3 days taking in the best of the NSW North Coast
17 – 19 June 2019
There has long been calls for a 3 day tour of the north coast but we have been put off due to the volume of traffic that you often encounter. However with the recent upgrades to the main highways have now opened the way to string together a series of lovely backroads that wind through some of the most picturesque country you can imagine. The tour will start and finish in Raymond Terrace, just north of Newcastle and heads north to just short of Grafton before returning to Raymond Terrace. There is 360 km of highway between Coffs Harbour and Raymond Terrace and we avoid 300 km of it. As with all our tours we have selected memorable restaurants and cafes and very comfortable accommodation.
Day 1. 17 June – Raymond Terrace – South West Rocks
After breakfast in Raymond Terrace we take in some of the beautiful villages that abound in the lower Hunter Valley before winding our way on a series of little used roads west of the highway until just short of Kempsey where we move to the east and more fun roads through the beautiful coastal scenery to the holiday village of South West Rocks picking up the legendary Thunderbolts Way that winds through Gloucester and Walcha to Armidale. We then take in a rather special road to Dorrigo where our accommodation for the night is a wonderful hotel perched on the edge of the escarpment overlooking the Bellingen Valley with the coast in the distance.
Day 2. 18 June – South West Rocks – Dorrigo
This a great days driving! We stay west of the Highway as we head towards Coffs Harbour where we cross to the escarpment and a series of roads through beautiful countryside towards Grafton. However, just before we get there we turn south on one of my favourite stretches of road anywhere on the planet. We find ourselves on an amazing stretch of bitumen that flows across rolling countryside then dives into heavily timbered valleys. Best of all it seems to go forever. There are a few small villages which provide welcome rest stops but this is all about “the road”. We arrive back in civilisation at Dorrigo and our hotel that overlooks the Bellingen Valley with views to the coast.
Day 3. 19 June – Dorrigo – Raymond Terrace
We head west from Dorrigo through Armidale before picking up the legendary Thuderbolt’s Way that winds through Walcha and Gloucester, We are eventually delivered back to our start point in Raymond Terrace which is an easy 90 minute run back to Sydney.
The Cost
The tour is $1,200/car (2 people max) and includes bed and breakfast each night as well as a comprehensive roadbook and the route plotted on a Garmin Sat-Nav to keep you on track. I will be there to smooth the way and ensure that everything runs as it should.