Scone to Newcastle drive: Distance, time & best road trip stops

The Scone to Newcastle drive covers a 151km distance in a driving time of around 2h6m. The Hunter Valley wine region is the best road trip stop along the way.

Planning a Scone to Newcastle road trip

The drive from Scone to Newcastle crosses a large swathe of the Hunter region of New South Wales.

For Scone accommodation, search here.

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 ideal Scone to Newcastle road trip.

Scone to Newcastle distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Scone to Newcastle is 151km. That makes for a driving time of around two hours and six minutes.

The 4km Figtree Creek Track through Scone Mountain National Park is the highlight in Scone. You can also take a detour to picnics, fishing and watersports-friendly Lake Glenbawn

After Scone, the first town is Aberdeen, where you can hang out by the Hunter River in Jefferson Park. Otherwise, underwhelming Muswellbrook is next up.

Once you’ve taken your cheesy tourist photo of the Blue Heeler Dog Statue in Muswellbrook, it’s time to head south-east along the New England Highway.

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.

Scone to Newcastle drive: Lake Liddell and Singleton

The first potential road trip stop on the Muswellbrook to Newcastle section of the drive would ordinarily be Lake Liddell. Alas, at the time of writing it is closed for recreational use due to the presence of an amoeba that can cause rare but fatal brain infections.

Best, in that case, to keep going towards Singleton, where you can admire the Singleton Sundial and get a local history fix at the Singleton Historical Society and Museum.

Scone to Newcastle road trip: Hunter Valley wine region

The pickings on the Scone to Newcastle road trip get slightly less slim beyond Singleton. Skydive Hunter Valley, offering tandem skydives from 15,000 feet is just off the New England Highway in Whittingham.

Then Belford National Park is 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.

Attractions on the edge of 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.