Albury to Coffs Harbour road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time

The best stops on an Albury to Coffs Harbour road trip itinerary include Bowral, Sydney and Port Macquarie. By car, the distance from Albury to Coffs Harbour is 1,068km, with a driving time of around 10h59m.

Planning an Albury to Coffs Harbour road trip itinerary

An Albury to Coffs Harbour road trip connects the largest city on the Murray River to the biggest city on the New South Wales Mid-North Coast.

For Albury accommodation picks, head here.

Coffs Harbour is an action-packed New South Wales city with plenty of beaches. It also offers kayaking tours with marine scientists and a treetop adventure course. For Coffs Harbour accommodation deals, ferret around here.

However, there is plenty to see along the way. An Albury to Coffs Harbour road trip strings together wineries, charming country towns, urban energy, national parks and glorious coastline.

This guide should help you plan out the best stops on an Albury to Coffs Harbour road trip itinerary. Click through on the individual places and attractions for more detailed, specific information.

If you need to hire a car, find the best rental deals. And don’t forget to do all your pre-road trip shopping.

Albury to Coffs Harbour distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Albury to Coffs Harbour is 1,068km. That makes for a driving time of around 10 hours and 59 minutes.

The best stops to add to an Albury to Coffs Harbour road trip itinerary include Bowral, Sydney and Port Macquarie.

Things to do in Albury include kayaking along the Murray, seeing Aboriginal art of the Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk and getting a fascinating insight into Australian immigration history at the Bonegilla Migrant Experience.

Near Holbrook on the New South Wales side of the border, Woomargama National Park provides a pleasant diversion if you’re in search of wildlife and walking trails.

Albury to Coffs Harbour road trip stops: Gundagai to Yass

Next up, Gundagai offers the Australian Road Transport Heritage Centre and high quality, distinctive accommodation nearby at the Nimbo Fork Lodge or Kimo Estate.

Heading up the Hume Highway, however, Jugiong on the Murrumbidgee River is the perfect lunch stop, with several good places to eat – most notably the Long Track Pantry.

Yass, though, is arguably the better overnight stop as it is near several Canberra region wineries. Canberra Winery Tours offers pick-ups in Yass.

For Yass accommodation, try the handily downtown Yass Central Bed and Breakfast and the well-reviewed Colonial Lodge Motor Inn.

Albury to Coffs Harbour road trip: Yass to Goulburn

It’s another 86km to Goulburn. The Pye Cottage Museum in Gunning on the way takes you back in time to the 1860s.

Goulburn doesn’t have any truly gripping attractions, but the Goulburn Rail Heritage Centre and Goulburn Historic Waterworks are moderately interesting.

The best place to stop on the Albury to Sydney leg of the road trip, however, is the Southern Highlands. Almost everyone stops at the Sutton Forest East Service Centre on the way, although Sutton Forest Estate Wines is a more amiable spot for a journey break.

Albury to Coffs Harbour drive: Bowral to Campbelltown

Once in the Southern Highlands, the highway skirts the edge of Mittagong and Berrima, but the best base is Bowral.

In Bowral, you’ll find character-packed accommodation such as the Berida Hotel and Milton Park, plus innovative wineries such as Centennial Vineyards. Cricket fans will lap up the Bradman Museum, while Fitzroy Falls or Belmore Falls in the nearby Morton National Park cater to nature-lovers.

From Bowral, it’s not much of a drive until you reach the south-western fringes of Sydney’s suburbia.

Before joining the M7 motorway, you’ll go past the Nepean Dam, the Australian Wildlife Sanctuary at Bargo and Sydney Skydivers in Wilton.

There’s also the Campbelltown Steam and Machinery Museum in Campbelltown, the Sambar Brown Lookout and the Australian Botanic Garden.

Albury to Coffs Harbour road trip: Campbelltown to Brooklyn

The quickest route from Albury to Coffs Harbour doesn’t go through central Sydney – it cuts along motorways to the west and north.

However, Sydney is the obvious place to break the journey for a few days. Australia Travel Questions has a big Sydney guide if you’re planning to go into the centre. Recommended activities include kayaking tours around the lesser-seen crags of Middle Harbour, tall ship cruises and behind the scenes tours of Sydney Opera House.

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Skip the queues – and get the best prices – with mobile-friendly advance tickets for these top Sydney attractions.

1. Taronga Zoo – the zoo with harbour views (and plenty of cute Aussie animals)
2. Sydney Opera House – official walking tour. See behind the scenes!
3. Wild Life Sydney – Aussie animal favourites in convenient Darling Harbour location. Perfect if on limited time.
4. Sydney Cricket Ground – behind the scenes secrets tour.
5. Sydney Tower Eye – 360 degree views from 250 metres above the city.

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There are some attractions nearer the route, however, particularly in the Western Sydney Parklands. These include the Lizard Log Playground and Calmsley Hill City Farm in Abbotsbury, plus Sydney Zoo, Bungarribee Park and the Chinese Gardens in the Nurragingy Reserve.

Other good green spaces further north include the Bidjigal Reserve near Castle Hill and Cumberland State Forest in West Pennant Hills.

Other short detours worth taking before reaching the Hawkesbury River are the architecturally-dazzling Rose Siedler House in Wahroonga, the Bobbin Head picnic ground in Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park and Galston Gorge in Berowra Waters National Park.

Before crossing the Hawkesbury River in Brooklyn, you might wish to join the Riverboat Postman cruise. This postal boat brings tourists along as it delivers mail to small river communities like Dangar Island.

Click through to the next section: Central Coast attractions near the highway.