WEEK 1.

Gold Coast > Port Macquarie > Terrigal > Sydney > Canberra > Wagga Wagga > Mildura > Adelaide > Port Augusta > Ceduna > Balladonia > Kalgoorlie-Boulder > Southern Cross > Perth.

Views from The Skillion, Terrigal.

I. Port Macquarie

Population: 50 000

How best to start off your 5000km road trip? with the nasty flu circulating the east coast. Shortly after arriving in Port Macquarie I sought comfort in a hot bowl of laksa and an early night. The following morning I enjoyed a slow breakfast by the Marina and a lap of the Rainforest boardwalk.

Port Macquarie sits within a beautiful subtropical rainforest zone with 17 beaches in the greater area. It’s renowned for its good surfing and is home to a world-first hospital dedicated solely to the care and conservation of koalas.

Port Macquarie Stay Summary

  • Food

    Thai House Takeaway. Chicken and vegetable laksa and spicy curry puffs. Soul replenishing stuff.

    Hastings Coffee Co. Beautiful views of the Marina with warm Raspberry pear loaf and a long black.

  • Accomodation

    • Aston Hill Motor Lodge. A great mini-bar selection, access to a widescreen smart TV, snacks, and an espresso machine. Cozy and quiet, nice and close to the town centre.

  • Activity Highlight:

    A short walk through the Sea Acres Rainforest Boardwalk. Access to the boardwalk is $9. If you don’t want to pay there are free trails to explore at Sea Acres National Park. There’s also a cafe and environmental education centre to check out.

II. Terrigal

Population: 15 000

A charming turquoise town rich with pine, sandstone, and salt. There stretches of lakes are lined with walkways, picnic stops and boutique shops. I spent the morning exploring the town's exotic coastal landscape and made my way into gorgeous surrounding suburbs such as Avoca Beach and Empire Bay.

Ninety minutes north of Sydney, Terrigal is the busiest towns along the Central Coast. Even in the middle of winter, the esplanade offered things to do, including a pop-up art gallery and a choice of acoustic performances across bars and restaurants.

Traveller Tip:

Plan for traffic heading south toward Sydney in the afternoon - it took 2.5 hours to finish the 100km stretch. It’s a beautiful drive around the built-up zones.

Terrigal Stay Summary

  • Food

    Hotel Gosford. Torched fig salad and edamame with a delicious Barossa Valley shiraz. While the salad was more sugar than salad with a healthy dose candied walnuts it was delicious. The venue was packed being the night of State of Origin and was a great place to enjoy my red (or 2)

    Tommy’s Cafe.Poached eggs, wild mushrooms, baby spinach & feta on sourdough and a long black.

  • Accomodation

    • Hotel Gosford. My Airbnb reservation for the night didn’t work out and left me looking for last-minute accommodation within the days budget. Hotel Gosford was down the road and a comfortable place for the night. The elevators weren’t working (yes - I did fully close the wire gate) so I had to drag my luggage up four sets of stairs and unfortunately I’ve never been one to pack light. Anyways. first world problems.

  • Activity Highlight:

    The Skillion. The Skillion was one of my activity places to visit throughout the trip. At low tide you can walk across a plain of colourful rocks and reach ancient sandstone caves. From its highest point you get 360° views of Yumbool Point (in Wyrrabalong National Park) to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the east, and the town centre to the west. It’s also a popular whale watching spot in winter.

Image Source: Sydney.com, 2020.

III. Sydney

Population: 5 million

My bank account took a lashing in Sydney but I had an amazing four days getting to know the city better with friends. It was the longest stop of the trip and I was barely in my hotel between busy days and social nights. Admittedly I’ve never been a Sydney girl, but I left with an appreciation for its 2023 title as the fourth most liveable place in the world.

*I managed to spend the most time here and get no decent blog photos. All photo credit goes to the original sources.

Sydney Weekend Summary

  • Food

    Shell House. Well balanced negronis on an open-air terrace overlooking the cityscape. Followed up with a cheese platter and chilled frangelico. Happy Friday!

    Felix French Bistro & Brasserie. Spicy steak tartare and sauteed herb gnocchi. More negronis.

    The Light Brigade Hotel: Fun and very crowded. We were seated in the pool room for our reservation and enjoyed a side of pool que to the face with our dinner. Despite a tasty dessert, the Eagles taking a flogging that evening left a bitter taste in the mouth.

  • Accomodation

    Hotel Hacienda (Redfern).A cosy hotel reminiscent of Tulum with its tropical colours and cantina. Friendly staff, small and comfortable clean rooms with good showers and efficient heating. Questionable parsely-scented body wash.

    My room was on the same floor as a team of international opera singers who were in town for an international competition, so I got to hear some pretty incredible warm ups in the mornings.

  • Activity Highlight:

    Lost Sundays at the Ivy. Beautiful skyline views, crimson and purple hues, and a rooftop jungle of plants to the backdrop of deep house music. I was due to leave for my next stop that afternoon but ended up staying for the evening to enjoy the event, which was such a fun taste of Sydney’s social scene.