Touring Brisbane to Sydney

[Gershon]

Hi all,

An opportunity has come up for me to travel to Brisbane later this year with work. Once work is done I'll have a few days spare and am thinking about hiring a bike to ride down to Sydney.

Wondered if anyone has done something similar and any tips on how long it might take/what's worth having a look at on the way/recommendations of places to hire a ride from etc...

Cheers

[glitch_oz]

Hi all,

An opportunity has come up for me to travel to Brisbane later this year with work. Once work is done I'll have a few days spare and am thinking about hiring a bike to ride down to Sydney.

Wondered if anyone has done something similar and any tips on how long it might take/what's worth having a look at on the way/recommendations of places to hire a ride from etc...

Cheers

Hi

Some awesome riding can be found along that stretch. Stay AWAY from the coast though...
Only one problem that might arise: it'll be hard to find one-way hire bikes, you might have to return to Brisbane and fly to Syd.
Forgetting about that one for now...exit Brisbane to the NORTH (yep, north) via Samford/ Dayboro to Kilcoy, turn south along Somerset Dam to Esk, south towards Ipswich, south again towards Boonah, est to Beaudesert and Tamborine. South agaoin to Canungra, from here it's a pleasant 1/2 day return ride on single-lane stuff to O'Reillys Guesthouse.
Back to Canungra, cutting east towards Nerang, just short of that, south again via Springbrook to Murwillumbah.
Go south-west to Kyogle, with a shortish return trip to the old hippie enclave of Nimbin in between....turn north from Kyogle about 20km, north again up the Lions Road to Rathdowney.
Southwest to Woodenbong/ Urbanville, south to Tabulam on the Bruxner Hwy.
Bring some warm gear along whenm turning west up the Bruxner to Tenterfield on the new England Hwy, it gets nippy up there.

South from here (bit boring) to Glen Innes, turn east down the Gwydir and don't miss any roads to the signposted lookouts, the views from the Great Divide to the Coast are spectacular.
Turn south-west in Grafton via Coutts Crossing to Dorrigo, brilliant Train-museum here, it's a stumper, even if you're not into that sorta thing.

How many days did you say you have?? Turn up the coast to BrisVegas if your 4 or 5 days or so are up.
You'll be sick of twisties by then, heheee
Otherwise....let me know, there's more great stuff for the next few days, criss-crossing the Great Divide a few times along the way south.

[Catweazle]

I lived in Australia for 24 years and did that trip a few times. The inland route through Armidale and Tamworth etc is slightly longer but the roads are generally better with less traffic. The coastal route is a bit more scenic and busy - and you don't see the sea a lot of the time. Switch between both at the Oxley Highway and also through Dorrigo - they are nice diversions.

You can do Brisbane to Sydney in a long day, but it is no fun. I did Sydney to Brisbane in late Feb a few weeks ago over four days - two up and towing a trailer. The weather was quite hot so we tried to travel a bit in the morning, hide in a shopping centre during the mid day, then knock up a few more hours in the later afternoon. You could do the same but use the mid day time for sightseeing of one sort or another.

The road at each end - Sydney to Newcastle (and bits further north) and Brisbane to Gold Coast is pretty much boring freeway unless you take the time to find out where the local roads are.

Maybe you could just hire a bike in Brisbane and go South 200kms, then West 300 kms, then north 500 kms then east 300 kms and then travel back South to Brisbane to return the bike. I think that would be would be much more interesting - a big loop around North East NSW and South East/Mid Queensland.

[glitch_oz]

Maybe you could just hire a bike in Brisbane and go South 200kms, then West 300 kms, then north 500 kms then east 300 kms and then travel back South to Brisbane to return the bike. I think that would be would be much more interesting - a big loop around North East NSW and South East/Mid Queensland.

As long as you stay within the Great Divide, the riding's great.
Too far out west...the land goes flat, the roads straight and boring.

[Catweazle]

As long as you stay within the Great Divide, the riding's great.
Too far out west...the land goes flat, the roads straight and boring.

A few hundred kms of straight and boring is OK. Being bored on Australian roads is not the same as New Zealand roads so you have to experience it to understand the differences.

[glitch_oz]

Boring roads in NZ?
Must've missed them then...apart from the stretch south of Chch and the fwy through Auckland things kept me gawking all day, every day.
Agreed...make that bored shitless for the AUS version then

[Gershon]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the advice. I did the trip during April and changed plans to go and visit friends in Bundaberg.

Picked up a BMW F650 Dakar from OZMOTO in Brisbane and rode up through Glasshouse mountains and the Blackall range over a couple of days. Wonderful riding and countryside was just awe inspiring.

Long boring bit into Bundaberg, but lots of adventures down tourist routes broke that up.

So all in all, only 4 days on the bike, great deal from OZMOTO and some awesome riding and catching up with friends.

Cheers.