Travelling the East Coast of Australia at christmas time

Hi there, just looking for some tips or experiences if anyone has any, it will be massively appreciated! So me and my boyfriend are currently living and working in Sydney and will be leaving here around the beginning of December to travel the east coast we have over a month to do this before we have to leave Australia due to our visas expiring. We are just wondering if any of you who have travelled the east coast around Christmas time have any recommendations of where we could spend christmas and new year. We spent the previous Christmas on the packed out bondi beach and new year watching the fireworks and having a posh meal on the harbour. So this year it would be nice to have something low key but still memorable! I appreciate any suggestions as we are clueless! Thanks :)

Welcome to the forum, and this branch.

Firstly, will you have a vehicle as you leave Sydney, and secondly, where are you planning to leave Australia from? Darwin, Cairns, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast are all possibilities.

Thirdly, how far north have you travelled previously ... if at all, of course.

Thankyou! I forgot to point out some important factors!!
Yes, we have a large car which we also can sleep in.
We will leave Australia from adelaide, we need to end up in south Australia as our car is registered there and therefore need to sell it before we leave.
We have only ever been to cairns for a long weekend and nowhere else up north!
Thankyou!!!

Okay ... so when you say "East Coast" you mean south from Sydney around the coast via Melbourne to Adelaide?

Sound like a plan?

We want to leave sydney and drive as far up as Cape tribulation. We have the route from there sorted so all I need to know is ideas on how I can spend christmas and the new year period on the east coast! Is there any trips people have done which they would recommend?

So you have a month to drive from Sydney to Adelaide via Cape Tribulation. Do I assume this includes Mt Isa and Alice Springs, or will you backtrack through Queensland and Western NSW?

Whatever, your trip will likely be hot and wet, or hot and dry ... but I expect you know that. In terms of good p;laces for Christmas, all Australian cities and towns are similar ... most locals spend it at home with family, and most travellers will find a waifs or orphans Christmas event happening ... usually around the most central hostel, the beach, or maybe in your case, the local holiday park.

By the way ... have you thought of getting a cheap tent? Sometimes the weather will be perfect for being outside.

But for Christmas, it's hard to advise ... where will you be on your journey by then? But I suggest for small places ... Magnetic Island, Cardwell, or perhaps Mission Beach ... these are pretty Australian!

Hi Kayleigh, I have had two memorable Xmases when kind of on the road, both memorable for the wrong details which I will not bore you with but using that experience a a guide to what I would do if in your situation is to do a selfie and for that it would be good if you were somewhere you wanted to spend Xmas by a couple of days before Xmas Day, two key reasons:
. Though Supermarkets etc. are usually open late into Xmas Eve, they can be running low on various stocks, not to mention some stores being a bit chaotic with shoppers looking for those last minute buys - kind of a bit of Xmas spirit in that.
. Secondly, there will be a considerable amount of traffic around in the days leading to Xmas as many people will be travelling to family or holiday destinations, Xmas - NY also one of our worse traffic times for road accidents, to the extent that east coast states police usually run traffic blitzes in that period to keep the road toll down.

Now as Jingily indictes, weather can be a factor and it is a long drive from Sydney up to Cape Trib and back to Adelaide, so great that you have the return route planned and you ought to start with planning the outward route.
If it is more just Cape Trib you want to get to in the Cairns area seeing as you have been up there before, have you considered only going so far north and the flying up to Cairns and get the local bus to Cape Trib and say at the Cape Tribulation Beach House ( great little spot there ), you could see whether they are doing something of a Xmas spread for guests there, they having had not too bad a menu selection there when I was there - Xmas at the Cape! - something to remember!
If you look now at flight/bus/beachhouse costs from say Brisbane, you might find that they compare reasonably well with what your fuel costs will be in driving Brisbane to Cape Trib and back.
From Brisbane, you could also go as far as the Sunshine Coast and do Fraser Island from Noosa or a bit further up at Hervey Bay if you have not done Fraser yet and then there are many smaller beach locations and also interesting places inland a bit from Sydney up as far as the Sunshine Coast and Fraser Island.
In essence, as Jingily indicates, you really need to work on where you will be when according to your travel plans and do allow yourself a bit of time to sell your vehicle in Adelaide as if planning to onsell it to another traveller, they could be thin on the ground over that way after Xmas and your last resort could be some car yard shark offering you next to nothing for it.
What kind of vehicle it is too will affect what you might get for it.

Sydney to Cairns to Adelaide = 6,000kms!! Yes its doable but as already posted it will be in the wet season up north and an unpleasant time to visit and travel.

Can you find a week some time in the next couple of months and fly to Cairns? Will be a much more enjoyable experience.

Then take a leisurely month to go to the Sunshine Coast (and Fraser Island) and then back to Adelaide. The reality is there isn't a real lot to see and do from Brisbane to Cairns.

Bear in mind you will be travelling in peak school holiday season and accommodation (even camping in caravan parks) will be at a premium all along the coast.

Re NYE in Victoria. They have really clamped down on NYE celebrations in coast holiday towns in Victoria. The focus is now fireworks etc in the CBD area of Melbourne.

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