How to Road Trip Australia’s East Coast by Rental Car: A Practical Guide

We’ve done dozens of road trips around Australia, but the one that taught us the most was a five month NSW loop in a hired RV back in August 2022. We started in Sydney, headed to Newcastle then turned inland to Armidale before winding along the Waterfall Way to Dorrigo. From there we hit the coast again headed to Coffs Harbour. If you don’t have five months up your sleeve, don’t worry. This particular coastal loop, the Waterfall Way and the coast road between Coffs Harbour and Sydney, is easy to do in about two weeks, and it mixes beaches, rainforest and small towns without needing months off work.

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Planning your route

It’s tempting to try to see everything in one go, but Australia’s distances catch people out more than they expect. What looks like a short drive on a map can easily take half a day once you add fuel stops, photo stops and the odd wrong turn.

On our trip, the stretch from Armidale down the Waterfall Way took far longer than we planned, simply because we kept pulling over to look at another waterfall.

For a two week version of this route, we’d suggest something like this: a few days around Sydney and up to Newcastle, two or three days working your way inland to Armidale and along the Waterfall Way, two full days around Dorrigo, then a slower run back down the coast stopping at Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Forster and Port Stephens.

Build in more time than you think you need, especially if you’re travelling with kids or older relatives. A rushed road trip stops being a holiday and starts being a chore.

Choosing your vehicle

We hired an RV for this trip, and it made a real difference to how relaxed the whole thing felt. Instead of booking accommodation every night, we had the flexibility to stop when we found somewhere good and move on when we didn’t. We used a mix of free camp sites and holiday parks.

The RV also meant we always had a kitchen, which saved money on meals along the way, something worth factoring in if you’re travelling on a budget over two weeks.

An motor home or campervan isn’t needed for every route. If you’re sticking to sealed roads and main highways like we were, a standard hire car will handle it just as well and is usually cheaper to hire and easier to park in town.

It’s only once you start heading off the bitumen that you need something tougher, like a 4WD, and this particular route doesn’t call for that.

The standout stops

The Waterfall Way was the highlight of the whole trip. The drive between Armidale and Dorrigo takes you past a string of waterfalls, and Dorrigo National Park itself is worth setting aside a full day for.

The walk through the rainforest canopy there is something photos don’t do justice to, and if you only do one stop on this whole route, make it this one.

The Coffs Coast and Port Macquarie gave us a different kind of stop after the tablelands. Swapping forest and waterfalls for beaches and a slower coastal pace made a good contrast, and it’s an easy few days to build into the same loop.

Forster, right at the end, is also worth a night or two if you want a quieter beach stop before you head inland.

Staying connected on the road

One thing that catches a lot of overseas visitors out is how quickly roaming charges add up once you’re checking maps and looking up accommodation every day. A two week trip with daily navigation, restaurant searches and photo uploads can turn into a surprisingly expensive phone bill if you’re relying on your home provider’s roaming rates.

Along this coastal and tablelands route, mobile coverage is solid, so an eSIM is a straightforward way to stay online without that surprise bill at the end of the trip. It’s worth sorting before you land, so you can check fuel stops, find accommodation for the night, or look up trail conditions without hunting for a local SIM on your first day.

For a route like this one, where you’re moving through several regions in a short time, having reliable data from the moment you land makes the whole trip easier to manage.

A few practical tips from the road

Keep an eye on the season. We travelled in August, which meant mild weather on the tablelands and no flood or fire season concerns, but conditions change a lot depending on when you go and where you’re headed, so check ahead if you’re planning a different time of year.

Watch for wildlife at dawn and dusk once you’re out of town. Kangaroos and wombats are most active at these times, and hitting one isn’t just dangerous, it can also write off your hire car. Slow down on rural roads in the early morning and late afternoon, especially near national parks.

Book your caravan parks or accommodation ahead of time where you can, particularly around Byron, which gets busy even outside peak holiday periods.

Build your own loop

You don’t need five months to get something out of a trip like this. Set aside around two weeks and you can properly enjoy the Waterfall Way, Dorrigo, and the coastal run up to Byron and the Tweed without feeling rushed. Start with a rough route, leave room to slow down, sort your eSIM before you land, and let the rest follow.

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