Help with Adelaide to the Gold Coast road trip

[Chippar]

I need some help please. Next week we'll be driving from Adelaide (near the Airport) back to the Gold Coast.

Which is the best way to go? We intend to stop over one night.

Any assistance will be appreciated.

Thanks, Chippy.

[AU1XLS]

Through Broken Hill, Dubbo, Tamworth etc

Go to www.whereis.com.au and use the get directions feature

[Chippar]

Thanks mate, I've had a look at that plus the RACQ map, both are different so I was just trying to draw from first hand experience from anyone who had travelled either route, or any other way for that matter.

[DOC]

Originally Posted by AU1XLS

Through Broken Hill, Dubbo, Tamworth etc
Go to www.whereis.com.au and use the get directions feature

Agree with the Broken Hill way, but a long haul with 1 night stop over, it may be beater with 2 nights with a final drive into the GC fresh but your call.

The small town outside BH is notorious for a local plod catching the speeders. From memory around 5,5 hours from Adelaide to BH alone. usually allow 1 hour for every 100K's to travel as a rough guide.

Be careful at night on some of the long roads between towns for wild life and live stock.

[prydey]

don't go broken hill mate. the only people who say that already live way out north side.

1 stop over will be plenty. normally only takes a day and a half.

the way i've gone for the last 20 or so years is straight up the freeway. turn just after tailem bend onto mallee hwy. out through pinnaroo, ouyen etc through to balranald -> hay->west wyalong->forbes-parkes. parkes is about halfway and generally this is where i normally stop for the night. if you can stretch it another hour or so you'll get to dubbo where there is much better accom. to choose from and makes the 2nd day a little easier as there's less to do.

from dubbo just stay on the newell ->gilgandra->coonabarrabran->narrabri->moree->goondiwindi. from here follow the cunningham hwy to warwick.

there are a couple of ways you can get to the coast. you can go into brissie and down the coast which is all motorway from ipswich or you can turn off just after a little place called aratula and take a tourist road through to beaudesert -> nerang and into surfers. you'll def need a map for that bit.

other people go different ways but thats the most direct way and quickest.

i'm going on 20th feb but unfortunately due to rising fuel cost and falling air fares my road trip days are all but over.

[Elmo]

I agree with Prydey thats the same way I used to go and Dubbo was always my halfway point no matter which way I was going....

[ubute]

What about chucking a right at coonabarrabran -> gunnedah -> tamworth, then up the new england highway, its probably a quieter road that way

Then up through armidale, tenterfield, stanthorpe, warwick, turn off right to boonah, beaudesert, mt tamborine, and walla... you're at the goldie.

probably a bit more scenic drive that way as well.

[blueoval]

i think tamworth has that massive hill to get over and from what I remember its slow getting thru that way with all the trucks and stuff. Scenic yes, quicker Im not sure about that.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by ubute

What about chucking a right at coonabarrabran -> gunnedah -> tamworth, then up the new england highway, its probably a quieter road that way

Then up through armidale, tenterfield, stanthorpe, warwick, turn off right to boonah, beaudesert, mt tamborine, and walla... you're at the goldie.

probably a bit more scenic drive that way as well.

to be honest i've never gone that way. i moved to qld from adel when i was 2 (1978)and my mum is from adel so every year we would make the journey. in 92 i moved back to adel with the family and continued the yearly tradition as dads family lives up there. since leaving home i still like to head north for my holidays and have continued using the same route. my dad's a truckie so i assumed that was the best way.

if i was going to brisbane, the last couple of times i went the gore hwy from goondi to toowoomba and then to brissie. much better road than the cunningham hwy.

as i said before if you turn right after aratula and follow the scenic route (brown signs) you will save an hour or so and its not at all twisty and windy for the bulk of it. couple of hills but still mostly 100kph limit.

[Perana]

Originally Posted by prydey

1 stop over will be plenty. normally only takes a day and a half.

the way i've gone for the last 20 or so years is straight up the freeway. turn just after tailem bend onto mallee hwy. out through pinnaroo, ouyen etc through to balranald -> hay->west wyalong->forbes-parkes. parkes is about halfway and generally this is where i normally stop for the night. if you can stretch it another hour or so you'll get to dubbo where there is much better accom. to choose from and makes the 2nd day a little easier as there's less to do.

from dubbo just stay on the newell ->gilgandra->coonabarrabran->narrabri->moree->goondiwindi. from here follow the cunningham hwy to warwick.

I recommend this way too.. Have done it a couple times now, though usually heading for Toowoomba.

Should do it in 2 days easy, last time we took a detour to Mendooran to see some friends and stopped off for the night at Baradine.. Fairly easy days drive even with the stop off and detour.

[fordel]

I did that route pretty much as well but in reverse when i moved back from Brisbane to Adelaide.

Nice easy if a bit boring drive.

2 days wouldnt be a stretch either, i did it in 2.5 as i was the only one driving and a bit stuffed after 12-15 hour days hehe

[Chippar]

Thanks everybody, that's exactly what I'm looking for. PRYDEY, Thank you. I think we'll follow the way you recommended and I know the way from Warwick to the Coast via Beaudesert and Canungra pretty well as I had to take my Sons to out Warwick for Hockey matches and the like, when they were much younger.

Thanks again everybody for all your suggestions and assistance, they really are appreciated.

Chippy.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Perana XR8

I recommend this way too.. Have done it a couple times now, though usually heading for Toowoomba.

Should do it in 2 days easy, last time we took a detour to Mendooran to see some friends and stopped off for the night at Baradine.. Fairly easy days drive even with the stop off and detour.

going through mendooran bypasses gilgandra and the hills between there and coona. used to be very popular with the trucks. not sure if it still is. back when i was younger and passenger with the folks, dad -being a truckie- would always go that way.

[Perana]

Just be careful of Roo's and Emu's if driving at dusk into the night.. very bad from Dubbo right through to Baradine area. I think we saw 8-10 live roo's on one trip...

[prydey]

when travelling with the wife and daughter i generally start out around 5am and stop by around 8pm ish. depending on how many stops we do and for how long (females and long distance travel don't go too well) determines whether i get any further than parkes. up and at 'em again by about 5am and into brissie early arvo, so no real need to travel when the wildlife are at their worst.

the last trip i did i was on my own. i flew to brissie as thats where i bought my ba futura wagon and drove it home. due to the fact that i was solo i wasn't that fussed on leaving early as i new i'd travel a lot quicker (less stops) on the road. i also decided to drive straight through and i tell you the brakes on the ba got a fair workout that night. got to west wyalong just getting dark and from there to hay was unreal. roo's everywhere. other times i rarely see anything but after about 10pm they come out in numbers. stopped at the mobil at balranald for about 3hrs shut eye and then continued on hoping they had eased a bit but even heading toward pinaroo it was edge of the seat stuff. it sure drains you when you are scanning that much in front of you. left brissie about 7am and got to adel about 7:30am but i was knackered big time. it was still the best trip i've ever done as i could do my own thing.

if you don't regularly do the long trips, just respect those that live on the road (heavy vehicles). don't hold them up (unlikely these days but still a few steering wheel attendants out there) and don't sit up there tail as they can feel the extra drag and it leaves you with no vision. a flick of the wheel by the truckie can leave you with a rock shower as well as a little warning.

[Chippar]

Yep, know what you mean. Used to do a lot of distance driving in my younger days, Mt Isa - Bris. Mt Isa - Syd etc for holidays.

We'll be flying into Adelaide on Monday and, after picking up my sons BA XR6 Turbo, he just purchased, driving out at about 5pm and staying at Ouyen for the night, then onto Coonabarabran the next night and an early arvo arrival at the Gold Coast. Well that's the plan anyway.

[Bosshog]

Originally Posted by prydey

the way i've gone for the last 20 or so years is straight up the freeway. turn just after tailem bend onto mallee hwy. out through pinnaroo, ouyen etc through to balranald -> hay->west wyalong->forbes-parkes. parkes is about halfway and generally this is where i normally stop for the night. if you can stretch it another hour or so you'll get to dubbo where there is much better accom. to choose from and makes the 2nd day a little easier as there's less to do.

Without a doubt this is the quickest and most direct route.

[wingTS]

Im with prydey, make sure you hit Ouyen when the Bakery is open......

[blueoval]

Bakery? Thats the magic word for me on a road trip!

[SVR73]

Up through broken hill, cobar, dubbo, tamworth etc etc is the way I've gone during my six road trips I did in 02/03

It's definately boring getting to BH and then from there to cobar and don't go through there at night. Not smart at all.

I've done the trek in 22 hours in my first AU with two tanks of fuel to get there (had a co driver and we went all day, all night non stop)

[Chippar]

Originally Posted by wingTS

Im with prydey, make sure you hit Ouyen when the Bakery is open......

Mate, I'd love to, unfortunately we don't get into Adelaide until 3.15pm and by the time all the paperwork is done to buy the car, we expect to leave at about 4.30-5pm and head for Ouyen where we'll stay the night.

So unless the Ouyen bakers are working night shift, I guess we'll miss out. :