8 Day Sydney Road Trip Itinerary
Sydney is one of the most iconic cities in the world, with its world-famous Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour. If you’re already planning a trip to the city, consider enhancing your trip by doing a road trip around the state of New South Wales!
Just a 2-hour drive away from the city, you’ll find beautiful wineries, breathtaking landscapes and incredible beaches. Whether you’re a thrill seeker, nature lover or city dweller, New South Wales has something to offer.
A road trip is the best way to experience the diverse and beautiful state, New South Wales.
Day 1: Central Coast
After fetching your rental car from Sydney Airport, make a short 1-hour drive up to the picturesque Central Coast of New South Wales! The region is known for its expansive national parks, scenic bays and white beaches.
Attend an Oyster Farm Tour at Broken Bay Pearl Farm
The Broken Bay area in the Central Coast is renowned for its sustainable and premium seafood production. If you love slurping delicious and fatty oysters, look no further than taking part in an Oyster Farm Tour!
At the Broken Bay Pearl Farm, we got to tour around the bay and visit their oyster farming sites! As part of the tour, we got to taste 3 different types of oysters, including the well-known Sydney Rock Oysters, which are creamy and sweet.
Feeding Alpacas at Iris Lodge Alpacas Farm
If you’ve always wanted to get up close to a cute, fluffy animal, there’s no better place to do so than at the Iris Lodge Alpacas. Owned by a local husband and wife duo, there are over 100 Alpacas roaming around the farm.
By attending one of the Alpaca encounter experiences, you get to feed and pet the gentle, yet sometimes playful animals.
Day 2 & 3: Port Stephens
Drive 1.5 hours from Central Coast to Port Stephens, a popular seaside capital for both locals and visitors.
Skydive at Newcastle
What better way to start your visit to Port Stephens than viewing it from the sky! Port Stephens is one of the most picturesque places in the world to skydive, given its many bays and lagoons, so you should not miss this opportunity.
ATV Sand Dune Adventures
Did you know you don’t have to travel to the Australian outback to see dunes? You can find them right here in Port Stephens! Formed as a result of thousands of years of natural coastal processes, there are plenty you can do at the Stockton Beach Sand Dunes.
The first being a Quad Bike Sand Dune adventure. Experience zooming down 9m high dunes at high speeds with the Pacific Ocean as your background!
Sand Dune Sandboarding
Another popular activity at the Sand Dunes is sandboarding. The tall and steep dunes make for the perfect slope to get your adrenaline pumping!
Irukandji Shark & Ray Encounters
Australia is home to hundreds of different sharks and rays! Did you know that your chances of being eaten by a shark are lower than getting struck by lightning? That’s right, sharks are very mild creatures!
At Irukandji Shark & Ray Encounters, you can learn more about sharks and rays that frequent the Australian waters. The admission ticket provides you access to enter a shallow aquarium to feed and pet on the rays. With the reef shark encounter experience, the guide will share more about the sharks and even bring you up close on a feeding experience.
Dolphin Tour with TQC Cruises
The waters of Port Stephens are home to plenty of wild Bottlenose Dolphins! What better way to spot them in their natural habitat than to take a Dolphin Discovery Cruise!
After cruising around the port and spotting the dolphins, you can whip out your best bathing suit and take the slide down to the boomnet!
Day 4
Just an hour's drive away from Port Stephens is Australia’s oldest wine region, the Hunter Valley! If you love wine, you cannot miss this!
Beautiful Sunrise on a Hot Air Balloon
The best way to take in the beautiful sights of Hunter Valley is on a Sunrise Hot Air Balloon tour! At 2,000 feet above ground, you get to view miles and miles of sprawling vineyards during the golden hour. The flight lasts approximately 1 hour and is followed by a delicious gourmet breakfast and champagne celebration at the famous Peterson House Winery. A perfect and romantic activity for couples.
Half Day Wine Tour with Two Fat Blokes
It’s a crime to visit a wine region without having a taste of the wine grown there! And why stop at just 1 winery?
By joining a wine tour with Two Fat Blokes, you’ll get to visit 3 different wineries and drink to your heart's content! At the first winery, you get 7 different types of cheese to pair with your wine. They even offer pick-up and drop-off services from any location in the area, so you do not have to worry about driving at all.
Day 5 & 6: Blue Mountains
What is a trip to Sydney without visiting the iconic Blue Mountains? Located just a 90-minute drive or about a 2.5-hour train ride from the city, this World Heritage-listed region will take your breath away with its beautiful landscapes and clear mountain air. There are many ways to enjoy the 267,954-hectare National Park!
With the unlimited discovery pass, you get to ride on the Scenic Cableway, Scenic Skyway and the Scenic Railway, which is the world’s steepest passenger railway in the world! We recommend taking the Scenic Railway down for that ‘thrill’ and then catch the Scenic Cableway back up to see the views.
Stargaze in the Blue Mountains
Learn about our night sky by taking a Stargazing session in the Blue Mountains. As Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere, many star constellations can only be viewed from here, such as the Southern Cross and Centaurus.
The Blue Mountains are a great place for stargazing due to their exceptional dark skies and sky transparency. Enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and wrap yourself in a cosy blanket provided while you learn interesting facts about the stars, planets and galaxy. This experience guided by an astronomer requires a one-night stay in the Blue Mountains and is well worth the stay!
Explore the charming towns of Leura and Katoomba
While you’re in the Blue Mountains, you cannot miss the quaint towns of Leura and Katoomba. In these towns, there are many cute boutique shops where you can buy gourmet snacks and handicrafts. Indulge in a Salted Pistachio ice cream at Josophan’s Fine Chocolate before driving over to Jamison Valley look out for a view of the escarpments.
Day 7-8: Sydney
How could a trip to New South Wales be complete without visiting Sydney, its capital and largest city? Home to the iconic Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Bondi Beach!
Vivid Sydney, Australia’s largest festival, is happening from 23 May to 14 June! During this period, there’ll be beautiful Mesmerising light art displays and 3D light projections, exhilarating live music performances, immersive talks and activations from some of the world’s brightest minds, and multi-sensory food events all around the city. Be sure not to miss the lighting of the Sydney Opera House Sails activities when you’re visiting during this period!
Visit Taronga Zoo
Just a 15-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay, it is one of Australia’s most iconic and historical zoos. In addition to having more than 5,000 animals, Taronga Zoo features a stunning view of Sydney Harbour and the city skyline.
For the best views of the city, you cannot miss the Free Flight Bird Show.
Cruise on Sydney Harbour
Enjoy a sightseeing cruise on beautiful Sydney Harbour. From the cruise, you’ll get unblocked exclusive views of the Sydney icons.
Sydney Harbour Oz Jet Boating Thrill Ride
If you’re looking for a more thrilling way to experience Sydney Harbour, you have to try out the Sydney Harbour Jet Boating experience! The jet boat offers high-speed spins and 360-degree turns, all within a distance of Sydney’s most iconic landmarks like the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Hop-on Hop-off Sydney Bus by Big Bus
The most convenient way to hit all the main attractions in Sydney is to take the Hop-on Hop-off Sydney Bus by Big Bus.
There are multiple routes to cover all of Sydney’s highlights, and you can hop off anywhere you like! There are also onboard audio guides in multiple languages that give you interesting facts and stories about the sites you pass by.
*Image Credits: Shrugmyshoulder, Destination NSW, Balloon Aloft
Tips for your next NSW Road Trip
Rent your car from Sydney Airport
By renting a car from Sydney Airport, you can start your road trip right after landing in the city, saving you a lot of precious vacation time.
You can use Klook’s Car Rental search to find the best deal for your car rental. We went with a Tesla Model 3 for our road trip as we value the self-driving functionalities for the long drives during the road trip. There are also charging stations easily available across the city and regional New South Wales.
After exploring Central Coast, Hunter Valley, Port Stephens and the Blue Mountains, you can return your car before exploring Sydney, as it’s more convenient and cheaper to take public transport or the hop-on-hop-off bus within the city.
Get the Klook Sydney Pass for more savings
If you’re planning to do multiple activities in Sydney, get the Klook Sydney Pass to save on attraction fees! The pass includes many of Sydney’s top attractions, so you will come out ahead if you’re already planning to do some of them.
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