Hunter Valley, Port Macquarie, Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour, Newcastle, Hawkesbury River, Hunter Valley Wineries, Nobbys Beach, Big Fella Gum Tree, Cape Byron, Susan Island. Self-Drive Tour with Hotels Car Hire (unlimited kms) Bonus Vouchers. Departs from Sydney. Themes include: New South Wales, Departs from Sydney, Fly-Drive Car, Returns from Sydney. + Show more

Package Includes

10 days Car Hire, "no worries" unlimited kms, comprehensive insurance
2 nights good standard Hunter Valley hotel (luxury upgrades available)
2 nights good standard Port Macquarie hotel (luxury upgrades available)
2 nights good standard Byron Bay hotel (luxury upgrades available)
2 nights good standard Newcastle hotel (luxury upgrades available)
1 night good standard Coffs Harbour hotel (luxury upgrades available)
Relax all the hard work has been taken out of your Self-Drive Holiday. Enjoy the freedom of the open road and the security of this popular DISCOVER AUSTRALIA Itinerary.

Highlights

Hunter Valley Port Macquarie Byron Bay Coffs Harbour Hawkesbury River Hunter Valley Wineries Nobbys Beach Harrington Big Fella Gum Tree

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Overview

Cross Sydney Harbour Bridge to explore the romantic Hunter Valley Wine Region, famed National Parks, seaside villages and Newcastle - heritage settlement and export port. Discover unspoilt resort town Port Macquarie and artisans in Byron Bay; swim, surf, dive, and fish, snorkel and dine your way along the Pacific coastline of NSW; explore Coffs Harbour, Bobby's Beach or indulge in amazing flora and fauna in the forests and fertile hinterland enjoying your Central Coast and North Coast of NSW Self-Drive holiday package.

Self-Drive Tour from Sydney, NSW, Australia.

DAY 1 Sydney - Hunter Valley

Take the Tourist Drive 33, crossing Sydney Harbour Bridge (world's largest steel arch bridge) and the historic Hawkesbury River.

Today you might see Berowra, Mount White, Bulgandry Aboriginal Engravings, Australian Reptile Park (interaction with animals, wildlife shows, giant Galapagos tortoise, NSW biggest crocodile, Tasmanian devil), Australian Rainforest Sanctuary (conservation and education centre, 200 species of flora and 128 species of birds, 5 kms of natural walking trails), a macadamia nut plantation, Mangrove, Kulnura, Bucketty, Wollombi, Sweetmans Creek, Millfield, Bimbadeen Lookout, Cessnock, Hunter Valley Zoo (native and introduced animals, most can be petted and fed), Singleton, Hunter Valley Wineries (over 120 wineries, cellar door tastings, outstanding for Semillon, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Verdelho, Hunter Valley Gardens (over 25 acres, ten stunning feature gardens) Direct driving 221km (2.56 hours) .

Overnight Hunter Valley

DAY 2 Discover Hunter Valley

Renowned for fine wines and welcoming wineries, chic day spas, fine restaurants, elegant galleries and quaint country towns, antique shops in historic villages set in beautiful scenery and a National Park with rainforest walks and lookout points, the Hunter River Valley spells r-o-m-a-n-c-e. Some 150 wineries in the Hunter Valley Wine Region produce Semillon, Shiras, Verdehlo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a Wine Makers Centre based in Cessnock in the Lower Hunter wine producing region. The fertile valley grows local cheeses, olive oils, smokehouse products and fresh local products used in the Hunter Valley cooking classes that beautifully complement a Hunter Valley wine appreciation class. Ride in a hot-air balloon, go horse riding, play a round of golf, or a visit to the Hunter Valley Zoo.

Pokolbin (rolling countryside, shops, golf, some top end vineyards, gourmet restaurants, much under the vines and central to the Hunter Valley Wine Country), Hunter Valley Cheese Company (boutique cheese making and sampling), Cessnock (fine wines), Cypress Lakes (luxury spa and golf course), Branxton, Broke (smallish relaxed vineyards), Lovedale (historic, major producing area), Maitland (large town in fertile farming country) Morpeth (character, historic river port tree lined streets in town), Paterson (quaint 1850's township), Singleton (inland country mining town with heritage and sophistication), Wollombi (National Park bush walking), Scone (horse country - stud farms), Swansea (coastal town twixt lake and the legendary Pacific Ocean coast), Newcastle (stunning coastal location, beaches, historic city regional capital), Cypress Lakes Golf Course, Hunter Valley Cheese Company, Port Stephens (historic port, beaches, bays National Parks and reserves), Dungog Shire (Barrington Tops plateau, Great Dividing Range), Great Lakes (an hour from the Hunter Valley), Upper Hunter (bushwalking, fishing, water-skiing on Lake Glenbawn, horse studs, river walks, Burning Mountain).

Overnight Hunter Valley

DAY 3 Hunter Valley - Port Macquarie

Follow the New England Highway south east bound for the coast; discover creeks and basins, swimming holes, amazing National Parks and convict history.

Today you could see the amazing and famous Hunter Region Botanic Gardens (30 hectares, more than 3000 species, 8 km of trails and marvellous Devonshire Teas!), Newcastle (historical penal settlement and coal mining town, industrial city, largest export harbour in Australia), famous Nobbys Beach (excellent surfing beach in Newcastle), Singleton, Maitland, Raymond Terrace, Karuah, Bulahdelah, Nabiac, Taree, Old Barr, Wingham, Harrington Big Fella Gum Tree (massive ancient gum tree), Kew, Laurieton, Dunbogan Beach, North Haven, Grants Beach, Bonny Hills, Lake Cathie, Old Bottlebut, Timbertown Historic Town, Wauchope, amazing Barrington Tops National Park (world heritage listed, good walking trails, forest drives, view from Mt Allyn 1100 m above sea level), Lake Innes Nature Reserve (koalas, kangaroos, bats, ruins of home of early settler Major Innes), Koala Hospital Rainforest Centre (rehabilitation and adoption centre, daily tours and feeding). Direct driving 337km (3.56 hours) .

Overnight Port Macquarie

DAY 4 Discover Port Macquarie

Settled in 1821 on awesome coastal headlands near the mouth of the Hastings River, Port Macquarie has grown from a penal colony to become a thriving but unspoilt holiday resort with a fascinating history some 200 years later. Heritage buildings sit beside modern hotels, and documents, letters and photographs of the evolution are proudly displayed in the Port Macquaire, Historical Society Museum. The Mid North Coastal town boasts beaches manned by Australian Surf Life Saving Clubs at Town Beach, Flynnes Beach and Lighthouse Beach and other patrolled Port Macquarie beaches include North Shore, Nobbys Beach, Oxley Beach, Rocky Beach, Shelly Beach and Miners Beach. The site of a former stately home, Lakes Innes House, is now a Nature Reserve with bats, koalas and kangaroos in the ruins - nearby the Koala Hospital has daily feedings and walks. Dolphins may be viewed from viewing platforms alongside the river, as well as varied birdlife.

Port Macquarie, Mid North Coast Maritime Museum (former naval lookout station), Flagstaff Hill (great ocean views), Port Macquarie Historic Grave Yard (tells a tale of early settlers), Whales migration (early winter and summer lots of headlands overlooking the sea to spot them from). The Lighthouse (a great place to see views down the southern coast to Laurieton), The Alma Dopel (former merchant sailing ship - is moored there most of the year), Kooloonbung Nature Park (sedge land, wet land, mangroves, paperbark and eucalyptus forest, koalas, birdlife, flying foxes roosting in the trees and water dragons), Camden Haven, Kendall (waterways, fishing National Parks, beaches and swimming creek at Swans Crossing), Wauchope (history, and gateway to the hinterland open plateaus, fertile farmlands and pockets of rainforest), Comboyne (dairy farming village, walking trails, Rawson Falls, Ellenborough Falls single drop 200 metre cascade).

Overnight Port Macquarie

DAY 5 Port Macquarie - Byron Bay

Pace your day to take in the unexpected wonders that you noted en-route and would like to explore today as you follow the Pacific Highway from the mid north coast of New South Wales through State Forests, along coastlines and spectacular oceanic vistas, beside wide rivers and fertile farmlands to iconic Byron Bay.

Which will you choose to experience en-route to Byron Bay today - Crescent Head or Wauchope, Kempsey, Trial Bay Gaol (historic ruins of the jail from 1886, beach, museum and memorial), South West Rock, Macksville, Nambucca Heads, Urunga, Sawtell, Bongil Bongil National Park, Boambee, Coffs Harbour (banana plantations, iconic Big Banana, great fishing - us oldies remember in the 1980's when Coffs Harbour became famous throughout the English speaking world when Kylie Minogue's alter ego, "Charlene” in “Neighbours”, regularly visited her Mum in Coffs Harbour'!), hug the South Pacific Ocean alongside Korora, Emerald Beach, Sandy Beach, Woolgoolga, Arrawarra, Corindi Beach, Susan Island (rainforest recreation reserve with large fruit bat colony), Grafton ( a must do in springtime when the townscape is awash in an amazing sea of purple jacaranda flowers), Maclean, Iluka or Yamba, Evans Head, Ballina, Lennox Head, Suffolk Park and Byron Bay. Direct driving 397km (5 hours) .

Overnight Byron Bay

DAY 6 Discover Byron Bay

The easy lifestyle from its early days - when the alternative hippy culture came to Byron Bay in the late 1960's - is alive and well in Byron with yoga centres, day spas, new age products, timber furniture, hand made jewellery and craft skills being nurtured at the Byron Bay Arts and Industry Precinct. The Byron Bay ambience, great weather and excellent beaches drew the surfers. The different town beaches, with great breaks to suit the learner or the pro and good value surf shops keep the surfers coming to the seriously laid back township. Learn to surf with lessons from a pro, take a world famous Whale Watching Tour during the whale migration season, put on a wet suit and dive in the warm waters, or pick up a rod and reel in the catch from Seven Mile Beach. History has its place at Byron too with Cape Byron the rim of a massive ancient volcano and the Cape Byron Lighthouse (1901) on the National Estate Register and the most easterly point of mainland Australia. Visit the Cape Byron Lighthouse, take a tour then take the trail through coastal rainforest and banksia forest, gain an appreciation of Indigenous life at Palm Valley or take a coastal walk in the Arakwal National Park, for brilliant vantage points to discover the migration of whales and dolphins and turtles in season .

Laid back Byron Bay (festivals, surfing, whale watching, dolphin spotting, coastal walks, Indigenous experiences, beach fishing, arts and crafts), Byron Bay beaches - Byron Main Beach (smaller waves close to shore), The Pass Beach (easy ride out, great long boarding - wide rollers), Watego's Beach (where the cult of longboarders gather), Tallow's Beach (south of the headland, long beach bigger surf) - 2,200,000 candle power Cape Byron Lighthouse (historic lighthouse tours, cafe, walk track), Broken Head Nature Reserve (Two Sisters Rocks), Brunswick Head Nature Reserve, Julian Rocks Nature Reserve, Cape Byron Hedland Reserve (reputedly one of the most beautiful places in the world, rainforests, stunning cliffs, brilliant vistas, Akakwal National Park (taking in Tallow Beach), Boat Harbour Nature Reserve (walking track, viewing platform, Wilson River, Coopers Creek, remnant pilings of historic wharf from riverboat era), Broken Head Nature Reserve, Mooball National Park (subtropical rainforest, rare endangered fauna - long-nosed potoroo, marbled frogmouth, red-legged pademelon, Stephen's banded snake and the giant barred frog), World Heritage Listed Mount Warning National Park (eroded remnant central plug of an ancient volcano. Views of Tween Valley), Nightcap National Park (100m tall waterfall Minyon Falls), Tyagarah Nature Reserve (secluded 8 km beach, birdwatching, fishing).

Overnight Byron Bay

DAY 7 Byron Bay - Coffs Harbour

Follow the Pacific Highway in the mid north coast of New South Wales through State Forests, along coastlines and spectacular oceanic vistas, beside wide rivers and fertile farmlands to Coffs Harbour.

Take your time today to explore what you missed en-route from Port Macquarie to Byron Bay. You could experience Mt Warning and Cape Byron (part of the rim of the world's oldest extinct volcano), dolphins and whales, Suffolk Park, Lennox Head, Ballina, Alstonville, Evans Head, Iluka, Yamba, Maclean, Junction Hill, Grafton (in springtime see the townscape awash in an amazing sea of purple jacaranda flowers), Susan Island (rainforest recreation reserve with large fruit bat colony), Corindi Beach, Arrawarra, Woolgoolga, Sandy Beach, Emerald Beach, Korora, Coffs Harbour (banana plantations, iconic Big Banana, great fishing and remember in the 1980's when "Charlene", Kylie Minogue's character in Neighbours regularly visited her Mum here....) Direct driving 237km (2.50 hours) .

Overnight Coffs Harbour

DAY 8 Coffs Harbour - Newcastle

Follow the Pacific Highway through State Forests, along coastlines and spectacular oceanic vistas, beside wide rivers and fertile farmlands from Coffs Harbour to Nambucca Heads, Kempsey, Port Macquarie, John's River, Taree, Bulahdelah, Karuah, past Morpeth to Newcastle as you journey southbound from the mid north coast of New South Wales.

Stay close to the South Pacific Ocean for a while, Boambee, Bongil Bongil National Park, Sawtell, Urunga, Nambucca Heads, Macksville, South West Rock, Trial Bay Gaol (historic ruins of the jail from 1886, beach, museum and memorial), Kempsey, Crescent Head or Wauchope, Taree (perfect for a picnic lunch alongside the Manning River watching the boats pass by; large craft centre, galleries, Regional Art Gallery, river boat cruises boutique wineries, Rainbow Beach, great surf beach), Rainbow Flat, Nabiac, Coolongolook, Bulahdelah (historic town at the foot of the Bulahdelah Mountain, surrounded by rainforests, close to Myall Lakes, Courthouse Museum), Karuah, Morpeth, Newcastle. Direct driving 392km (4.30 hours) .

Overnight Newcastle

DAY 9 Discover Newcastle

Vibrant, dynamic Newcastle is the oldest sea port in Australia - first settled as a penal colony for prisoners transported from Britain in settlement days - has transformed into an elegant seaside city and the biggest export harbour in the Commonwealth with something to interest everyone. Newcastle is on the mouth of the Hunter River, with culture and art, heritage and history, sandy beaches, secluded bays and shipwrecks, surf beaches, bush walking, national league soccer and rugby teams, lakes, mountains, rainforests, amazing flora and fauna, wineries, dolphins, migrating whales, amazing ocean vistas and a unique ocean pool close to hand. It is the sixth biggest city in Australia - even larger than some State Capitals - and is perfectly located to explore the astonishingly diverse beauty of the region, just some 150km north of Sydney, but a world apart.

Newcastle, Fort Scratchley (historic site, museum, WWII fortifications, great ocean views to shipwrecks, Signa, Newcastles defence in WWII when a Japanese submarine shelled the city), Newcastle Ocean Baths (historic 1922 open seawater baths - meet local characters at the winter swimming club the "Newcastle Pirates"), Heritage architecture (Christ Church Cathedral, the Old Courthouse , the Post Office, former Customs House, Newcastle Railway Station), The Lock-Up Cultural Centre (Police Museum and John Paynter Art Gallery), Newcastle Region Art Gallery (travelling exhibitions and excellent Australian works), Mount Sugarloaf (lookout point), The Foreshore (bars, restaurants, cafes, bars and children's grassy playground), The Bogey Hole (convicts hewed the rocks at the bottom of King Edward Park to create this swimming hole), Blackbutt Reserve (koalas, kangaroos, wombats, birdlife), Nobbys Beach, Nobbys Head, Nobbys Island (from mainland via convict built 1846 pedestrian pier for views of the harbour and Stockton Beach), Stockton Beach (miles of sandy beaches, the largest whispering, shifting sand dune system in the southern hemisphere, sand boarding), Treetop Adventure Park, Hunter Wetlands (hire a canoe and discover the flora and fauna of the ponds), Port Stephens (beautiful waterways, dolphins and whale watching cruise in season), Hunter Valley Vineyards (welcoming wineries and cellar doors, just an hour away to the west), Barrington Tops National Park (rain forests, amazing, shy platypus in freshwater rivers).

Overnight Newcastle

DAY 10 Newcastle - Sydney

Follow the Pacific Highway; select which side of Lake Macquarie best suits your style.

Today you could see Avondale, Cooranbong, Morisset, Wyee or Swansea, Stinky Point, Wallarah National Park, Lake Munmorah, Fowlers Lookout, The Australian Rainforest Sanctuary (conservation and education centre, 200 species of flora and 128 species of birds, 5 kms of natural walking trails), The Entrance (The Shell Museum, Crackneck Point Lookout), Bateau Bay, Terrigal (The Skillion), Australian Reptile Park (interaction with animals, wildlife shows, giant Galapagos tortoise, NSW biggest crocodile, Tasmanian devil), Brisbane Waters and Woy Woy, Gosford, Henry Kendall Cottage, Gosford City Arts Centre, Mount White, Mooney Mooney, Cowan, Berowra, Mount Kuring-Gai (Kuring-Gai Chase National Park) or Galston. Direct driving 159km (2 hours) .

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Central Coast & North Coast NSW Self-Drive

10 Day Self-Drive Package

$ 964 *

*Starting holiday costs per person, two share, for low seasons (A$). Seasonal surcharges apply outside of low season. As prices vary based on travel dates, be flexible with dates to get the for the best deals! Vehicle Hire conditions apply (request Vehicle Hire Inclusions Sheet, also provided with Costings). Subject to limited availability at these prices, after which higher prices apply, book now. Some governments and service operators have Covid vaccination requirements. Your included flights advised via email with 24 hours to select alternative flights, routing or airline (alternatives may be at a higher price). Included flights may not be the most direct routing. Arrive earlier/stay longer for specified airports only. Stop-overs are not possible. Subject to Booking Conditions, see Important Information before booking. © HolidayMax™ Booking Code: mp97

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The Central Coast & North Coast NSW Self-Drive is very popular. Many dates book out well in advance, please book soon.

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