mudgudgeon
Resident galah
Finally got reliable internet after Hurricane Helene.
I'm in Western North Carolina now, so you'd have to bring pies and beer back with you
For a trip in Aus, if you have primitive camping capability, I'd do a figure 8 loop.
from Sydney, up the coast to Fraser Island, loop inland back to Sydney, loop down the coast to Melbourne, then inland back to Sydney, or fly home from Melbourne.
Head Up the coast to Fraser Island via
- Myall Lakes/ Hawkes Nest. Camp at Mungo Brush by the lake. Easy walk to the ocean beach.
-then head inland to Gloucester Tops. Stunning ancient sub-Antarctic rainforest and some nice water falls and swimming holes. Lots of national parks in the area to explore. Barrington Tops NP is worth a visit too.
- Then back to the coast.
- There's loads of beaches and headlands and national parks throughout northern NSW. Visit s many as you like the Pacific Highway is never far from the coast
- Crowdy Head has beach access for 4x4, (there's other beaches you can drive too) and some nice sand dunes to find through. Should be loads of aussie wild flowers in bloom this time of year.
- visit Yamba - Angourie Beach (a favourite spot)
- Byron Bay is the major tourist trap, the lighthouse is worth a drive by, but skip the rest.
Then into Queensland.
I'd 100% visit Lamington National Park, just inside the Queensland border. Some unique forests, and stunning birdlife.
From there, head up the sunshine coast to Noosa.
Noosa is a major tourist trap I'd avoid, except that it gives access to The Great Sandy national park that has sandy trails that follow the coast to Teewah Beach, then on to Rainbow Beach, and ultimately to Inskip Point which is the ferry launch point to cross over to Fraser Island.
Fraser Island is definitely worth a good chunk of time. Explore the whole island. It has some distinctly different micro-ecosystems on different parts of the island.
Beware of dingoes. I've had then shadow me, my son, and nephew when we did a remote hike. They have killed adults and children on Fraser Island in the last 20 years. They are wild predators, not to be fed or trusted!
After Fraser Island head back south via inland routes.
Visit
- Glasshouse Mountains ( lots of great wheeling in this area).
- Gibraltar Range NP
- Bald Rock NP
- Oxley Wild Rivers NP
Then head south west to Warambungles NP.
This is a definite 100% must visit. Really rugged ancient landscape. Some great hikes if you're fit enough.
It's also a dark sky reserve. Camping in the NP. Fantastic mind blowing stargazing!!
Visit one of the small observertories in the area for a night sky tour.
Keep an eye out for reptiles. Bearded dragons are common. These are the couch potato of lizards. Wild ones will often let you pick them up. If you're observant, you'll see others.
After warambungles head south west, then make your way to Dubbo. There's not much in Dubbo, but this route takes you through some open plain land. We saw emu and roos and lots of different birds that made an obscure route worth while.
before you get back to Sydney, visit
- Kanangra Boyd NP ( some nice camping here) and Jenolan Caves. Some short hints around Kanagra Walls that are definitely worth doing
Then head back to Sydney through the Blue Mountains. Take some short side trips to scenic look outs. Some fantastic scenery overlooking deep rocky canyons, all not far off the highway. Sunset is a great time to appreciate this area.
Then back into Sydney.
While you're in Sydney, go to
Barangaroo, walk around Barangaroo Head to Circular Quay. ( Barangaroo Head was " rebuilt" the headland was excavated completely out last century to make way for shipping ports. They rebuilt it rock by rock!!) Then take the slow passenger ferry to Manly. (not the fast ferry)
At Manly, walk through the mall to the beach. Grab an icecream in the mall, or have a beer at The Steyne Hotel opposite the beach.
Catch the slow ferry back to Circular Quay.
As a Sydney local, this is still a day trip that blows my mind.
Now, head south, down the coast.
- pies at Hayden's Pies Ulladulla
- visit as many beaches as you can from Ulladulla south. They never get old!
- Fresh seafood at Batemans Bay or Narooma
- take the tourist boat out to Montague Island. It's worth the trip. Beautiful ocean, teaming with sea life. Sea lions, penguins, sea birds, whales, dolphins, turtles, etc
The island itself is cool.
- there's loads of gorgeous beaches on the south coast to visit. Araganuu is a favourite spot of mine.
Bermagui is another great spot, and more fresh seafood.
Tilba Tilba is worth a drive for the scenery. And to hike Mt Dromadery.
Then take a swim in the sacred pool of tears at Mumbulla Falls/ Biamanga NP, jump off the Falls into the plunge pool.
- Bendethra Valley in Deua NP is another great place to waste a couple of days. It's an enclosed valley, and very isolated ( but gets busy at times), one trail in from the coast, one trail out heading inland.
- Head inland from Bendethra toward Cooma, the to Jindabyne & Thredbo in the Alps.
- camp at Tom Groggin on the Murray River ( Australia's biggest river, maybe longest??
)From there, head through Victoria, back to the coast around Mallacoota or Lakes Entrance and follow the coast road to Melbourne.
After Melbourne, you could head north, via Ballarat and Bendigo toward Sydney. There's lots to see in the Victorian high country.
Or keep driving along the Great Ocean Road, and visit the Dandenong Ranges.
That should keep you busy for 8 weeks or so!
Depending on how long you have, how much driving you are prepared to do, and how much you like to stop and smell the roses, this would be a great loop.
This would take you through a huge variety of landscapes, and keep you out of most tourist traps.
There's loads more great places you could zigzag back and forth to see.
I did a big chunk of what ive described recently with my American wife. She loved every bit of it, and would go back in a heart beat.
Check out the National Parks and Wildlife Service website. NPWS
Aragunnu campground | NSW National Parks
Aragunnu campground is a great place for a beach camping holiday. Explore Aboriginal heritage, fishing spots and walking tracks near this far south coast campground.
its a sucky website to navigate, but has some good info.
Scroll around on Google maps for national parks nearby ( Australia has loads of them). Then look for info on the NPWS website.
