The road trip from Sydney to Brisbane on the pacific coast highway is legendary. 900kms of beautiful untouched beaches, charming little beach towns, wild bush, wineries, wildlife galore, and epic waves. Of course the best way to explore this beautiful country and immerse yourself in nature is in a camper-van! We recommend allowing at least a week for this trip, our trip was 15 days. We rented our camper-van from Britz and we had an amazing experience driving up the coast. Below is our highlights, and places we totally recommend you to go!
- Seal Rocks. We discovered this little hidden gem by accident and it ended up being one of our favorite spots! Surrounded by Myall Lakes National Park, Seal Rocks feels remote and isolated even though your only 3 hours away from Sydney. The beautiful unspoiled beach has little right handers on a northeast swell, and because the break is inside a bay, its protected from the wind. Seal Rock is a mellow wave, so its perfect for long boarding and youngsters learning to surf. Theres another surf spot right around the corner called “Treachery” for more experienced surfers. We parked our camper van at Reflections Holiday Park , and we couldn’t have been happier with our experience. The park is located right across from the beach and the facilities are all brand new. They have an epic little community camp kitchen and grill area that literally sits right over the water, a perfect spot to watch the sunset. While at Seal Rocks make sure to take a walk to the Sugarloaf Point lighthouse, for some amazing views. We loved Seal Rocks so much that after visiting at the beginning of the trip, we returned to stay our last two nights.
- Another awesome find was the Billabong Zoo, located in Port Macquarie. Again this wasn’t on the itinerary, but when we saw the Billabong Zoo signs we decided to check it out, and I’m so glad we did! The zoo is small compared to the “Australia Zoo”, however because of this there were no crowds. We loved the Kangaroo enclosure which was brimming with a ton of kangaroos and wallaby’s all ready to be pet and fed. They also offer free “zoo encounters throughout the day, we especially liked the koala encounter, where we were able to pet the koala, and take pictures with him. The zoo was a really great experience and we highly recommend it!
- Port Macquarie has a relaxed coastal vibe with delicious food, cute shops and really fun surf. Take in the dramatic scenery on the “Coastal Walk”. Stretching 9kms long, you can break it up into a shorter walk or challenge yourself with the whole shebang. There are a number of surfing beaches surrounding the town, in fact “town beach” has 3 main breaks that offer a variety of waves. Port Macquarie also has a ton of good eats, with a variety of ethnicities to choose from. Overall this town has so much to offer, and is a great place to spend a few days.
- Point Plomer is located right outside of Crescent Head, about 20 minutes away from town on a dirt road. We were told by some locals at a surf store in Port Macquarie that this was their favorite surf spot, so we decided to check it out, and I’m so glad we did! Point Plomer is in a national park so its remote and secluded, and the campground is located right on the beach. Even though it was a busy weekend, we happened to score the perfect spot to camp with amazing views of the ocean. There is so much wildlife here, we were able to see wild dingoes, dolphins, and a ton of different birds. The wave at Point Plomer is really fun, a nice little right point break, with few, if any people out. Point Plomer was one of the funnest waves I surfed while in Australia and we will definitely be back!
- Another local recommendation was Arrawarra Headland. Located in Coffs Coast region, Arrawarra is a nice mellow right pointer with friendly locals. We stayed the night at Arrawarra Beach Holiday Park and had an amazing spot right on the ocean. Upon arriving at Arrawarra we took a long walk down the beach and saw a wild kangaroo for the first time! Check out the video below of this magnificent creature.
- I LOVED Yamba! We stayed two nights in this cute little sea-side town because we loved the relaxed vibe, the good eats, boutique shops, and the friendly locals. The surf wasn’t too bad either, despite one day that was pouring rain. Check out Angourie point and Spooky beach if you’re an experienced surfer, and Turners or Main beach if you’re a beginner. I also highly recommend checking out the pub at the Pacific Hotel, it’s the perfect setting for a beer or wine overlooking Main beach. If your lucky you might see some dolphins in the surf.
These were just a few of our favorite highlights of our trip to Australia. It’s an absolutely beautiful country with super friendly locals and we will definitely be back. If you have any questions about our trip leave them below, and if you’ve already been down this stretch of Australia, I would love to hear your highlights.
Is New Zealand on your bucket list? Check out 5 Things You Must See on New Zealand’s North Island!
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