Olivia Windsor
March 14, 2021

4 Iconic Road Trips from Sydney | NSW Trips - Travis Blog

Looking for some inspo on road trips from Sydney? Whether you’re a local or a visitor to this iconic city, there are some great weekend road trips from Sydney that you should definitely give a whirl. Read on for our top 4 trips to take including Jervis Bay, Hunter Valley, Port Stephens and Orange.

1. Jervis Bay

Travis Paperbark Camp Jervis Bay NSW Krystal Mckinley
By @krystal.mckinley

Where is Jervis Bay?

If you’re looking for a relatively short road trip from Sydney, why not try Jervis Bay! Sydney to Jervis Bay is around a 2.5 hour car ride south from the capital of NSW and a beautiful coastal town. The town is renowned for its pristine white sand and home to lots of cute wildlife. 


Jervis Bay Accommodation 

Wondering where the best places to stay in Jervis Bay are? Check out Worrowing, a beautiful 50-acre farm and bush estate within minutes walk to the beach. All of their accommodation is self-contained giving you the utmost flexibility in planning your meals. Alternatively, if you’d like to try camping in Jervis Bay then checkout Paperbark Camp. It’s a beautiful bush retreat that offers a luxury camping experience in this stunning town.

Travis Road Trips from Sydney Guide - Sunrise at Huskisson
@jay_dee_sue

What to do in Jervis Bay

Need some ideas for how to spend your time in Jervis Bay? Our top tips for what to do in Jervis Bay include: 

  • Snorkel at Hyams Beach
  • Go glamping with kangaroos at The Cove
  • See the sunrise at Huskisson
  • Go whale watching 
  • Swim at Shark Net Beach
  • Have a BBQ at Huskisson
  • Hiking in Jervis Bay National Park

If you’re looking for more inspiration for your trip to Jervis Bay, check out @jaimyfrances' guide to a roadtrip from Sydney to Jervis Bay on Travis!

2. Hunter Valley

Hunter Valley NSW Hot Air Balloon Vaida Sav
By @vaidasav

Where is Hunter Valley, NSW? 

The Hunter Valley is an easy 2.5 hour car ride north from Sydney. It is one of Australia’s most renowned wine regions and full of natural beauty. If you’re looking for easy weekend road trips from Sydney, the Hunter Valley ticks all the boxes! Here's a wine weekend guide on Travis by @vaidasav - head over, see it all in a map, and start planning your next trip.

What to do in Hunter Valley

A trip to Hunter Valley is sure to involve some winery visits, but that’s not all that’s on offer! Read on for our top tips of things to do in Hunter Valley. 

  1. Wander into a hot air balloon with Balloon Aloft
  2. Get horse-riding with Hunter Valley Horses
  3. Visit a boutique French biodynamic winery at Krinklewood
  4. Go for a walk, swim or fish at Lake St Clair
  5. Walk through the rainforest with a trip to Watagans State Forest 

Travis Road Trips from Sydney Guide - Amanda’s On The Edge
By Amanda's On The Edge

Where to Eat Hunter Valley

Hunter Valley is renowned for its stunning wines and great food to match. Don’t miss out on a meal at our favourite places here:

Where to Stay in Hunter Valley

The newly refurbished Palmers Lane Estate is a beautifully secluded region with lodges from 1 to 6 bedrooms. Or try Hunter Valley Stays for the best accommodation in the area and a personalised service. You can choose from 100% off the grid houses, vineyard estates, artist studios and sweet cottages.

3. Port Stephens

Port Stephens Oakfield Ranch Camels Krystal Mckinley
By @krystal.mckinley

Where is Port Stephens? 

One of the best road trips from Sydney is a trip to Port Stephens. Let’s take a drive to the Hunter Region, again just 2.5 hours north of the NSW capital. Port Stephens is a coastal town famed for its beautiful beaches, sand dunes and bottlenose dolphins. It’s an idyllic place to relax or enjoy some of the many activities on offer.There is no shortage of things to do in Port Stephens and no surprise, most things are centered around getting out into the great outdoors.

Top 5 favourite things to do in Port Stephens:

  1. Ride a camel at the Stockton Dunes with Oakfield Ranch
  2. Go dolphin spotting at Birubi Beach
  3. Go on a hike and be rewarded with a view of the endless coastlines at Tomaree Head Summit 
  4. Go for a swim or beach walk at one of Port Stephens 26 beaches..!
  5. Get up-close with kangaroos and koalas at Oakvale Wildlife Park

Travis Road Trips from Sydney Guide - Ribs and beer served by Murray's Brewing
By Murray's Brewing

Where to eat Port Stephens

Once again, there’s no shortage of great restaurants to eat at in this beautiful coastal area. A few picks:

Travis Road Trips from Sydney Guide - Salt at Shoal Bay

Where to stay in Port Stephens

If you’re in the mood for a luxe stay, we love Salt at Shoal Bay. Located right on the beachfront, you can’t get a better positioned accommodation in the area! If you’d prefer to stay in an interior designer’s dream home though, you cannot beat The Bay Haus at Nelson Bay. It’s seriously to-die-for and we’re not sure we’d be able to move out at the end of a weekend trip away here!


Want some ideas on what to do in Port Stephens? Check out Krystal Mckinley’s guide on Travis here.

4. Orange

Travis Road Trips from Sydney Guide - People in Vinery
@destinationnsw

Where is Orange in NSW? 

Just 3.5 hours drive west from Sydney, and you’re in beautiful Orange. Orange is in the Central Tablelands region of NSW and produces cool climate wines in the shadow of an extinct volcano. It makes for a fantastic countryside getaway or road trip from Sydney.

What to see in Orange NSW? 

From winery tours and tastings, to paddock to plate restaurants, beautiful homeware stores and country side towns to wander, there are some great things to see and do in Orange. We have a whole blog post dedicated to this beautiful place over on Travis here. We also have recommendations on where to eat in Orange plus places to stay there.

More short road trips from Sydney

If you’re not looking to go too far from Sydney, here’s some more thought starters on some short road trips you can take.

  • Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park: This is a great day trip from Sydney just 50 minutes away. Take a walk through the bush and see Indigenous rock engravings and handprints on the Aboriginal Heritage Walk. 
  • Kiama: Just 2 hours drive from Sydney, this is a beautiful coastal town famous for its blowhole at the beach.
  • Blue Mountains: Spend a full day trekking and enjoying stunning vistas here. It’s just a one hour drive from Sydney CBD, we promise you’ll love it!
  • Go kayaking or swimming at Palm Beach, a short one hour drive from the CBD.
  • Manly Beach: Hop on the 30 minute ferry from Circular Quay and enjoy a day at this gorgeous beachside suburb.

Inspired to start planning your next road trip from Sydney? We want to hear all about it when you do! Share your favourite travel stories, discover 100s of guides and start dreaming about your next trip on Travis now. If you’re looking for more road trip inspo, check out our blog post on planning a longer road trip from Sydney to Brisbane.


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