1

If you mean you are coming down the New England highway then I guess Singleton is the place before Newcastle, but the other option is to come down the Newell through Moree and Narrabri as far as Dubbo overnight, or to Orange if not too tired, then the next day to Canberra via Cowra and Boorowa, or for more interesting drives take one of the Goulburn roads, either through Trunkey Creek or Black Springs.

2

Heading down to Newcastle and taking the expressway and then the ring road around Sydney is still going to expose you to a heap of traffic and trying to avoid it would mean doing something like heading into Sydney in the evening and finding a motel on the southwest which ought to be easy enough to do.
It'll be a bit more than ten hours Brisbane to Sydney for despite the 110 kmh limit along quite a bit of it, there are still many towns to go through in the northern half and quite a few speed reductions as well as speed cameras.

I'd say ten hours with a couple of stops will get you to about Newcastle and before you get to the bypass, you'll find a couple of motels, there previously being many more to choose from in the Raymond Terrace area but pretty sure that is now also bypassed and I think if Karuah is not already bypassed, it must be close to being so.
So if you still go through Karuah, there're quite a few motels and an older style pub there too which is not too bad at about $30/n and if you bypass Karuah, only a few kilometres after you cross the Hunter River and turn on to the Newcastle bypass you'll see a couple of motels on the right.

Personally, I'd be going on for a couple of hours and traffic around Sydney ought to be light enough between 7 - 8 pm and so you could find a motel out in the SW not too long after 8 pm.

Alternately, the Newell Highway is a good idea as there are bypasses for the bigger towns like Gooniwindi and Moree; Toowoomba not taking too long to get through, nor Narrabri, Coonabarabran or Gilgandra.
You ought to be able to make Dubbo quite comfortably in ten hours as there is some 110 kmh speed limits and you may even get there in less than ten, Wellington not being too much further on as another alternative.
Dubbo to Canberra is probably about four hours and though you're going to be on a single thoroughfare roads for most of the way, the Newell is not in too bad a condition and you'll find traffic very light and lighter still between Dubbo to Yass, so light in fact you'll wonder where everybody is!

And bugger all if any speed cameras at all!

3

Karuah as been bypassed for several years. If you are looking at a stop before the Hunter (Newcastle) region, look at Taree, Buladelah, Heatherbrae (Raymond Terrace) or Karuah. All may require a short detour off the Highway.

4

Sally's Riverside Motel in Karuah - small, 6 rooms, spotlessly clean. $60, including toast for breakfast. Good Chinese at the nearby club for dinner.

5

Toowoomba not taking too long to get through,

You don't need to go through Toowoomba for the New England & Newell Highways. Try Warwick / Stanthorpe (New England Hwy) or Warwick / Goondiwindi. (to connect with the Newell Hwy)

6

I thought it was Buladelah that had been bypassed before Karuah Ozzie, it only being a year or not much longer that I had driven the Pacific but seems I've got the two mixed.
Going to the Newell is a bit quicker via Toowoomba than via Warwick and Warwick is a bit of a weave around here and there in going through whereas heading through Toowoomba, you're a block or so off the main CBD area and it's a straight through run, far easier in my view.

7

Toowoomba to Goondiwindi is 2 hours 21 minutes according to RACQ. Warwick to Goondiwindi is 2 hours 05 minutes.

http://www.racq.com.au/travel/Maps_and_Directions/trip_planner

Brisbane to Warwick is 1 hr 51 mins, Brisbane to Toowoomba is 1 hr 34 mins.

So B > T > G = 3h:55m, B > W >G = 3h:56 m = Much of a muchness. The only real windy part of the road is Cunningham's Gap. You would save fuel going the shorter distance via Warwick. The town is easy to bypass.

8

Wow, thanks so much for such a great response. Just to clarify - I am taking the coast ride as I've done the New England many many times but have never taken the Pacific. I was thinking of Buladelah but that and Karuah are both bypassed, is that correct? I guess that leaves me Taree and Raymond Terrace?

Edited by: genfie

9

http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadprojects/projects/pac_hwy/index.html will give you the latest situation and yes, it is Buladelah that is yet to have the bypass completed down that end.

You'll be making something of a rod for your own back by planning on stopping north of Newcastle or Sydney rather than pushing on for a few hours to stop SW of Sydney.
Give yourself an extra early start from Brisbane of something like 5 am as any later and traffic up there will be building but at 5 am or earlier, you'll have a dream run down across the border, it just about all dual carriageway to past Ballina now and you could stop for breakfast at Coffs Harbour as you'll reach there in morning traffic peak or alternately MacDonalds right on the highway at Grafton would also be good for breakfast so you hit Coffs a bit after morning peak.

That way you'll have plenty of time for a lunch stop at somewhere like Taree ( off the highway ) Nabiac or Coolongolook which from memory might still be on the hwy or closer to it .
You'll then have plenty of time to be hitting Sydney between 6 and 7 pm., maybe even a stop at the Hawkesbury if you want to wait a bit to let traffic ease a bit.

10

START: BRISBANE
0M
Proceed Southwest on Ann St
nearest town: BRISBANE CBD
0.22KM
20 secTake the ramp to Pacific Mtwy / M3 .
nearest town: BRISBANE
106.37KM
1 hr 04 min Continue onto Pacific Hwy.
nearest town: BANORA POINT
205.69KM
2 hrs 08 min Continue onto Schwingerhammer St.
nearest town: GRAFTON
0.2KM
20 secContinue onto Pacific Hwy.
nearest town: GRAFTON
0.02KM
01 secContinue onto Schwingerhammer St.
nearest town: GRAFTON
0.43KM
41 secContinue onto Pacific Hwy.
nearest town: GRAFTON
55.65KM
34 minEnter Roundabout-take 2nd exit onto Pacific Hwy.
nearest town: WOOLGOOLGA
25.24KM
21 minContinue onto Pacific Hwy.
nearest town: COFFS HARBOUR
3.68KM
4 minEnter Roundabout-take 2nd exit onto Pacific Hwy.
nearest town: COFFS HARBOUR
22.08KM
14 minContinue onto Pacific Hwy.
nearest town: URUNGA
30.81KM
22 minContinue onto Cooper St.
nearest town: NORTH MACKSVILLE
0.28KM
34 secContinue onto Cooper St.
nearest town: MACKSVILLE
45.23KM
29 minBear right onto Macleay St.
nearest town: FREDERICKTON
1.65KM
2 minContinue onto Pacific Hwy.
nearest town: FREDERICKTON
5.25KM
4 minEnter Roundabout-take 1st exit onto Smith St.
nearest town: KEMPSEY
0.34KM
25 secContinue onto Lord St.
nearest town: KEMPSEY
255.96KM
2 hrs 34 min Enter Roundabout-take 2nd exit onto Pacific Hwy.
nearest town: HEATHERBRAE
7.18KM
6 minTurn sharp right after ramp onto Maitland / Sydney / 1/New England Hwy.
nearest town: HEXHAM
4.59KM
4 minContinue after ramp onto 1 .
nearest town: BERESFIELD
0.95KM
1 minContinue onto Wallsend / Sydney / 1.
nearest town: BERESFIELD
0.18KM
18 secContinue onto Lenaghans Dr.
nearest town: BLACK HILL
0.58KM
42 secContinue onto Sydney Newcastle Fwy / F3 / 1
nearest town: BLACK HILL,
125.92KM
1 hr 010 min Take the Pacific Highway ramp to Sydney / Airport / Hornsby / Hospital
nearest town: SYDNEY
0.22KM
16 secTurn sharp left after ramp onto Airport / Sydney / 1/Pacific Hwy.
nearest town: SYDNEY
5.32KM
9 minTake the ramp to Ryde Rd / 3 .
nearest town: SYDNEY
0.37KM
32 secContinue after ramp onto Ryde Rd / 3 .
nearest town: SYDNEY
2.97KM
3 minContinue onto Lane Cove Rd.
nearest town: SYDNEY
4.9KM
6 minContinue onto Devlin St.
nearest town: SYDNEY
0.78KM
1 minContinue onto Church St.
nearest town: SYDNEY
0.83KM
1 minContinue onto Concord Rd.
nearest town: SYDNEY
1.7KM
2 minContinue onto Homebush Bay Dr.
nearest town: SYDNEY
6.31KM
6 minTake the Hume Hwy ramp to Sydney / Bankstown.
nearest town: SYDNEY
0.34KM
27 secTake the Hume Hwy ramp to Bankstown.
nearest town: SYDNEY
0.04KM
03 secTurn right after ramp onto Hume Hwy / 31 .
nearest town: SYDNEY
3.54KM
4 minTurn left onto Stacey St.
nearest town: SYDNEY
1.59KM
3 minContinue onto Stacey St S.
nearest town: SYDNEY
2.41KM
3 minTake the ramp to Liverpool / Canberra / M5 / Motorway.
nearest town: SYDNEY
0.4KM
22 secContinue onto Liverpool / Canberra / M5 / Motorway
nearest town: SYDNEY,
251.24KM
2 hrs 22 min Enter Roundabout-take 2nd exit onto Federal Hwy.
nearest town: WATSON
3.11KM
3 minContinue onto Northbourne Ave.
nearest town: DOWNER
4.61KM
8 minBear left onto Vernon Cir.
nearest town: CANBERRA CBD
0.28KM
28 secBear left onto Commonwealth Ave.
nearest town: CANBERRA CBD
2.15KM
3 minTake the 23 ramp.
nearest town: PARKES
0.23KM
17 secBear left after ramp onto State Cir / 23 .
nearest town: PARKES
0.35KM
24 secTurn sharp right onto Kings Ave.
nearest town: CAPITAL HILL
0.25KM
35 secTurn right onto Parliament Dr.
nearest town: CAPITAL HILL
0.07KM
11 secContinue onto Federation Mall.
nearest town: CAPITAL HILL
0.02KM
03 secArrive at destination
ARRIVE: CANBERRA

Total distance:1192.53km Time:about 12 hrs 38 min

11

??????????? and more ??????????????

12

I think they have opened the Bulahdelah bypass since the last time I drove to Sydney (less than 2 years ago). Taree was the first of the 3 to be bypassed, and Karuah between the two.
However, none are far off the Highway, and are now both quieter and cheaper. If I want to stay in the area, I just drive into the town and look for a vacant motel.

13

My point was that you don't have to get up at 5 am & stop at Taree. The whole Brisbane to Canberra trip can now be done in 12 hrs 38 min.

When I last went from Sydney to Brisbane in the mid 80's, it took over 12 hours just for Sydney to Brisbane. Now the trip can be done in 10 hours.

You should only stop overnight somewhere if you are fatigued.

14

#14 You miss a number of factors!
1. Depends on from where in Brisbane
2. Google Maps, as good as any will give you 921 km. and 11 hours 20 minutes
3. There is no doubt that their estimate is based on speed able to be averaged in normal conditions and it will not include taking breaks nor any delays incurred.
4. You can add on extra time for getting caught up in Brisbane morning peak depending on where one leaves from and hence the suggestion of leaving earlier you seem to have overlooked.
5. Sydney also has a significant evening peak as I have described.

To suggest that you can do Brisbane to Sydney in ten hours just shows how much arm chair driving you are doing.
Some of us have driven along the east coast over a number of years using both the Pacific and also inland routes and do post from experience far beyond 1980.

genfie,
I would strongly suggest that you ignore the arm chair attempt indicated at #14 for to attempt doing the drive between Brisbane and Sydney in just ten hours is just attempting something unsafely.

If you do want to get away earlier to miss Brisbane traffic, another way of missing the worst of Sydney traffic would be to turn inland at Newcastle and rather than take the expressway, head inland towards Singleton and take the Golden Highway and then Putty road through the Wollemi NP and come out at Windsor.
There are quite a few motels at Windsor and a lovely little village atmosphere street, a kind of original old quarter and Australia's oldest continuously operating hotel there serving good meals

You are far enough west of the CBD there that you can take the Northern road it may be called that runs north-south right across to the Hume Hwy. with reasonably light traffic.

Yep Ozzie, Buladelah could also be bypassed by now as though it's probably just a on a year since I drove the Pacific there wasa lot of activity in the area but they would need to have got well ahead of schedule for completion was not expected until later this year - http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadprojects/projects/pac_hwy/construction_employment/bulahdelah_upgrade.html