Sydney to Port Macquarie: 430km of Seafood, Sing-Alongs, and Surprises

Unbeknownst to many, Sydney to Port Macquarie is the quintessential NSW coastal road trip. Why? Resting between the Pacific Ocean and Hastings River, Port Macquarie is a spectacularly underrated coastal town that’s just over a four hour drive from Sydney; far enough away so the road trip feels adventurous and expansive, but close enough that you can improvise a little.

Sure, you can drive straight there without much effort - but where’s the fun in that? A road trip from Sydney to Port Macquarie has a lot of filling to it; it’s rich with stops that draw out the majesty of NSW’s diversity, perfect to spread out over a few days with a car-full. We all know road trips are at their best when there’s little to no shoulder room in the backseats.

This scenic road trip from Sydney is as much about travel’s infallible ability to forge friendships as it is about gorgeous views, epic playlists, fine regional food, and staying in fabulous hotels with your closest mates.

You’ve pencilled in a few days for this journey so you don’t have to rush your way out of Sydney immediately. Take some time and grab a long, leisurely breakfast at a beachside cafe with your road trip buddies before committing to the car.

The Boathouse Balmoral is a top choice. This road trip is going to be saddled with some of the most spectacular ocean and harbour views so you might as well start the day with one. The kitchen opens at 7am seven days a week so show up early, grab a coffee and some house blend muesli and pack into the people mover.

Make your way onto the M1 and enjoy the ride through bushland out past Mount Kuring-gai, beyond Berowra, and through Mount White. You’ll want to take a detour once you’re close to Brisbane Water National Park and make your first stop on the Central Coast. Alongside the road is Staples Lookout, which is much more than a chance to snap a selfie. Get the lay of the land as your eyes peel over Brisbane Water and Woy Woy Bay.

When snack time rolls around, pick up the best fish and chips on the Central Coast at Woy Woy Fisherman’s Wharf. This waterside kitchen, visited daily by flocks of pelicans, takes great pride in mastering local seafood so bigger appetites could even go for a Singapore-style mud crab or spicy tuna tostada.

Back on course: stalk the straight-shooting Pacific Highway until you reach the sleepy town of Morisset, then get ready to double back and curve around the waterway. Lake Macquarie is where you’ll find Caves Beach, named for its network of whimsical sea caves with numerous walking trails around so you can find new perspectives of the ocean while dolphin spotting.

It will take just under an hour to reach Newcastle from Caves Beach so make sure you’re all on the same page where your road trip playlist is concerned.

You’ve blown a two-hour drive out to a half-day already so you’ll want some rest before exploring Newcastle in the evening. The four-star Novotel Newcastle Beach anchors you in the city’s cosmopolitan East End, and around 14 of the 88 spacious guest rooms can be connected. So book as many as your crew needs to create your own cocoon of comfort, and privacy.

There’s a small, functional fitness centre with a hot tub in the centre waiting for you whenever you finish finding Newcastle’s finest flavours, so don’t stress too much about finding the right lifestyle balance on the road.

You should be set-up just before sunset, so do as any good Novocastrian would do and squeeze in a golden hour soak or stroll around the beautiful, famous ocean baths. A mix of pavilions, swimming pools, and open walkways. Its standout design element is its gorgeous Art Deco facade and tiered bleachers.

Hatted restaurant Humbug is only a five minute walk from your hotel and is one of the city’s most popular restaurants and the region’s most fascinating conversation between Italian and Australian flavours. Thinking hyperlocal when sourcing the kitchen’s produce, the restaurant rises above expectations with simple, exacting plates.

The party-minded atmosphere at MoneyPenny gives this waterside bar a big, bright personality that’s at its best after all the locals have finished picking apart oversized pizzas and baskets of fries. Cocktails, wines, and beers are served until 11pm on weekends so this is a great spot to power through a regional by-the-glass list while keeping those water views as a road trip motif.

Grab a coffee from the hotel and walk the 450-metre Newcastle Memorial Walk to its cliff-top bridge lined with solemn silhouettes of soldiers and inscribed with almost 4,000 family names from World War I. It’s hard to stop once you get going, so you may be tempted to strike off the entire Bathers Way walk while you’re at it. The iconic 6km coastal walk threads through the city’s major beaches, from Merewether Baths to Nobbys Beach.

Add a pleasant hour to your trip out of Newcastle and you can also see the small Hunter Valley region of Broke. Most people think of Pokolbin when they think of the Hunter Valley, but this much smaller, highly concentrated pocket of Australia’s oldest wine region has its own unique charms and leans heavily towards those richer, softer styles of wine that bring lighter perspectives to Hunter’s defining trio: chardonnay, shiraz, and semillon.

Wineries at Broke differ greatly. Stop at Krinklewood Estate for the first of several progressive tastings. Whoever drew the short straw in the group can enjoy the scenic surrounds of the cellar door while the rest of you work through Krinklewood’s signature 45-minute tasting, which is guided and highlights at least five of the label’s award-winning biodynamic wines. This sunny estate feels like it could just as easily serve as the set piece of a ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ sequel.

Winmark Wines & Art Gallery is an expansive, 130-acre winery owned by the affable and ever-fabulous Karin Adcock, a Dutch native who founded iconic jewellery brand Pandora in a Northern Beaches garage. Ask her and she’ll gladly tell you about all the art she’s collected on her travels, some of which is displayed across the expansive grounds. Chardonnay of remarkable depth is the speciality here so you’re in good hands when it comes to big, shouty whites.

The drive from Broke to Port Macquarie should take you just over three hours so you’ll want to break it up by stopping for a hike around Coorabakh National Park. Here, colourful volcanic outcroppings and abundant birdlife translate to some of the state’s most gorgeous bushwalking trails. 

Convenience comes with sweeping city views at Mercure Centro Port Macquarie, where you’re a short walk from the Port Macquarie Coastal Walk starting point and just up the road from Flagstaff Lookout which sits between Town Beach and Oxley Beach. Plus, with the hotel’s own beauty spa, you’re only ever an elevator button away from a professional glow up.

If you didn’t come all this way not to have sand in your sights then Mantra The Observatory Port Macquarie may be more your speed. This Port Macquarie hotel has rooms as big as three-bedroom apartments, with balconies that look out to the mighty Norfolk Pines that lined Town Beach. A large indoor pool and hot tub is open until 9pm each night so it’s a great place to have a group soak before throwing yourself at Port Macquarie’s breezy nightlife.

You’ve taken a day or two to crawl your way to this coastal paradise, so exhaustion shouldn’t be an issue. Start with a coastal stroll past the painted rocks on the paved Southern Breakwall while searching for your favourite graffiti-decorated rock.

Dine at The Stunned Mullet, which sits on the beach side of William Street. The highly rated restaurant is Port Macq’s signature fine dining experience, known for highly technical, produce-driven plates that are anything but simple. The kitchen throws a lot at you, so those bigger dishes are key, like poached barramundi with coriander peanut pesto, broccolini, coconut kaffir lime, and a taro fritter.

Try to cut through dinner relatively early because drinks at Little Shack are mandatory. The tropical open-air cafe could easily be mistaken for a remote beachside bar in Hawaii, with a transportive, breezy vibe that begs for a piña colada.

Road trips should always end with a grand gesture, but Port Macquarie’s gorgeous spread of nature calls for intimacy. Hike Ellenborough Falls with your closest mates to and witness the state’s largest single-drop waterfall cascade down to misty ravine, best seen from The Knoll viewing platform, located about 10 minutes down a timbered walkway. Driving long distances always feels worth it when you get to unlock a special part of the world.