Brisbane to Melbourne and back

[Dean81]

heh guys,

Need some help we are driving from Brisbane to Melbourne with van in tow over Xmas.
Looking for advice on best places to stay and stop with 2 kids.
We want do drive down to Melbourne over 3 days via the newel highway.
Spend 2 weeks in Melbourne over Xmas and drive back the coastal road maybe taking 5 days to return to Brisvegas again.
Thoughts please?
Places to stay and not to stay??

Happy to free camp and happy to stay in decent parks to give kids a rest from driving and a good play time.

Thanks in advance

 

[mrsmfexpanda]

We have done that trip a number of times. The thermal pools at Moree (gwidyr CP) free camp at Terrimungimine 10 kmnth of Dubbo,it would depend how hot the weather is and whether you need power for a/ c or a pool for the kids. Ace CP at West Wyalong is good for an overnighter and has a pool and drive thru sites . Last time I towed the van from Melb to Bris I did it in 3 days of 660 km. ( Yes I towed it there and back & @mfexpanda flew there and back lack of annual leave 》 home to Forbes then Moree and next night Brisbane. And reverse I did Bris to Moree to WW then home.
I would think that the NSW coast unless you book would be very full and want minimum number of nights

 

[twscoot]

Hi @Dean81. Have completed the trip several times.

This was a recent awesome trip.

I can highly recommend a more scenic route home. Having done the coastal trip home at Christmas your challenge will be getting places to book you in for less than a week. We managed to do it a few years ago but it took a lot of ringing around as we grabbed a day or three here and there.

Can recommend a coastal trip home via at least Buchan caves (you could stay here and get to the coast quite easily), Mallacoota, Merimbula, Port Macquarie, Lemon Tree Passage and further up the coast as a last stop at Emerald Beach.

http://www.expandasdownunder.com/threads/brisbane-to-melbourne-and-return-via-the-mountains.6983/

 

[Bluey]

heh guys,

Need some help we are driving from Brisbane to Melbourne with van in tow over Xmas.
Looking for advice on best places to stay and stop with 2 kids.
We want do drive down to Melbourne over 3 days via the newel highway.
Spend 2 weeks in Melbourne over Xmas and drive back the coastal road maybe taking 5 days to return to Brisvegas again.
Thoughts please?
Places to stay and not to stay??

Happy to free camp and happy to stay in decent parks to give kids a rest from driving and a good play time.

Thanks in advance

@Dean81 10ks out of Sydney in the Lane Cove nat park is the Lane Cove van park ran by NSW parks great spot to stop on your way home and see a bit of Sydney , dubbo city van park is nice and clean big fence around it but for good reason Id stay there lake Talbot van park at Narrandera not very good but ok for one night if u go coast road on way home there is heaps as long as it near the beach its good in my book but mite be busy that time of year many parks have 7 night min in NSW anyway along that coast

 

[Dean81]

Thanks @mrsmfexpanda @twscoot @Bluey

All great ideas. Maybe might not do the coastal route on the way home because of booking constraints with parks wanting longer periods of stay.

 

[davemc]

Depends how the kids travel.. We rushed up March holidays so did one stop at Gilgandra traveled daylight hours only was still daylight savings and we picked up a extra hour going up
On they way back we did Goonawindi, Parkes then Melb.
Previous time as our first big trip we did Wagga Wagga, Tooraweenah, Coolmunda, Southport.
Newcastle, Gundagi. Melb.

If your not rushing maybe do Dubbo Zoo you probably need the 2 days though from everyone I asked.

 

[Dean81]

thanks @davemc
The Dubbo Zoo was on our check list.
Coming down we where thinking Coonabarabran > Corowa > Rosebud
Has anyone stopped overnight in Coonabarabran? Is it any good for kids? CP's are limited, should we try somewhere else?
Corowa is off the track, but we have friends in Corowa and family in Albury to call in on.
Rosebud is where we are staying for 2 Weeks. Final Destination

Home Trip Rosebud > Brisbane
Dubbo Zoo to come in on the way home, Parkes (Dish) and open to any other suggestions if we come back the inline route instead.

Suggestions coming home:- Tamworth? and so on?

 

[davemc]

As we get a lovely 20l/100ks I do divide up the petrol stops in advance now roughly every 300ks.
Although where we stop we normally just look on wikicamps when we are getting tired or its getting dark. Want to be in the park an hour before sunset normally a playground or something for the kids to run round is great. At Tooraweenah the kids got shhhh'd before 7pm.. Was a grey nomad place I think they where asleep. So yes best to check

If we eating in the van then does not need to be close to town, if we done a long day we normally take the kids out for a pub meal.. gets the kids moving.

The Dish is great.. the bacon and eggs yummy

 

[twscoot]

When you are at Rosebud (where we stayed recently) go up Arthur's Seat and get the kids to do the Tree Surfing.
Also Point Nepean National Park is worth a walk.

As in my trip report Buchan Caves is great. This would be a good loop to do so you don't backtrack up towards the Newell. You could drop into Lakes Entrance too. Hire a boat and go fishing.

Coffee in Sorento.
Rosebud pub does a great family feed.
Drive up to Mornington and walk Main Street and have lunch. Very nice little village.
Drive the coast from Rosebud to Mount Martha and enjoy glimpses of the bay as you wind around the hill.

 

[Bluey]

When you are at Rosebud (where we stayed recently) go up Arthur's Seat and get the kids to do the Tree Surfing.
Also Point Nepean National Park is worth a walk.

As in my trip report Buchan Caves is great. This would be a good loop to do so you don't backtrack up towards the Newell. You could drop into Lakes Entrance too. Hire a boat and go fishing.

Coffee in Sorento.
Rosebud pub does a great family feed.
Drive up to Mornington and walk Main Street and have lunch. Very nice little village.
Drive the coast from Rosebud to Mount Martha and enjoy glimpses of the bay as you wind around the hill.

You can drive ur car around dubbo zoo easly do it in one day but be there when it opens if its hot animals hide in shade by smoko what about a huge day for u catch boat across with car drive great ocean road to lorne and back great part of our coast

 

[Dean81]

You can drive ur car around dubbo zoo easly do it in one day but be there when it opens if its hot animals hide in shade by smoko what about a huge day for u catch boat across with car drive great ocean road to lorne and back great part of our coast

Thanks @Bluey ,
I should say I was born and bred in Eastern Suburbs of Victoria for 20 years.
Rosebud is where my parents have moved to retire now. All my family except my younger sister who lives with me, is still in Vic.
Will be doing the cruise on the boat across to Check out bells beach as I haven't seen it for over 15 years.
Cant wait, catching up with Friends and family will chew a lot of time unfortunately, as my wife is from Vic too.

 

[davemc]

@Dean81 how old are the kids.. We got a wifi hard drive and ipad's..
Do not hear from big kids they have headphones going and can pick the shows. Twins only 3 so they have no head phones so we got Octonauts for 8 hours driving a day

 

[Dean81]

Haha @davemc. We have the boy 5 will be 6 by Xmas and the girl 3 will be 4 by Xmas. Yes I have wifi hard drive as iPads ran out storage ages ago. Lol.
Also the kids have a set of target ear phones each. Big noise cancelling ones too. :eagerness:
Kids travel well usually, 8 hours a day might test them though. This is only on the way down, which is more exciting than the trip home. But the trip home, will be broken up a lot more so hopefully it won't drag on as much.

 

[Bluey]

believe me bells hasn't changed still flat most of the time dam should have been here yesterday !!!!!!!!!! is always said when I used to surf 20 years ago did see a few sharks there while surfing very scary now how much time do u have don't know how many people are not going away should try to arrange to meet a few vic crew from the forum ?? dam it we will be coastal NSW

 

[Dean81]

believe me bells hasn't changed still flat most of the time dam should have been here yesterday !!!!!!!!!! is always said when I used to surf 20 years ago did see a few sharks there while surfing very scary now how much time do u have don't know how many people are not going away should try to arrange to meet a few vic crew from the forum ?? dam it we will be coastal NSW

we hope to have just under 2 weeks in Rosebud, more than happy to catch with forum members and have a beer or 3!! looking to be down from 22 of Dec - 4th of Jan. Xmas with the Family at Mums. on the Rosebud foreshore camping.

 

[Bluey]

Closer to the date put a post on to see if u can catch up with anyone here but many parks will be full that time near coast ???

 

[Dean81]

We have booked and paid for our site for the 2 weeks luckily @ Rosebud. Friends of ours are camping in the same area (have been forever too mind you). I need to sort out the travel down/back locations and book this weekend.
Will throw something up for sure.