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

Perth to Newcastle road trip: Nyngan and Warren

On the way to Nyngan, the drive passes through the tiny villages of Canbelego and Hermidale. In Canbelego, you can see the remnants of the former Mount Boppy Gold Mine.

The top attractions in Nyngan are the Nyngan Museum, and the statue of the Big Bogan – one of Australia’s more entertaining Big Things. Nyngan accommodation options include the Alamo Motor Inn, which offers barbecue facilities to guests.

Keep going to Nevertire, where the quickest route involves turning off down the Oxley Highway. 

The first town you’ll come to is Warren on the Macquarie River. The Warren War Memorial Olympic Swimming Pool is the main attraction here.

Perth to Newcastle drive: Gilgandra to Dunedoo

From Warren it’s another 85km of rural nothingness to Gilgandra.

Top of the list of things to do in Gilgandra is paying a visit to Orana Cactus World. This delightfully strange labour of love sees more than 1,000 species of cacti gathered in one place.

Gilgandra accommodation options are basically all about the motels. The three star Cooee Motel is solid, and has some rooms with garden views, while the Castlereagh Motor Inn has a small pool.

At Gilgandra, take the Castlereagh Highway and head towards Mendooran, a dairy town on the Castlereagh River. Unless you’re going for a drink in the Royal Hotel, the main attraction in Mendooran is the series of murals painted on buildings around the town.

The Mendooran murals are the handiwork of Karen Duce, and they depict rural life. The scene with the bullocks on the side of the Royal Hotel is arguably the most impressive.

Continue along the Castlereach Highway to Dunedoo. There’s nothing to get massively excited about here, but there are a few places to eat, plus a swimming pool and golf course. The highlight for visitors is likely to be the silo art – massive murals have been painted on Dunedoo’s grain silos.

Click through to the next section: Dunedoo to Merriwa.