Travel tips

DiscoMick · 10th December 2015, 09:35 AM

With holidays coming, many of us will be hitting the roads, so I thought there might be some useful travel tips to share. I've just driven Brisbane-Sydney, so here's a few thoughts about the state of the Pacific Highway. Maybe others can add their own information.

Pacific Highway

The highway can be divided into three: New motorway, constructions zones and original goat track.

Motorway: Sydney to Port Macquarie and Byron Bay to Brisbane are motorway and easy travel. Most of Woolgoolga to Urunga is also motorway, but it stil goes through the Coffs Harbour town centre, where there are always holiday delays. There are also some short sections of motorway completed in other areas.

Construction zones: Port Macquarie to Urunga and Woolgoolga to Grafton are mostly construction zones right now, with 80 and 60 sections, delays and congestion. The northern section of the Ballina-Byron section is still under construction. Last Christmas there were long delays near Byron and that is likely again this year.

Original goat track: Not much work has begun yet between Grafton and Ballina. That means lots of speed cameras, narrow, bumpy road and 50 km/h sections through several small towns. Expect long delays, congestion and crashes.

Strategies:

Night travel
The congestion eases at night, so progress is faster. Its cooler, which is easier on both the vehicle and occupants. The road is fenced so skippys are not a problem. If the kids will sleep night travel is a good option.
Fuel and food are available 24/7 at the Taree and Port Macquarie turnoff service centres and at South Coffs. There is also Maccas at Grafton and service centres on the Tweed.
Fuel used to be expensive in Coffs, but then a United opened near the showground on the highwy in the town centre, so we usually fill up either there or at Grafton, where prices are similar.
The new sections of motorway have rest stops to take a break.

Detours
To avoid the Ballina - Coffs section we often turn off at Bangalow and go through Lismore and Casino on the Summerland Way to Grafton and then turn at the South Grafton roundabout and take Orara Way to Coffs. Not much traffic, mostly 100 km/h rural road and nice views of farms and forests. While the distance is slightly longer the actual travel time is similar and its much less stressful.

New England Highway
If all that sounds too much, go straight ahead at the northern end of the freeway near Newcastle and head up through Tamworth and Armidale and keep going. It will take longer and the road is not motorway, but the traffic will be much lighter and there are some interesting towns and national parks. You can go all the way to Brisbane if necessary.

Hope that helps if you are heading north in the holidays.

Sent from my GT-P5210 using AULRO mobile app

**Disco-tastic** · 10th December 2015, 12:51 PM

Thanks DiscoMick

I have to do the drive from Central coast to Lismore on Christmas Eve. Not looking forward to the actual drive

tho the newly purchased D3 will make it so much better

Thanks for the tip of orara and summerland way. Might give that a go. It sucks getting stuck behind people heading north after grafton. I've followed someone doing 60 in a 100 zone waaaaaay too many times.

Ive found that the road into Macksville can be backed up for kilometres. Ive taken Upper Warrell road before, following wallace st down to just south of the bridge. (Note that google maps doesn't show the southern end of Upper Warrell Road connecting through, though the streetview has pictures of a road the whole way through. I'm pretty sure its continuous but may have changed. End disclaimer

)

Cheers

Dan

**jonesfam** · 10th December 2015, 02:30 PM

Roads in the North West of QLD are relatively traffic free.

To bloody HOT for anybody at the moment.

Rest of the World does not exist!

**V8Ian** · 10th December 2015, 03:23 PM

Matilda servo in Casino generally has fuel ⛽ cheaper than Brisbane prices.

mikehzz · 10th December 2015, 07:39 PM

I went through in October and the cheapest fuel was South Grafton. It was cheaper than Brisbane and Sydney at around $1.18 a litre for diesel. I'm not sure what it's like now though.

DiscoMick · 10th December 2015, 08:09 PM

On Monday Grafton servos and the United at Coffs were similar prices.

My advice is to avoid the congestion. Turn left at the Coffs town center and go Orara Way to Grafton and the Summerland Way through Casino. From the north, turn at Bangalow. If possible, travel at night.
Incdentally, it is possible to avoid the Byron Bay turnoff roadworks congestion by turning west earlier (I forget the road names), but its a slow wander around backroads, coming out near Lismore. The maps show the routes.

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**V8Ian** · 10th December 2015, 08:45 PM

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

On Monday Grafton servos and the United at Coffs were similar prices.

My advice is to avoid the congestion. Turn left at the Coffs town center and go Orara Way to Grafton and the Summerland Way through Casino. From the north, turn at Bangalow. If possible, travel at night.
Incdentally, it is possible to avoid the Byron Bay turnoff roadworks congestion by turning west earlier (I forget the road names), but its a slow wander around backroads, coming out near Lismore. The maps show the routes.

Sent from my GT-P5210 using AULRO mobile app

Northbound turn left as you enter Woodburn, then right at Coraki, brings you out a little West of Lismore. Then head to Bangalow.

DiscoMick · 19th December 2015, 11:10 AM

Great news! The Byron-Ballina extension opened yesterday so ignore my previous comment about likely congestion. Beautiful piece of road too.

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**ntguy** · 19th December 2015, 02:14 PM

Some good tips and advice

I am flying down to Melbourne on the 10th Jan Spending in Melbourne CBD with kids and then Pick up the D2a from Fred Smith.

From there I am planning to do the following trip. I am fairly naive to the east coast, so haven't totally worked trip out.

10th Jan Darwin to Melbourne.
12th Jan Melbourne to Philip Island
13th Jan Philip Island to Wilsons Promenatry
13 - 18th Wilson Prom to Newcastle
21st to 23rd Newcastle to Sunshine coast
24th Sunshine Coast to Darwin via Longreach

**jonesfam** · 19th December 2015, 03:37 PM

You will do well to get from the Sunny Coast to Darwin in a day?

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