Sydney to Newcastle road trip: Distance, driving time & best stops
The 170km drive from Sydney to Newcastle in New South Wales takes just over two hours. It’s worth considering combining a road trip to Newcastle with the neighbouring Hunter Valley and Port Stephens.
A Sydney to Newcastle road trip is for visitors who want to see more of New South Wales than just Sydney.
Many visitors to New South Wales don’t venture out of Greater Sydney. The state capital is the allure, rather than the rest of the state. They might take a day trip out to the Blue Mountains in search of kangaroos near Blackheath, or walking tracks in Katoomba.
Sydney’s enormous collection of experiences includes all-inclusive sunset dinner cruises, behind-the-scenes tours of the Opera House and whale-watching cruises. Also worth looking at are helicopter flights over the harbour and coastline, jet boat thrill rides and historic walking tours.
To get the best deals on Sydney accommodation, book here. To find Sydney tours and experiences that suit your tastes, step this way.
Special occasion? Here’s how to do Sydney in style!
- A private sunset cruise on Sydney Harbour with bubbly.
- Dodge the tour buses on a private, personalised Blue Mountains day tour.
- See the harbour, beaches and city skyline from a bird’s eye view on a helicopter tour.
There are also dozens more private Sydney tours, tailorable to your tastes.
Newcastle offers plenty of activities, including adventure boat cruises along the coastline, architecture and street art walking tours and whale watching cruises. For a big menu of Newcastle tours and experiences, explore here. To fix up one of Newcastle’s best accommodation options, book here.
9 cool Newcastle experiences you need to book in advance
- An Adventure boat cruise along the Hunter coast – with thrills and scenery.
- A mobile phone-based scavenger hunt – explore the city differently.
- An architecture and street art walking tour – see all the best murals.
- A whale-watching tour – get close to the migrating humpback whales.
- A two hour city highlights tour by bus – get orientated when you first arrive.
- A scenic helicopter flight – see the spectacular coastline from above.
- A three hour craft beer and food-matching tour – get a taste of the drinking and dining scene.
- A food, drink and history walking tour – hear stories and indulge at the same time.
Sydney to Newcastle drive: Day trips
Other alternatives for day trips out of Sydney include the Hunter Valley for wine tasting and craft breweries or Port Stephens. The latter is great for swimming with dolphins and sand dune tours. Few visitors, alas, will bother taking the drive from Sydney to Newcastle.
That might be a mistake, as Newcastle has a lot of what’s appealing about Sydney without the pretence. The Newcastle bar and restaurant scene has boomed in recent years, while the second largest city in New South Wales is also blessed with fabulous beaches. Throw in the Newcastle ocean baths, the Fort Scratchley WWII site and wildlife at the Blackbutt Reserve, too. There are enough things to do in Newcastle to keep you occupied for a day or two.
Newcastle is next to the hot air ballooning hotspot, the Hunter Valley, and you pass through it on the way to Port Stephens, so a visit is worth considering. Combining the three destinations makes for an easy loop.
Next section: A Hunter Valley, Newcastle and Port Stephens road trip.