gold coast to melbourne best route?

Up until just a few years ago Melbourne-Gold Coast return was a regular annual trip. I've driven pretty much everyway you could find on the map.

Suggest skipping Beaudesertand trying this:
Gold Coast-head north west towards Ipswich then drop back onto the Newell H'way via Warwick and Goondiwindi. You could also go via Toowoomba.
Might sound strange as it is further in km, but the road is better and traffic more free flowing.

When you get down south your choice is to stick to the freeways (Hume, Citylink, Monash) and continue out to Gippsland (the fast way outside of peak hour) or take the more scenic route from Seymour through Yea, Yarra Glen, Lilydale, Monbulk and Pakenham (the way I would go).
There is a nice run from Lilydale out via Noojee if you want the slower but very scenic backway.

Comes down to what you want out of the trip and how you travel in regard to comfort and time verses fatigue.

Ballina is now open on the east coast if that helps;) will only save you 20min or so , Go west young man ,sounds best:) good luck will have to make trip next year, Let us us Know how you go ok:D

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Originally Posted by SuperMono

Up until just a few years ago Melbourne-Gold Coast return was a regular annual trip. I've driven pretty much everyway you could find on the map.

Suggest skipping Beaudesertand trying this:
Gold Coast-head north west towards Ipswich then drop back onto the Newell H'way via Warwick and Goondiwindi. You could also go via Toowoomba.
Might sound strange as it is further in km, but the road is better and traffic more free flowing.

When you get down south your choice is to stick to the freeways (Hume, Citylink, Monash) and continue out to Gippsland (the fast way outside of peak hour) or take the more scenic route from Seymour through Yea, Yarra Glen, Lilydale, Monbulk and Pakenham (the way I would go).
There is a nice run from Lilydale out via Noojee if you want the slower but very scenic backway.

Comes down to what you want out of the trip and how you travel in regard to comfort and time verses fatigue.

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Why would you go backwards out of your way by a long shot to go into Ipswich? The shortest and fastest run is Gold Coast-Beaudesert-Boonah-pick up the Cunningham H'way at Aratula, the foot of Cunningham's Gap, a long way south and west of Ippy. Then go from Warwick to Goondiwindi and down the Newell. Straight, flat, and fast except for the climb up the Gap. Do observe the speed limits in the Warwick police district. They are obsessed with speed cameras.

The newell is the way to go.
Been useing the coast road a bit this year for work
(truck driver) it is still a s*** of a road, ( car drivres you know).
The Newell is rough at the moment from the floods last week
but should be a BIT better by christmas.
I hope so anyway as i'm going up in my D1 then aswell.

Andrew

Straight down the coast, Sydney is a doodle at Christmas time, about an hour from Hornsby to Liverpool, then down the Princes Hwy. all the way to your destination and you can always call in at Moruya Heads and say hello, Regards Frank.

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Originally Posted by AKW

The newell is the way to go.
Been useing the coast road a bit this year for work
(truck driver) it is still a s*** of a road, ( car drivres you know).
The Newell is rough at the moment from the floods last week
but should be a BIT better by christmas.
I hope so anyway as i'm going up in my D1 then aswell.

Andrew

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Agree and it comes complete with a transmission cooler:D
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...011/12/869.jpg

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Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

Why would you go backwards out of your way by a long shot to go into Ipswich?

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First time was because I had to drop something off on the way.
Then I checked the clock and found minimal impact on the time taken and a much smoother, low stress run (mainly freeway after all).

Did the run again in both directions plus another run the 'traditional' route.
The longer northern loop came out better (for me).

Maybe I just always struck the right conditions on the long route and the wrong conditions on the short route.

My most enjoyable route was to head down the minor roads back into NSW and check out some of the smaller towns, but it does take a lot longer.

If you want to do it in the shortest time avoid the coast road, straight down the Newell. A mate of mine who does it frequently turns off at West Wylong, through to Wagga, Albury and then the Hume to Melb. This is about 30 km longer but with the freeway through Albury and then freeway all the way to Melb he reckons this more than offsets the 30km.

Dave.