Sydney to Port Stephens road trip: Distance, time & best stops
The best stops on a Sydney to Port Stephens road trip itinerary include Gosford and Newcastle. By car, the Sydney to Port Stephens distance is 216km and driving time around 2h25m.
Planning a Sydney to Port Stephens road trip
A Sydney to Port Stephens road trip heads from the New South Wales capital to one of Australia’s top spots for dolphin watching.
Sydney’s enormous collection of experiences includes all-inclusive sunset dinner cruises, behind-the-scenes tours of the Opera House, jet boat thrill rides and historic walking tours. To get the best deals on Sydney accommodation, book here. To find Sydney tours and experiences that suit your tastes, step this way.
Special occasion? Here’s how to do Sydney in style!
- A private sunset cruise on Sydney Harbour with bubbly.
- Dodge the tour buses on a private, personalised Blue Mountains day tour.
- See the harbour, beaches and city skyline from a bird’s eye view on a helicopter tour.
There are also dozens more private Sydney tours, tailorable to your tastes.
Top Port Stephens experiences include quad biking across the Worimi dunes, dolphin cruises and meeting stingrays. For Port Stephens accommodation, look at the deals here.
However, there are several excellent attractions between Sydney and Port Stephens. This guide is aimed at helping travellers plan their perfect Sydney to Port Stephens road trip itinerary.
Click through on the links for more detailed links about individual towns and attractions – and remember to stock up on your road trip essentials before setting off.
Sydney to Port Stephens distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Sydney to Port Stephens is 216km. This makes for a driving time of around two hours and 25 minutes.
Excellent road trip stops between Sydney and Port Stephens include Gosford and Newcastle.
13 brilliant experiences in Sydney you should book
- (💲Great value 💲) Tick off several bucket list items on a highlights-packed Blue Mountains day tour.
- Get perfect views of the world’s most beautiful city on a Sydney Harbour helicopter tour.
- Save money with a multi-attraction pass.
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Enjoy the romance of a tall ship cruise on Sydney Harbour.
- Eat all you can at the Skyfeast at the top of Sydney Tower.
- See migrating humpbacks – on a whale-watching cruise.
- (Highly recommended ✅) Go behind the scenes of Australia’s most famous building on an Opera House tour.
- Dine as the city lights up on sunset dinner cruise around the harbour.
- Combine beers and stories on a historic pubs tour through the convict-era Rocks district.
- Stand on your board and catch waves during Bondi Beach surfing lessons.
- Go to wombat and kangaroo-spotting hotspots on a Southern Highlands tour.
- Enjoy Sydney’s wild side on a Manly snorkelling & nature walk.
- (🥇Top choice in Sydney) And, best of all, paddle to hidden beaches on a harbour kayaking adventure.
Sydney to Port Stephens road trip: Sydney to Popran National Park
The first section of the Sydney to Port Stephens road trip is the 170km drive from Sydney to Newcastle.
Some stops in Sydney’s northern suburbs are worth considering. These include Lane Cove National Park, Cumberland State Forest in West Pennant Hills and the architecturally-dazzling Rose Siedler House in Wahroonga.
Also mull over short detours to the gorgeous Bobbin Head picnic ground in Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park or Galston Gorge in Berowra Waters National Park.
Before crossing the Hawkesbury River in Brooklyn, you might wish to join the Riverboat Postman cruise. This postal boat brings tourists along as it delivers mail to small river communities like Dangar Island.
The Central Coast is on the other side of the Hawkesbury Bridge, although beach towns such as Terrigal or The Entrance require a hefty detour.
Stay near the Pacific Motorway, though, and the Broken Bay Pearl Farm in Mooney Mooney shows how pearls are cultivated on its pearl farm tour.
3 experiences to book in Gosford
- Australian Reptile Park day pass – learn (safely) about Australia’s snakes and spiders.
- Try your hand at flying with a jetpack – or try flyboarding instead.
- Soap-making experience – make your own smellies.
Nearer Gosford, you’ll find the Walkabout Wildlife Sanctuary, Australian Reptile Park and Girrakool Loop walking track.
Glenworth Valley near Popran National Park, meanwhile, runs activities such as abseiling, horse-riding and quad biking.
Sydney to Port Stephens drive: Central Coast to Newcastle
Pleasant photo stops before hitting Newcastle include Somersby Falls, Strickland Falls and the Jilliby Lookout. Treetops Adventure Central Coast and Amazement Farm and Fun Park will eat a bit more of your time.
The Sydney to Port Stephens drive continues between Morriset and Cooranbong, veering west of Lake Macquarie and near the southern end of Watagans National Park.
The motorway goes around the second largest city in New South Wales – Newcastle. But you might wish to make an overnight stop here.
Top things to do in Newcastle include watching wildlife at Blackbutt Reserve, whale-watching tours and visiting several good quality museums.
Newcastle also offers coastal boat tours, street art walks and evening true crime tours.
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.
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 heroes include the lavish Crystalbrook Kingsley, the peppy QT Newcastle and the heritage-drenched Grand Hotel.
Attractions between Sydney and Port Stephens: Newcastle to Port Stephens
After Newcastle, steer off towards all-action Port Stephens. Drive towards Williamtown, which brings fighter jets at Fighter World and a quad biking tour across the Worimi Sand Dunes.
Further towards Nelson Bay are several wildlife attractions – Oakvale Wildlife Park, the Shark, Ray and All Creatures Rescue Centre and Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters.
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 🦈.
Near Anna Bay, try riding camels on Birubi Beach, clothing-optional bathing at Samurai Beach and koala-watching at the Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary.
Things to do in Nelson Bay include dolphin-watching cruises, snorkelling with dolphins and taking on the Tomaree Head Summit Walk.
For Nelson Bay accommodation, take a look at the golf course-centric Landmark Resort, the wallet-friendly Peninsula Motel and Serviced Apartments or the apartment-style Mantra Nelson Bay.
More New South Wales travel
Are there sharks at Coogee Beach?
Where to stop on the Merriwa to Dubbo drive.
The best stops on a Yass to Newcastle road trip.
What to see on a Wangaratta to Sydney road trip.
Can you go inside the Hornby Lighthouse, Sydney?