Albury to Brisbane road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time
Driving from Albury to Brisbane: Kempsey to Nambucca Heads
Stay with the Pacific Highway instead, and Billabong Zoo and Cassegrain Wines are the main attractions before reaching Kempsey.
Kempsey pays tribute to the nation’s most adored country musician at the Slim Dusty Centre.
Kempsey accommodation picks include the riverside Park Drive Motel and the pool-equipped Motel Kempsey.
It’s another 106km from Kempsey to Coffs Harbour. You might want to make a short detour to the Yarriabini Lookout for wonderful Macleay River Valley views.
The next town up is Macksville, which offers birdwatching at the Valley of the Mist wetland and local history at the Mary Boulton Pioneer Cottage.
The Mandarin Motel is your best bet for overnight accommodation in Macksville, but you may as well keep going to coastal Nambucca Heads.
Things to do in Nambucca Heads include land-based whale-watching from the Captain Cook Lookout and gentle kayaking through Gaagal Wanggaan National Park.
Find the best Nambucca Heads accommodation
If spending a night or two in Nambucca Heads, here are the best options:
- For an excellent kid-friendly holiday park: Ingenia Holidays White Albatross.
- For a high standard motel with a pool: The Beach Rooms.
- For charm and character: Riverview Boutique Motel.
Nambucca Heads to Emerald Beach
From Nambucca Heads to Coffs Harbour, there are a couple of solid photo stops. Try the Oyster Creek Lookout just north of Valla Beach and the Perry’s Hill Lookout by of the Bellinger River.
The highway then runs through Bongil Bongil National Park. The walking tracks around the Bongil Picnic Area and Sid Burke Picnic Area are good places for spotting koalas.
On the way into Coffs Harbour, Sawtell Beach and Boambee Beach are on the coast, while the Coffs Harbour Butterfly House is next to the highway.
6 fab Coffs Harbour experiences to book in advance
- Glide through nature – on a Boambee Creek kayaking tour guided by a marine scientist.
- Jump out of a plane – with tandem skydives that land on the beach.
- Go kayaking and wildlife-spotting – on a coastal adventure.
- Head into the hinterland – on a rainforest and waterfalls day tour.
- Test your nerve and agility – at the Treetops Coffs Harbour adventure course.
- See migrating humpbacks up close – on a whale-watching cruise.
Good things to do in Coffs Harbour include Jetty Beach, rainforest tours, whale-watching cruises and skydives.
For Coffs Harbour accommodation, consider the quirky Big Windmill Motel, the nature-flanked Sanctuary Resort, the helpfully central Best Western Zebra Motel and the well-equipped Beachpark Apartments.
Leaving Coffs Harbour, you’ll go near the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden and the city’s gimmicky attractions – the Clog Barn and the Big Banana.
You might also like to visit Diggers Beach and the Solitary Islands Aquarium at Charlesworth Bay Beach, or the Forest Sky Pier and Treetops Adventure in Korora.
There are several tremendous beaches along the Coffs Coast.
Sapphire Beach and Moonee Beach are fabulous, while the Moonee Beach Nature Reserve and the Look At Me Now Headland are home to large numbers of kangaroos. The latter is just south of Emerald Beach.
Click through to the next section: The Northern Rivers region.