Melbourne to Cairns

[Ossie]

Hi, we live in Tassie and will be travelling from Devonport to Cairns (via Spirit) leaving on the 10th July.

Thinking about going inland routes on the way up and back down via the coast.

Just after people opinions/suggestions on best way to go on the way up? Ie do we go the Hume HWY, Newell etc. we are set up for free camping and would like to do as much as that as possible.

Also suggestion on first stop for the night after getting off Spirit and driving for the day.

We have got 13 weeks to do the trip. We have an 2012 Pajero with a 17-56-2 outback.

Cheers Ossie

 

[chartrock]

Welcome aboard @Ossie. How long are you going for will have a bearing on stops, also what van and tug do you have? I personally like the Newell Hwy for an enjoyable fairly slow sightseeing trip and coming back down the coast could be a fast trip if needed. I'm not much help on stopping places but I did enjoy a stop at Moree for the thermal pools but Lightning Ridge offers similar. Nindigully pub offers a good free camp spot just over the Qld border.
I hope to be heading that way round that time as well so we may see you on the road.

 

[Ossie]

Welcome aboard @Ossie. How long are you going for will have a bearing on stops, also what van and tug do you have? I personally like the Newell Hwy for an enjoyable fairly slow sightseeing trip and coming back down the coast could be a fast trip if needed. I'm not much help on stopping places but I did enjoy a stop at Moree for the thermal pools but Lightning Ridge offers similar. Nindigully pub offers a good free camp spot just over the Qld border.
I hope to be heading that way round that time as well so we may see you on the road.

13 weeks and we have a 2012 Pajero with a 17-56-2 outback

 

[Dobbie]

Another vote for the Newell.

Lots of small character places along the way.

Don't miss anywhere on the Mornington peninsular such as Lillidale , anywhere along the Murray, places like Peakes hill, Gilgandra, any of the national parks and the freedom to meander as you wish.

Too many places to list. I'll try to add a few as my memory and typing speed improves.

(I'm taking speed typing lessons from @Bluey but he's away at the moment enjoying himself.)

Read some of the trip reports on this site....they'll give you ideas.

And grab the Wikicamps app if you don't have it...it'll get you planning.

 

[Bluey]

We have plenty of time to plan but after driving both newel many times and hume mmmmmmmm what do you have time for what do you want to see ????
Newel spits you out at Brisbane or travell its hole distance and get spat out at bundaburg .......
But if you want to some of the nsw coast id go hume to sydney up the cosat from there dont stop at gouldburn all parks there are crap more later

 

[Drover]

Inland Newell Hwy with diversions, Temora, Lake Cargellicoe and others but if Cairns is the main spot to spend time then up the Newell Hwy, places like Jerilderie, Forbes, Gilgandra, have nice places to stay at from Gilgandra I would head out to Lightning Ridge, Opal van park not to be missed allow at least 2 days then swing up into QLD and come at Cairns from the west....Coastal runs Princess, Pacific and Bruce Hwy's while having nice beaches are expensive ...............I wouldn't stay at Moree, Walgett, Boggabilla or even Goondiwindi for that matter..............There are some nice not highway runs with less traffic and great places to see and camp, just take a bit longer.
Get the Wiki Camp app for phone and a Camps 8 book, best planning resource you will find....

 

[Bluey]

Newel can be bumpy lots of trucks while hume and coast road is so nice and you get to see sydney and so much more all depends on what you want and how long you want to do it but dont have to stop to long to see things draging van over harbor bridge is allways good

 

[bigcol]

welcome @Ossie

as you can see, there is a great knowledge base with the guys on this forum
(be careful of that @Bluey guy, he will have you travelling over the Harbour bridge in peak hour, just to prove it is do-able with a Van............)

13 weeks to Cairns and back you say

1) how long do you want to stay in Cairns - will determine next question
2) how long have you budgeted for travel to and from
once you know roughly how long you have for travel up to, and then home, you can then work out what you want to look at and where you want to stop either time wise or distance per day

 

[davemc]

As mentioned above depends where you want to stop are you happier driving dual busy highway or single lane.
We have done the Newell also Kidman and from Gold Coast via Newcastle/Sydney to Melb.
I much prefer driving inland yes single lane and trucks although a lot less traffic more towns to stop at on the way.
If your going close to speed limit trucks are fine lots of room to over take.

Hume etc 2 lanes although a lot more cars and trucks going past you all the time.
So your constantly getting cut off or catch up to a slower van/truck and get stuck behind them as more traffic to pull out on.

Depends where you want to go on the way up you could do Kidman and go via Longreach/Winton/bourke and come back via the coast and you see both
.