Sydney to Airlie Beach road trip: Distance, time & best stops

Sydney to Airlie Beach drive: Quirindi to Gunnedah

The next town along is Quirindi, where attractions include Bob’s Shed – best described as an overgrown collection of curiosities – and the well-meaning Quirindi Rural Heritage Village Museum.

The single most impressive sight, however, is the giant murals painted over the Graincorp silos in the town centre.

Top accommodation choices in Quirindi include the plusher than you might expect Best Western Quirindi RSL Motel and the Quirindi Sunflower Motor Inn.

After Quirindi, the Kamilaroi Highway weaves through rural landscapes towards Gunnedah, where you can take on the short walks to the Porcupine Lookout and Avards Lookout.

The Gunnedah Rural Museum does the local history thing, and there’s more silo art to admire.

If earmarking Gunnedah as the place to for an overnight stay, accommodation options include the very well-reviewed Gunnedah Lodge Motel and the pool-equipped Gunnedah Motor Inn.

Attractions between Sydney and Airlie Beach: Gunnedah to Narrabri

After Gunnedah, continue along the Kamilaroi Highway to Narrabri. On the way, you’ll go through Boggabri, where the Boggabri Historical Museum covers the tale of how much of the town was moved due to flooding.

On the way into Narrabri, the Narrabri Fish Farm at Jacks Creek boasts that it’s the largest hatchery in New South Wales. There’s a daily fish-feeding tour at 10.30am.

Top of the list of things to do in Narrabri is getting a taste of historic prison life at the Narrabri Old Gaol and Museum. And, just west of town, there’s the Australia Telescope Compact Array, where a rather cool-looking series of radio telescopes receive signals from space.

Narrabri accommodation possibilities include the four star Adelong Motel and the well-located Mid Town Inn.

Click through to the next section: Narrabri to Goondiwindi.