Driving from Sydney to Brisbane

For a week now we have been traveling by car along the east coast towards Brisbane. Leaving Sydney was not easy for us because it was a completely relaxed week – despite being a big city.

We have a week to cover the nearly 1000 km to Brisbane, so we can explore a lot of the area. We stop in small towns, which can sometimes be disappointing (like Newcastle, because of many industrial plants). However, most places are very picturesque and it's fun to stroll through the streets or along the harbors. We come across national parks over and over again and we like to stop here because there are great hiking trails in this exceptionally beautiful nature. We have seen exotic animals for us, such as white cockatoos, water dragons, 2-meter long monitor lizards (really eerie), or rainforest turkeys. The forests here consist of deciduous trees and palms, while in the cities or at the roadside, there are plants that grow in flower pots at home. We especially enjoy the coastal walks. With mostly sunny summer weather, you hike up and down easily and again and again you come across beautiful secluded beaches in small coves. We always have our swimwear with us for a short swim break – at least the water here is refreshing! During the drive, we also often come across kilometers-long white sandy beaches that are nearly deserted. The longest one was 32 kilometers!

On our way, we have often passed forests that have been devastated by fire. Sometimes there are only black trunks left; in some cases, they also already have green shoots.

When looking for a place to stay overnight, we choose private accommodations and have already had many nice encounters this way. This allows us to get to know the locals, see how they live, and often get useful tips for activities.

We really like this small part of Australia that we have seen so far, and the climate is much more pleasant than the humid, extreme heat of Asia.

See you later!