Drive New South Wales

Home to over 30 percent of the country’s population, New South Wales can lay claim to a bit of everything, from vast tracts of outback, to the most densely populated city in the country and one of the most beautiful Harbours in the world. But with all Sydney has to recommend it, like all big cities, it is a motoring nightmare that needs to be left in the rearview mirror to experience anything but traffic congestion and frustrating commutes.

Pick any direction out of town and really you can’t go wrong, but to get straight into the interesting stuff without hours of freeway, north west of Sydney is a perfect place to start.

 Windsor to Wollombi (gateway to The Hunter)

Historic Windsor sits next to the Hawkesbury River just 56km from Sydney’s CBD, but such is the nature of traffic in the big city, it’ll take you the better part of an hour via the M2 and A2 to get there. 

Crossing the Hawkesbury out of Windsor on Wilberforce road, the stresses of the city disappear almost immediately and in a matter of kilometres, Wilberforce Road becomes the famous Putty Road and you’re on your way. Houses become fewer and fewer and the bush on either side of the road more dense. The Colo River signifies you’ve left the ‘big smoke’ far behind and from here, the Putty Road climbs up the ridgeline through Colo Heights with spectacular views of the valleys on either side to be glimpsed through the thick bush.

From here it’s simply a matter of following the road as it first winds its way up and then drops down to carve its way between the Yengo National Park on one side and Wollemi National Park on the other.

Here the twisty climb straightens out on the descent and gives way to long fast straightaways and shorter, flowing bends as it snakes its way through the timbered countryside. 

In truth there isn’t a great deal to see but the surrounding bush through this stage, but there is a wonderful sense of being far away from it all and the road is superb, with a bonus of being 100km/h for the most part. 

Facilities along the Putty Road are few and far between, with the Grey Gum Cafe really your only option, but they do great ‘road food’ and you will often meet likeminded individuals taking their pride and joy for a run.

The long straights again give way to more twisty sections as you pass Putty and Garland Valley, and then become tighter and twistier again as you hit arguably the best section of the road from Howes Valley right through to Milbrodale and the beginnings of ‘civilisation’ once again start to materialise along the road.

In Milbrodale leave the Putty Road which continues north and head towards Broke on Milbrodale Road. From Broke take Wollombi Road south and in a matter of kilometres you’ll find yourself in historic Wollombi, faced with the decision of what to do. Stay a while in Wollombi and then start the journey back to Sydney, or take Wollombi Road towards Pokolbin and the wonders of the Hunter Wine Region and its cellar doors, restaurants and accommodation.

Those looking to make it a round trip, take the Great Northern Road through Laguna, Bucketty and Peats Ridge to hit the M1 freeway and a direct, though less interesting drive back to Sydney.

 Southern Highlands to South Coast

Roughly an hour and a half south of Sydney lies the beautiful Southern Highlands, a collection of towns like Bowral, Moss Vale and Robertson that have more than a passing resemblance to the English countryside, with many a high hedge partially concealing magnificent homes and estates. 

Driving down from Sydney on M31 Hume Highway is a less than inspired drive, but will get you to this beautiful part of the world where you can spend a day or several days exploring the plethora of coffee shops, antique shops, restaurants and local sights, like the famed Bradman Museum in Bowral.

Some great golf courses can be found in this area for those interested in the other kind of driving, but if it’s rewarding time behind the wheel you want, then you’d best turn the car towards to the south coast.

There are any number of ways to head to the pristine NSW south coast – down the steep but direct Jambaroo Mountain Road from Robertson to Jambaroo and on to Kiama on the coast. Or the Illawarra Highway down the tight, twisty Macquarie Pass, with its hairpin switchbacks and surrounding ancient forests. This route is wonderful when traffic is light, but can quickly become frustrating if you find yourself caught behind a truck or other slow vehicle.

Offering a mixture of tight mountain pass, great views (for passengers) and long straights through verdant countryside though is the Kangaroo Valley route.

Follow the B73 from Bowral through Fitzroy Falls (which is well worth a stop to take in the lookout) and then just follow the B73 as it becomes Moss Vale Road and snakes its way down the mountain and through Barrengarry through the spectacular Kangaroo Valley.

There is no shortage of wonderful accommodation in Kangaroo Valley and its surrounds, or you can continue to the coast and explore this rich area instead.

Continue along Kangaroo Valley Road through Bellawongarah, Berry Mountain and Bundewallah to the boutique town of Berry for another stopover before winding your way back towards Wollongong and then Sydney along the coast road.

You can make this descent from the Southern Highlands and back again in a matter of a couple of hours, but this is a region that begs you to stay at least a few days to really enjoy all it has to offer. 

Capital to The Bay

There’s a lot to like about our Nation’s capital and for those who call it home, its proximity to the mountains and the snow in winter and the coast in summer make for the ultimate lifestyle. Canberra’s traffic too – or rather lack of it – make for a relaxing city to get around and an easy one to escape as the mood takes you. 

Strike out in any direction from Canberra and you’ll quickly leave the city behind and find yourself on exploring the countryside, but for this route, we tried the time-honoured run down to Batemans Bay on the south coast in NSW.

This is a relatively short, two hour run that sees you drive out of Canberra through Queanbeyan on the B52 to Bungendore (where Mick Jagger famously stayed while filming Ned Kelly) and then on to Braidwood and down the Clyde Mountain to Batemans Bay. But that 150km trip has you driving on long straights and sweeping bends as well as a very satisfying, twisting descent down the mountain.

If you can do it on a weekday for the least traffic, so much the better, and school holidays tend to take some of the fun out of the drive with caravans and vastly increased traffic volume. But on a good day it’s a drive through constantly changing countryside – fields to rainforest – on a road that will make you smile.

Bungendore and Braidwood both offer plenty of reasons to stop and enjoy a coffee or light lunch, and Batemans Bay is a hugely popular holiday destination in its own right, or a starting point from which to explore the south coast – north to Nowra, Wollongong and Sydney, or further south through countless quaint seaside towns to ultimately meet the Victorian boarder.

Enjoy some of the more rewarding roads Australia’s other states and territories have to offer. 

Victoria

Tasmania

South Australia

Western Australia

Northern Territory

Queensland