Hi - I was really hoping to get some help here. In Feb 2019 I am going on a road trip to visit my mum in Shoalhaven Heads (near Nowra). I will be doing it over 4 days. Only driving around 3 hours per day due to back issues and because I can take my time now as Im semi retired . I havent done this drive for about 10+ years and was concerned about going through/around Sydney. I do have a GPS. Is there an easy way to get around with little stress involved. I would appreciate any help you can give. Thx Nola
-- Edited by nbev52 on Friday 19th of October 2018 03:34:09 PM
Possum3 said
05:04 PM Oct 19, 2018
There are several ways to bypass Sydney; Come down F1 and take M7 all the way from Pennant Hills Rd to meet M5 going south.
If you do it outside of peak hours or a weekend Take F1 to Sydney, go through Harbour Tunnel and link on to M5 heading South -
only other suggestion is F1 to Sydney, exit at Pymble come through Flemington (past Olympic Stadium) come onto Woodville Rd at Parramatta cross highway at Mechano Set then Milperra Rd to M5.
Otherwise you will need to go inland and go down through Lithgow and Bathurst (a long, long way). Actually if you go from Brisbane through Dubbo this is a pleasant trip.
If you don't know your basics of Sydney and Suburbs you will need a SatNav or a good navigator in the seat next to you.
-- Edited by Possum3 on Friday 19th of October 2018 05:06:26 PM
LLD said
07:34 PM Oct 19, 2018
There is still no ring road around Sydney. Pennant Hills road (aka Cumberland Highway - A28) has about 10kms of normal roads that we've negotiated both week days and weekends (M2, M7, M31, B88 to M1). Weekend is easy, week days not real bad. We just stayed in the middle lane in either direction. Appears a long way around but it is my preferred path of least resistance around Sydney. The hardest part is getting into the correct (right) lane to turn from A28 to M2 when coming south. Did the tunnel many years ago so we could go on the Sea Cliff bridge. It was on a Saturday and was very hectic.
Brisbane - Dubbo - Goulburn is 1,340kms and is probably a reasonable alternative but may cost you an extra day.
Brisbane - Sydney is 1,082kms.
Both tracks will probably need some planning for accomodation no matter how your are travelling (van park, motels etc.)
-- Edited by LLD on Friday 19th of October 2018 07:41:12 PM
-- Edited by LLD on Friday 19th of October 2018 07:41:34 PM
The Belmont Bear said
06:56 AM Oct 20, 2018
Hi Nola in my opinion and as LLD has already suggested your best option to avoid the worst of Sydneys traffic would be via the Pennant Hills Road. From Brisbane take either the New England or Pacific Hwy to Newcastle then the M1 (F3) to its end turn onto Pennant Hills Road and after about 10kms turn right onto the M2, follow it to the M7 which will become the Hume Hwy follow that to Mittigong then take hwy 42 across to the coast and you should come out near Kiama. Remember the M2 and the M7 are both toll roads and there is no manual way to pay. I normally go onto the RTA website and get an EMU pass for the period that I know I will be travelling it covers all toll roads, harbour bridge, tunnel etc. they just bill your credit card when you use them. You didn,t actually say whether you will have your van on the back but again as LLD suggested try and stay in the middle lane on the Pennant Hills Road section until you have to turn right onto the M2 and even if there is a bit of traffic it should be fairly stress free.
Cheers
BB
Chocoholic said
07:32 AM Oct 20, 2018
Hi Nola
Have you considered flying to Sydney and renting a car or taking a airport transfer bus to Shoalhaven?
I have just driven from Brisbane. Did around 400km per day and stopped about every 1 and a half hour. I am travelling in a campervan and staying in caravan parks.
I've done about 850km so far and fuel and accommodation is already more than cost of flight. And it is a long journey with lots of roadworks
Good luck and enjoy
Susan
Dickodownunder said
01:36 PM Oct 20, 2018
I tend to go the way that Belmont Bear suggested above.
A good GPS will usually give you enough warning to prepare for the right hand turn onto the M2
When you apply for the E Pass on the RTA site you will need to include the rego nos of both car and caravan if towing.
Thank you LLD - Looking at the Pennant Hills way at the moment. :) Anywhere but the Sydney city area - Nola
nbev52 said
02:19 PM Oct 20, 2018
Thanks BB - Ive printed out your instructions. I gather I just do the same in reverse coming back :) Re the tolls I can get a prepaid tagless pass from Linkt which covers all tolls in Australia for 30 days. That will work for me.
I am just travelling down alone in my car. These are the times when I would like a man by my side. :) I am old school and would be happy for a man to do the driving.
I cant believe I used to do this trip so many times in my 30s but now dont have the same confidence as then. Life can knock it out of you to a degree. Enough of looking back - its a waste of time - onward and forward.
Again many thanks for you help - it is really appreciated
Nola
nbev52 said
02:24 PM Oct 20, 2018
Thanks Chocoholic (Susan) - Im not a fan of flying (unless I really have to) - long story :) Had to do with being a hippy in the 60s and being really stoned on a plane once
Im ok with most of the trip and looking forward to a road trip, its just that section around Sydney that concerns me.
Nola
nbev52 said
02:27 PM Oct 20, 2018
Yeah thanks Dickodownunder
I think I will be doing what BB suggested. I have printed it out. Whats the worse that can happen? If I get lost my GPS will get me where I want to go eventually, right?
Nola
Dickodownunder said
02:36 PM Oct 20, 2018
nbev52 wrote:
Yeah thanks Dickodownunder
I think I will be doing what BB suggested. I have printed it out. Whats the worse that can happen? If I get lost my GPS will get me where I want to go eventually, right?
Nola
I am sure you will be fine Nola and as some others have suggested try to do the Sydney bit during the weekend or at out of peak hour times.
A good GPS mapping system is great and I for one never travel without mine.
BBs route is my preferred way to go and the only problem I had was once there was an accident on the M7 which delayed us for quite some time. Unfortunately accidents are something that is totally unforeseen and unavoidable.
If you have a car radio then tune it to a local station and sometimes you may hear road reports.
I would not get too concerned as apart from time they all get sorted out eventually.
Happy and safe travels and Shoalhaven is a great area particularly in the warmer weather.
Possum3 said
03:39 PM Oct 20, 2018
Sorry Nola, I meant M1 (Pacific Motorway) - back in the early days of Freeways (Prior to Tollways) they used F prefix - although in actuality the M1 used to be called the F3 for reasons only God knows.
PeterD said
04:40 PM Oct 20, 2018
Nola, Have a look at this map. That is the general route suggested by most. Expand the map to see the detail where necessary (or open the driving directions.) You will notice it does not go as far as Mittagong and down to the coast through the dreaded Kangaroo Valley. You will notice it has two rest areas marked on it. There are no convenient stopping places between the two if you need a break. I suggest you stop at one or both when passing through. I start my trips south about 3/4 of an hour before the Pacific Motorway one and have a break there. I also stop at the Hume Motorway one for a cuppa or lunch depending on how late we leave. Regarding toll paying, do you have an e-Tag for Brisbane? If so then it works Oz wide, including on the M7.
Regarding driving the Pennant Hills Road, we always aim at going down the Pennant Hills Road (between the M1 & M7) between 09:30 and 14:00 on weekdays, that dodges the school pickup/dropoff times. We attempt to steer clear of weekends and the Richard cranium weekend warriors. When you come off the M1 head for the middle lane. The other two lanes will turn you off your route before you need to turn. The RH lane turns off and up Castle Hill Road at the top of the hill at West Pennant Hills. At the bottom of the hill you will then be setup to turn onto the M2.
The Belmont Bear said
05:36 PM Oct 20, 2018
nbev52 wrote:
Thanks BB - Ive printed out your instructions. I gather I just do the same in reverse coming back :) Re the tolls I can get a prepaid tagless pass from Linkt which covers all tolls in Australia for 30 days. That will work for me.
I am just travelling down alone in my car. These are the times when I would like a man by my side. :) I am old school and would be happy for a man to do the driving.
I cant believe I used to do this trip so many times in my 30s but now dont have the same confidence as then. Life can knock it out of you to a degree. Enough of looking back - its a waste of time - onward and forward.
Again many thanks for you help - it is really appreciated
Nola
No problem Nola if you can handle driving in Brisbane I'm sure that the short section of Pennant Hills Road without a van should be a breeze for you. Whether you go all the way down to Mittagong before crossing over to the coast or crossover a bit earlier near Picton is up you. Yes on the way back it is just reversed except you will have a lot more confidencewhen you do it. We will also be heading that way to Melbourne in February then across to Tassie on the ferry.
By the way possum God is well aware that the reason that it was called the F3 was so that there could be an F3 derby between the Mariners and the Jets he is also aware that if we had an M1 derby it just wouldn't have had the same ring to it...
Cheers
BB
Possum3 said
08:25 PM Oct 20, 2018
BB So only God and you knew, then you told everyone. LOL
Chocoholic said
10:03 PM Oct 20, 2018
Hi I drove from Lake Macquarie this morning I had the gps giving instructions and put the destination in on my phone google maps as well as a backup I made it and have never driven on Sydney roads, so i am sure you will be fine!
My partner always used to drive and I navigated This is the longest trip i have ever done by myself (Brisbane to Nelligen) and i had my scary moments!
Good luck - and just enjoy l!
Susan
Hi - I was really hoping to get some help here. In Feb 2019 I am going on a road trip to visit my mum in Shoalhaven Heads (near Nowra). I will be doing it over 4 days. Only driving around 3 hours per day due to back issues and because I can take my time now as Im semi retired
. I havent done this drive for about 10+ years and was concerned about going through/around Sydney. I do have a GPS. Is there an easy way to get around with little stress involved. I would appreciate any help you can give. Thx Nola
-- Edited by nbev52 on Friday 19th of October 2018 03:34:09 PM
There are several ways to bypass Sydney;
Come down F1 and take M7 all the way from Pennant Hills Rd to meet M5 going south.
If you do it outside of peak hours or a weekend Take F1 to Sydney, go through Harbour Tunnel and link on to M5 heading South -
only other suggestion is F1 to Sydney, exit at Pymble come through Flemington (past Olympic Stadium) come onto Woodville Rd at Parramatta cross highway at Mechano Set then Milperra Rd to M5.
Otherwise you will need to go inland and go down through Lithgow and Bathurst (a long, long way). Actually if you go from Brisbane through Dubbo this is a pleasant trip.
If you don't know your basics of Sydney and Suburbs you will need a SatNav or a good navigator in the seat next to you.
-- Edited by Possum3 on Friday 19th of October 2018 05:06:26 PM
There is still no ring road around Sydney. Pennant Hills road (aka Cumberland Highway - A28) has about 10kms of normal roads that we've negotiated both week days and weekends (M2, M7, M31, B88 to M1). Weekend is easy, week days not real bad. We just stayed in the middle lane in either direction. Appears a long way around but it is my preferred path of least resistance around Sydney. The hardest part is getting into the correct (right) lane to turn from A28 to M2 when coming south. Did the tunnel many years ago so we could go on the Sea Cliff bridge. It was on a Saturday and was very hectic.
Brisbane - Dubbo - Goulburn is 1,340kms and is probably a reasonable alternative but may cost you an extra day.
Brisbane - Sydney is 1,082kms.
Both tracks will probably need some planning for accomodation no matter how your are travelling (van park, motels etc.)
-- Edited by LLD on Friday 19th of October 2018 07:41:12 PM
-- Edited by LLD on Friday 19th of October 2018 07:41:34 PM
Cheers
BB
A good GPS will usually give you enough warning to prepare for the right hand turn onto the M2
When you apply for the E Pass on the RTA site you will need to include the rego nos of both car and caravan if towing.
Here is some info.
www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/order-emu-pass
myrta.com/etoll/index.html
Many many thanks Possum3 :) What is F1? Nola
Thank you LLD - Looking at the Pennant Hills way at the moment. :) Anywhere but the Sydney city area
- Nola
Thanks BB - Ive printed out your instructions. I gather I just do the same in reverse coming back :) Re the tolls I can get a prepaid tagless pass from Linkt which covers all tolls in Australia for 30 days. That will work for me.
I am just travelling down alone in my car. These are the times when I would like a man by my side. :) I am old school and would be happy for a man to do the driving.
I cant believe I used to do this trip so many times in my 30s but now dont have the same confidence as then. Life can knock it out of you to a degree. Enough of looking back - its a waste of time - onward and forward.
Again many thanks for you help - it is really appreciated
Nola
Thanks Chocoholic (Susan) - Im not a fan of flying (unless I really have to) - long story :) Had to do with being a hippy in the 60s and being really stoned on a plane once
Im ok with most of the trip and looking forward to a road trip, its just that section around Sydney that concerns me.
Nola
Yeah thanks Dickodownunder
I think I will be doing what BB suggested. I have printed it out. Whats the worse that can happen? If I get lost my GPS will get me where I want to go eventually, right?
Nola
I am sure you will be fine Nola and as some others have suggested try to do the Sydney bit during the weekend or at out of peak hour times.
A good GPS mapping system is great and I for one never travel without mine.
BBs route is my preferred way to go and the only problem I had was once there was an accident on the M7 which delayed us for quite some time. Unfortunately accidents are something that is totally unforeseen and unavoidable.
If you have a car radio then tune it to a local station and sometimes you may hear road reports.
I would not get too concerned as apart from time they all get sorted out eventually.
Happy and safe travels and Shoalhaven is a great area particularly in the warmer weather.
Nola, Have a look at this map. That is the general route suggested by most. Expand the map to see the detail where necessary (or open the driving directions.) You will notice it does not go as far as Mittagong and down to the coast through the dreaded Kangaroo Valley. You will notice it has two rest areas marked on it. There are no convenient stopping places between the two if you need a break. I suggest you stop at one or both when passing through. I start my trips south about 3/4 of an hour before the Pacific Motorway one and have a break there. I also stop at the Hume Motorway one for a cuppa or lunch depending on how late we leave. Regarding toll paying, do you have an e-Tag for Brisbane? If so then it works Oz wide, including on the M7.
Regarding driving the Pennant Hills Road, we always aim at going down the Pennant Hills Road (between the M1 & M7) between 09:30 and 14:00 on weekdays, that dodges the school pickup/dropoff times. We attempt to steer clear of weekends and the Richard cranium weekend warriors. When you come off the M1 head for the middle lane. The other two lanes will turn you off your route before you need to turn. The RH lane turns off and up Castle Hill Road at the top of the hill at West Pennant Hills. At the bottom of the hill you will then be setup to turn onto the M2.
No problem Nola if you can handle driving in Brisbane I'm sure that the short section of Pennant Hills Road without a van should be a breeze for you. Whether you go all the way down to Mittagong before crossing over to the coast or crossover a bit earlier near Picton is up you. Yes on the way back it is just reversed except you will have a lot more confidencewhen you do it. We will also be heading that way to Melbourne in February then across to Tassie on the ferry.
By the way possum God is well aware that the reason that it was called the F3 was so that there could be an F3 derby between the Mariners and the Jets he is also aware that if we had an M1 derby it just wouldn't have had the same ring to it...
Cheers
BB