Sydney to Melbourne Road Trip – Coastal Drive with Itinerary and Cost

Normally, the route from Sydney to Melbourne is about 800 Kms. But, the Sydney to Melbourne Road Trip along the coast stretches for about 1147 Kms. The road trip begins near from Sydney Harbour Bridge and takes you on an incredible coastal drive ending in Melbourne. During the road trip, you’ll cross national parks, seashores, beautiful towns, amazing landscapes, and much more. So, pack your bags and turn on the car engine for this Sydney to Melbourne Road Trip between two big cities of Australia.

Cost of Sydney to Melbourne Road Trip

For a common understanding, we’ve taken Sydney Harbour Bridge as the starting point of this trip. Our cost estimations for the Sydney to Melbourne trip will include fuel, hotel, food, and tourist destinations fee. So, you’ll be getting a quite clear idea of trip cost. Also, as mentioned above, all the prices indicated in this guide are in US$s.

Cost of Trip by Car:

• Fuel (Petrol) – On the average of 14 kilometres per litre, the car will be consuming 164 Liters of fuel (Sydney >> Melbourne >> Sydney) which will cost you $147.
• Food – Food will cost you about $50 per day for four people. So, the approximate cost of food will be $300 maximum.
• Accommodation – You’ll easily get a decent hotel stay at $60-$100 per night, So the cost of the stay will be approximately $320 to $400. Also, we’ll be mentioning hotels in the itinerary of each day.
• Miscellaneous – For other expenses like tickets, toll taxes, repairs, etc., you can count $150 extra.
• Total – Sydney to Melbourne Road Trip by Car will cost you approximately $917 for four people.

Cost of Trip by Bike:

• Fuel – On the average of 25 kilometres per litre, the bike will be consuming 95 Liters of fuel (Sydney >> Melbourne >> Sydney) which will cost you $86.
• Food – Food will cost you about $30 per day for two people. So, the approximate cost of food will be $180 maximum.
• Accommodation – You’ll easily get a decent hotel stay at $60-$100 per night, So the cost of stays will be approximately $320 to $400. Also, we’ll be mentioning best hotels to stay in the itinerary of each day.
• Miscellaneous – For other expenses like tickets, toll taxes, repairs, etc., you can count $100 extra.
• Total – Sydney to Melbourne Road Trip by bike will cost you approximately about $686 for two people.

Best time for Sydney to Melbourne Road Trip

How much you enjoy on a trip very much depends on the weather conditions. Pleasant weather can make your trip where hot weather can ruin it. So, it is crucial to ensure that the weather must be good during the trip. The best weather for traveling on Sydney to Melbourne route will be from October to Mid February. From October to Mid February, you’ll find sunny weather, which will be suitable for traveling.

Places to Visit on the Road Trip

There are plenty of places that you can visit and experience on your Sydney to Melbourne Road Trip. Swimming in the Jervis Bay, sight whales in Eden, hiking in Wilsons Promontory National Park, sight seals, penguin, and koalas and a lot more. So, let’s hop on and see what those places are lying on your route. The list of these places will help you sort the places you want to visit and what you don’t. We’ve prepared Itinerary of Sydney to Melbourne Road Trip just after this section, so you’ll find all these places mentioned in the itinerary.

Sydney to Melbourne Road Trip Itinerary

With so many places to visit on the route, you will have fantastic travel experience on this trip. The starting point of this Australian Coastal Road Trip will be Sydney Harbour Bridge. We have tried putting the maximum information we could. We hope this Itinerary will be perfect for your road trip plan or will help you with planning a new plan by yourself.

Day 1: Sydney to Jervis Bay (265 Kms)

Start your ride at about 7 in the morning. The nearest place we’ll be visiting on day one will be Royal National Park as it has many cliffs, beaches, and bushlands. Royal National Park is just about 35 Kms ahead of Sydney. Our first stop will be Figure 8 Pools in Lilyvale, which is a part of Royal National Park. Just a 58 Km (1 hour) drive will get you here.

Figure 8 pools are located on a dangerous rock platform. Visiting Figure 8 pools is only advised during low-tide. If you are thinking of diving in pools, then be very careful, and it’ll be better to avoid swimming in here. There have been multiple reports of death in Figure 8 pools. So, be very careful if you are diving in here.

After Figure 8 Pools, the next stop is Garawarra State Conservation Area which is about 28 Kms from Figure 8 Pools. On our way to Garawarra State Conservation area, we’ll be visiting two lookouts, first being Otford Lookout and second being Bald Cliff Lookout.

Otford lookout is about 16 Kms from 8 Figure Pools. You can take a quick break here looking at the fantastic view of the ocean. Just 2.3 Kms ahead of Otford lookout, you’ll arrive at Bald Hill Lookout. Both the places offer almost similar views, so consider stopping at one as per your choice. Garawarra State Conservation Are is located 9 Kms ahead of Bald Hill lookout. It is a peaceful spot for spending some hours or for a picnic trip and experience waterfalls. People also come to visit Garawarra State Conservation Area for mountain biking and horse riding.

Old Helensburgh Station is situated just close to Garawarra State Conservation Area. So, just a 2 km ride will get you there. It used to be a railway station, now famous as a tourist spot due to its haunting history and glow worm tunnel. Helensburgh Glow Worm Tunnel was closed in 1915, and now it is quite famous for photography.

Within the next 6 Kms, there are two interesting places. First is Symbio Wildlife park and second is Sri Venkateswara Temple. At Symbio Wildlife Park you can have a really refreshing time with funny koalas and cute kangaroos along with many other lovely species of animals.

Sri Venkateswara Temple is among the most famous Hindu temples in Australia. It is built at the elevation of 400 fee above the sea level. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Shiva. You’ll get to see various gods and goddesses along with proper experience of traditional Indian structures.

If you have any plan of visiting a beach, then you can take a break at Coalcliff Beach which is just a few kms away from Bald Hill Lookout. Barely a 5 minutes drive will get you at Sea Cliff Bridge Viewpoint that is quite popular as a viewpoint spot for travellers.

The next place in our list of Day 1 of Sydney to Melbourne Road Trip is Thirroul Beach Reserve. It is a park located on the Thirroul beach. We only recommend visiting here just in case you are looking for a break. Otherwise, you better continue your ride towards our next stop, which is Wollongong Head Lighthouse. Drive for about 15 Kms on Memorial Dr/B65, and you’ll arrive at Wollongong Breakwater Lighthouse in about 20 minutes.

Wollongong Head Lighthouse is also known as Flagstaff Hill or Flagstaff Point Lighthouse. It is an active lighthouse that overlooks the Tasman Sea. 25 Kms ahead of Wollongong, you’ll reach Killalea Reserve which is a perfect place for a full day outing. It has is reserved as a public recreation are for surfing, fishing, picnics, bushwalking, and camping. If you want to experience Killalea, then take out a full day and spend it here at Killalea Reserve.

Day 1 is about to end, and we have only two places among which one site is optional for a visit. After visiting remaining spots, we’ll be checking in to the hotel in Jervis Bay and spending the night there. Seven Mile Beach National Park is 35 Kms ahead of Killalea Reserve. It offers a full-day outing experience pretty similar to Killalea Reserve. Our last place for the Day 1 is Shoalhaven Zoo and National Park. We would suggest you visit Shoalhgaven Zoo and National Park instead of Symbio Wildlife Park if you want to experience a complete zoo. So, consider one among the two we mentioned.

Food Places between Sydney and Jervis Bay

Fuel Stations between Sydney and Jervis Bay

Best Hotels in Jervis Bay

Day 2: Jervis Bay to Eden (391 Kms)

Start Day 2 early in the morning at about 5 AM. Visit Jervis Bay Marine Park to experience refreshing and breezy weather on the beach. Jervis Bay Marine Park is quite famous for boating, fishing, and other water activities. Spending some early morning hours walking on the white sand will be a memorable experience. Get back to the hotel and have breakfast and check-out as we are heading to continue our road trip for Day 2.

Our first stop for the day will be Booderee National Park which is about 13 kms ahead of Jervis Bay Marine Park via Naval College Road. Both Boodeere National Park and Meroo National Park offers you a clear view of Ocean. If you wish, you can ignore these two places or spend a few minutes here as these places don’t provide anything extraordinary to experience.

Located 53 Kms ahead of Meroo National Park, Mogo Zoo is a small privately-owned Zoo. You can spot many endangered and exotic species of animals at Mogo Zoo. Also, if you love eating meat, then this place has a variety of meat to offer, and you’ll be liking the meal here. Australian Coastal route has many national parks lying on the way. One of the national parks on coastal drive route is Eurobodalla National Park which his about 52 Kms ahead of Mogo Zoo. Eurobodalla National Park is a beautiful place for a full-day picnic. People visit Eurobodalla National Park for a picnic, camping, fishing, boating, and surfing.

Drive for another 50 kms from Eurobodalla National Park, and you’ll arrive at Horse Head Rock in Wallaga Lake. As you can see in the image, this places has a rock that resembles the shape of the head of a horse. Take a break here and spend a few minutes the continue your drive towards Eden Killer Whale Museum in Eden which is about 115 Kms away from Horse Head Rock.

The Eden Killer Whale Museum was primarily built to house the skeleton of Orca, also known as the old tom and the other killer whales of Eden. The museum houses 10000+ items that represent the Australian whaling industry, the local social history of Eden, fishing artefacts, skeletons of whales, and other things.

Once you have explored all the places we mentioned for Day 2, we’ll be heading to the hotel for a night and taking the required rest. Next day we’ll be continuing our Sydney to Melbourne Road Trip.

Food Places between Jervis Bay and Eden

Fuel Stations between Jervis Bay and Eden

Best Hotels in Eden

Day 3: Eden to Melbourne (706 Kms)

As we have a long day on Day 3, we’ll suggest you continue the Sydney to Melbourne Road Trip at around 6 in the morning. Our first stop for the day will be Ben Boyd National Park. Located about 33 Kms ahead of Eden, it is famous for snorkeling and swimming due to its crystal clear water.

Genoa Falls is 62 Kms ahead of Ben Boyd National Park. Located very close to the princess highway, Genoa Falls is a beautiful place to have a quick break. If the weather is pleasant during your visit, you can enjoy sitting by the falls and clicking some pictures.

Day 3 of this Sydney to Melbourne road trip will be more about driving and enjoying the vehicle’s journey. Croajingolong National Park is a beautiful full-day picnic spot located about 30 kms away from the princess highway. This place is quite like the previous national parks which you visited on the road trip so far. So, you can choose between going there or not. It is located on the coast, and the reason we didn’t consider it a prominent place is because of the time it requires. You can visit here on some other day when you can spend a full day here.

We know the picture above is tempting. McKenzie River Rainforest Walk is an Instaworthy place. This bridge is built over McKenzie river hanging with the help of chains. McKenzie River Rainforest Walk is about 82 Kms from Croajinglong National Park, which will take 1 hour and 26 minutes of the ride. View from McKenzie River Rainforest Walk is beautiful, and you can click amazing pictures at this place.

Our next stop will be Jemmy’s Point Lookout, which is about 106 Kms from McKenzie River Rainforest Walk. Jemmy’s Point Lookout is one of the most famous lookout points on this coastal drive. Located in Kalmina Victoria, it offers a breathtaking view of bass strait.

After a 206 Kms long drive from Jemmy’s Point Lookout, you’ll arrive at Long Jetty Port in Welshpool. Long Jetty Port in Welshpool is a long walkway to reach the jet rides. You can enjoy a walk here above the sea. Continue your journey towards Kilcunda Coastal Reserve, which is about 104 Kms from Welshpool. You don’t necessarily need to stop here, but you can enjoy the view going through this place as this is just on the left side of the highway.

Philip Island Wildlife Park is out last stop for Day 3, and then we’ll be arriving at Melbourne. It is just a ride of 25 Kms from Kilcunda. Once you are done exploring Philip Island Wildlife Park, head towards Melbourne and rest in the hotel. We’ll be exploring Melbourne in the next two days of the Sydney to Melbourne Road Trip.

Food Places between Eden and Melbourne

Fuel Stations between Eden and Melbourne

Best Hotels in Melbourne

Day 4 and 5: Melbourne

Melbourne is the second-largest metropolitan of Australia. It continually ranks itself in the list of most liveable cities. There are several places that you can visit in Melbourne during your Sydney to Melbourne Road Trip. We are not going in dept about tthe places. Here is the list of places that you can explore on Day 4 and 5. On Day 6, according to our itinerary, it’ll be time to go back to Sydney so we can call the road trip as completed.

Places to Visit in Melbourne:

Day 6: Get back to Sydney

As we have already explored the coastal route, now is the time to head back. We suggest you take the regular route that Google Maps suggests. It will take you 875 Kms and 10 hours to reach back to Sydney.

If you have a question or doubt about anything related to the Sydney to Melbourne Road Trip, please let us know in the comment section below.

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Shashank Kulshrestha

I love to travel places and write about my experiences and travel guides to help people in making their travel plans with ease. Otherthan traveling and blogging, I work on my internet ventures and provide internet business consulting.