Hostel when in Brisbane. It was super cheap, had a nice bar and pool, and was close to the city. The rooms were a little dark and cramped but it was what you expected for the price.
Where to stay on a higher budget: The Mantra on Edward
The Mantra on Edward is a hotel with self-serviced apartments in the heart of Brisbane City. They are a little more expensive, but give great access to the city, have a great view and are great for family trips. There is an outdoor/indoor pool on the ground level which looks out into the city. As well as a sauna and gym!
Day 2 – 4: Brisbane to Bryon Bay
The next day we drove from Brisbane to Byron Bay. This is about a 2 hour drive, with Surfers Paradise located about half way. We stopped off in Surfers Paradise for lunch and a walk on the beach on our way down to Byron Bay but didn’t spend much time there.
If you wanted to add a few days to your trip, I would recommend staying in Surfers Paradise and visiting the theme parks in the area! Movie World and Sea World are both great for adults and children!
Where to stay in Byron Bay: The Byron Bay Beach Hostel.
This was by far our favourite of the hotels we stayed in. It was super clean and they offered free yoga classes on the rooftop at 8am on some mornings. It was the perfect way to wake up before heading off to spend the day on the beach.
We spent 2 nights in Byron Bay but I would have loved to stay for longer!
Byron Bay beach is known for its sunsets so I would make sure to head down there if you can! In Byron we saw the most amazing sunset I have ever seen over on the main beach.
The best restaurants in Byron Bay
Folk Cafe
Folk Cafe is a beautiful cafe that has a few seats inside and then more seats sprawled around this beautiful garden area! There’s also a deck out the front with chairs made from crates and beautiful rugs to sit on. The food was sort of mediterranean inspired. If you are only visiting one cafe on this list then I would recommend this one. It is by far the nicest of those we visited in Byron Bay!
Finn Poke
This poke bar was so good! You could either pick your own ingredients, or choose from one of their bowls. The flavours were amazing and all super fresh.
Combi
Combi is a a Byron Bay cafe with amazing Acai bowls and such a beautiful aesthetic. Their carrot cake was amazing too. We spent the morning exploring the lighthouse and then came down here for our Sunday Morning breakfast!
The Pressed Pantry
This is a great spot for takeaway smoothies and salads! It is very close to the beach and is the best fresh lunch on a hot day!
No Bones
No Bones is a vegan restaurant that was recommended to me by a lot of friends before our trip. The food here was tasty and a bit unusual in their flavour combinations. The vegan mac and cheese was DELICIOUS and they had a great range of cocktails!
Day 5: Byron Bay to Coffs Harbour
This part of the drive is not so scenic, especially as much of it is on major highways located a bit further inland.
We made one stop on this day, at Tropical Fruit World, which was so much fun! Here there is a big garden you can walk around and have guided tours through, as well as a boutique and cafe selling all sorts of home made goods! We ended up sitting and eating some delicious fruit blocks and then filled our bags with jars of honey and jam for the trip home!
Where to stay in Coffs Harbour on a budget
The Ibis in Coffs Harbour is a very cheap and a nice accomodation option. We had a private room with 3 beds and it cost less that the hostel in Byron Bay. It was close to the city centre and a great place for a stop off.
Day 6: Coffs Harbour To Port Stephens
The drive down the coast is so beautiful, especially if you have the time to make a detour out to Waterfall Way and the small town of Bellingen. We did this in 1 day but I would recommend staying maybe 1 more night in Bellingen if you have time. There is so much beautiful nature to explore here!
Exploring Waterfall Way, East Coast Australia
Dangar Falls
This is the main waterfall. You can drive straight to the falls carpark where it is a 20 minute walk down to the base of the waterfall. You can swim in this waterfall, and I totally recommend it! We had a floatie with us that we set off into the water and spent a few hours relaxing in the sun.
Ebor Falls
This waterfall is a little further away (50km from the rainforest centre) but worth a visit if you are spending a few days in the area. it is one of Australia’s most scenic waterfalls and can be seen just a short walk from teh car park.
Where we stayed in Port Stephens
This part of the trip was a bit risky for us as we drove it without having a place to stay. We thought that we would be able to find a place along the way but unfortunately by the time we got there everything was either fully booked or closed.
In the end, we drove to the main beach and sleeping in the car. Luckily it was a warm evening and we had lilos to sleep on so it was actually very comfortable. There was something so special about waking up on the beach that morning.
Saying that, the moral of this story is book your Port Stevens accomodation in advance!
Day 7: Port Stevens to Sydney
Day 7 was our final day of the trip. We woke up in Nelson Bay and decided to drive back to Sydney right after breakfast. This drive is about 2.5 hours depending if you make stops along the way.
If you want to spend more time in Port Stevens then I would recommend going on a whale or dolphin tour with one of the companies in the harbour. I also recommend visiting Stockton Sands. This is a beach with massive sand dunes where you can swim, 4WD and take camel rides across the dunes!
Where to eat in Nelson Bay: The Little Nel
The Little Nel is a picturesque cafe just opposite the beach. The food is great here and they open quite early in the morning so its a great place to go and enjoy the sunrise if you are an early riser like me. Their chilli scrambled eggs and carrot cake were amazing!
Rounding off our Brisbane to Sydney trip
Something I loved about this trip was the ability to be flexible. We did not have a single day planned between Brisbane and Sydney, and we just drove waiting to see where the day took us. Something I recommend is looking out for brown tourist spot signs by the side of the road and just following them because that is how we ended up finding some of our favourite spots!
Should you drive Brisbane to Sydney or Sydney to Brisbane?
We did this trip from Brisbane to Sydney purely because that was how it worked out with our return rental car. The trip can also be done Sydney to Brisbane, with more of less stops along the way depending on how much time you have.
