From Newcastle to Gold Coast in a day, means around an 8 hour plus trip. Unlike days of old, it’s now mostly double highway, bypassing the coastlines and beach town views.

What would you find along the coast should you go the old route?

Newcastle

Beautiful beaches like Nobbys, Merewether and more.

Bogey Hole is a convict-built ocean bath. Also known as Commandants Baths, the sandstone/conglomerate rock was constructed in about 1820 intended for the personal use of Lieutenant-Colonel James Thomas Morriset.

Fort Scratchley today is a historic site and popular for watchers of whales migrating. Now a museum, it was built in 1882 to defend the city against a possible Russian attack. (Hmmm first time I’ve ever read about that!) The Fort never fired it’s guns in anger however, until 1942 during a Japanese submarine attack.

Seal Rocks

Further North you can find other popular surf spots such as Seal Rocks and Treachery. I frequented that area in another life.

Seal Rocks was originally named for its fur seal colonies that have not inhabited the area for many, many years, apparently they are being seen again in the Port Stephens area.

Popular for some awesome surf breaks, Seal Rocks and Treachery are very much a surfers paradise and still remains very uncommercialised.

Forster-Tuncurry

The twin towns on the coast about 20-25mins East of Mum and Dads at Taree.

Tuncurry is the smaller of the two towns and began around 1875. Tuncurry means ‘plenty of fish’, originally a timber milling area it is a beautiful sleepy little fishing town.

Forster being the larger town of the area, boasts beautiful beaches and surfing spots. It is a very popular Summer holiday spot being only 4 hrs North of Sydney.

Best fish and chips are found in coastal towns where it’s coming in fresh daily! No trip to Forster happens without fish and chips heavily salted and wrapped in paper! Yum!

Port Macquarie

First visited by Europeans in 1818 when John Oxley made it to the coast from his interior explorations.

It became a secondary crime penal settlement for convicts in 1821.

In 1823, the first sugar cane to be grown in Australia started here. Now that is interesting, as a kid, I only ever knew far north NSW and Queensland as the sugar cane country! Well there you go, learn something new ever day!

Anyway, lots of history there and gorgeous beaches also.

Up into further North NSW, the only remaining old section of Pacific Highway still goes through Coffs Harbour. Really don’t think there is anywhere for them to bypass this section but who’d want to miss the Big Banana attraction!?!😂😂

Coffs Harbour

Home to Big Banana, banana plantations (being superseded by blueberries), sugar cane regions, beaches and porpoise pool.

Was named after John Korff when he sought shelter from a storm in 1847, later accidentally changed to Coffs by an administrative error by a surveyor in 1861.

Many resorts and marinas here, very big tourist area.

Further there is Grafton, Byron Bay, Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads before crossing into the sunshine state.

Soooo much coastline to explore and then from Coolangatta up is beach after beach after beach!

Get some sand and surf into ya!

Kat xo

P.S. with Drive thru and a couple quick stops it took us just on 9hours.