Sydney to Newcastle road trip: Distance, driving time & best stops
Hunter Valley, Newcastle & Port Stephens road trip
If you’ve got two weeks in Australia’s biggest city, then two days in the Blue Mountains then a little road trip makes a lot of sense. Spend four to five days hopping between the Hunter Valley, Newcastle and Port Stephens, then head back for the Sydney Harbour Bridgeclimb and surf lessons at Bondi Beach.
This way you can do a wine tour, check out the Hunter Valley craft breweries, go horse-riding between wineries or maybe do a Hunter Valley balloon flight. And, in Port Stephens, you can walk to Tomaree Head summit, go on a dolphin watching cruise from Nelson Bay or ride a camel on Birubi Beach from Anna Bay.
6 fantastic Port Stephens experiences worth going for.
- 4WD dunes tour with sandboarding – whizz down the Sahara-style dunes
- Dolphin-watching cruise with fun boom nets 🐬.
- Quad-biking over the Worimi sand dunes – learning about local Aboriginal culture along the way.
- Snorkelling with wild dolphins – the ultimate dolphin experience
- Port Stephens koala sanctuary admission tickets 🐨.
- Shallow water shark and ray encounter 🦈.
The Port Stephens region also offers a koala sanctuary, quad bikes tours and a rather spectacular nude beach at Samurai Beach. If you get up early enough, it’s possible to swim with dolphins in Port Stephens, too.
Alternatively, go to Newcastle via the Central Coast’s national parks, Pearl Beach, Terrigal and the Australian Reptile Park.
Next section: Sydney to Newcastle road trip route.