Merriwa to Newcastle road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time

The best stops on a Merriwa to Newcastle road trip include Branxton and the Hunter Valley. By car along sealed roads, the distance from Merriwa to Newcastle is 185km, with a driving time of around 2h21m.

A Merriwa to Newcastle road trip will take you from the Upper Hunter region to the second largest city in New South Wales.

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.

This guide should help you plan your perfect Merriwa to Newcastle road trip itinerary.

Click through on the individual places and attractions for more detailed, specific information – and remember to stock up on your road trip essentials before setting off.

Merriwa to Newcastle distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Merriwa to Newcastle is 185km. That makes for a driving time of around two hours and 21 minutes.

Good stops to add to a Merriwa to Newcastle road trip itinerary include Branxton and the Hunter Valley.

Road trip essentials that many travellers forget

Search on the web, and you’ll find ludicrously long lists of equipment to take on a road trip. Australia Travel Questions isn’t going to do that to you. But it is worth buying the following road trip items before setting off. Click through for a good range of options.

Charging cables – yes, you’ll probably need a spare at some point.
Car charger adaptor – in case your rental car has the old-fashioned cigarette lighter rather than a USB.
Multi USB charger – for those hotel rooms that don’t have enough power sockets.
Fold-up chairs – to make anywhere a picnic spot.
A really good water bottle – go for a bigger one than usual to last the longer drives.
Packing cubes – save space but, more importantly, avoid unpacking everything every night.

Merriwa to Newcastle road trip: Merriwa to Branxton

Merriwa has a few places to stay. There’s silo art to admire, and the Merriwa Tourist Welcoming Centre. This is essentially the obligatory regional history museum, but locally-made arts and crafts are also showcased here.

Beyond Merriwa, there are plenty of farms and horse studs, but Denman on the Hunter River is the first town. There are a couple of hotels, a pub, an RSL club and bowling club here.

The Golden Highway then largely follows the Hunter River towards Jerrys Plains, Warkworth and Mount Thorley before you reach the Australian Army Infantry Museum just south of Singleton.

Shortly afterwards, it merges into the New England Highway.

Then Belford National Park comes just before you reach Branxton. Alas, this is not a national park with visitor facilities – it is set up primarily for conservation and regeneration. You can walk around the perimeter fire trails if you really must, however.

Branxton, though, is one of the gateways to the Hunter Valley wine region. The smart move here is to duck south towards the wineries.

Merriwa to Newcastle drive: Branxton to Newcastle

Should you keep going towards Newcastle, however, the drive leaves the New England Highway and joins the Hunter Expressway (aka the M15). There’s not much to see near the motorway, although the Heddon Greta Drive In might interest those who like their movies the old-fashioned way.

On the outskirts of Newcastle, you may wish to branch off to the Mt Sugarloaf Lookout or Treetops Adventure Newcastle in the Blue Gum Hills.

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.

Good things to do in Newcastle include admiring wildlife at Blackbutt Reserve, whale-watching tours and enjoying the city’s museums.

Newcastle also has coastal boat tours, street art walks and evening true crime tours.

The best way to enjoy Newcastle’s beaches is the 6km Bathers Way walk from Nobbys Beach to the Merewether Ocean Baths. This goes past Newcastle Beach and Bar Beach along the way, and you can tackle the short but visually impressive Newcastle Memorial Walk too.

Newcastle accommodation favourites include the lavish Crystalbrook Kingsley, the peppy QT Newcastle and the heritage-drenched Grand Hotel.