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Hey Guys,

Considering my options for a road trip back from NitroDann's to Brisbane in about 4 weeks time, that will include some more interesting back roads, rather than the Pacific Hwy option. Looking to do about 4 or 5 hours drive on a Saturday arvo, followed by and overnight stay. Then maybe a 6 hour drive home on Sunday morning. Anyone recommend any good stretches of road that I could take?

Down at Port Maquarie. Oxley Hwy. To Walcha.
At Walcha Turn south into Thunder bolts Way .Which turns into The Buckets way
you will comer out on the Pacific Hwy a few km north of Raymond Terrace.

err
edit youre doing this backwards. sorry

heading North from Raymond Terrace
turn left into Buckets Way at 12 mile creek. & take the above reverse. Its seriously not far out of RT. 10 minutes maybe?

Carsons Pioneer look out (i think that's the place) has a sensational climb worthy of leaving any passenger ( if any) at the top & have a go at it.

I did it with a group.....like 16 years ago.....OMG!!!!! that's all I remember......

As already suggested - Raymond T to Gloucester via Bucketts Way & Gloucester to Uralla (thru' Walcha) via Thunderbolts Hwy.
Then - Armidale to Raleigh/Coffs Harbour via Waterfall Way (or Glen Innes to Grafton via Gwydir Hwy)

Definantly Port to Walcha. I even had fun in this in a Suzuki Sierra 4x4. Gloucester way is too rough.

I did Gloucester to Walcha then Oxley highway last year. Gloucester to Walcha was a bit rough but certainly not too rough is a standard suspension NB. I have heard that the RTA has heavily attacked speed limits on the Oxley from Walcha to Port Macquarie after I drove it. The motorcycle community has been up in arms about it and have had some but limited success in undoing the most odious restrictions. Overall a great drive but still a long haul up the Pacific highway from Port Macquarie to Brissy. Maybe take waterfall way instead of the Oxley. You can take the back road from Coffs up to Casino then through to the Lions road over the border into QLD.

I can Definately recommend glenn innes to grafton through gibralter ranges/washpool national park areas. Plenty of scenic stopovers and depending on ride height, waterfalls and such to see. If you like carboot camping i can suggest coombadjha camping area as an awesome accessible stayover point.
Dorrigo road although a nice scenic drive, is a little too heavily trafficked with caravans and corner cutting cage haters of the two wheeled variety to make the road enjoyable to drive.
Going down the great divide through the gilbralter ranges in the early hours gets the blood pumping as you dodge possums, yowies and drop bears.

Thanks for the replies so far guys, keep 'em coming. Want to stick reasonably close to the coast if I can, and not take too much of a detour and end up on the New England Hwy if possible. Can do parts of the Pacific Hwy if need be.

Did see the Buckets Way road yesterday when i was browsing Google Maps and thought it might be a good option.

Google map link: https://goo.gl/maps/PMzJ13FotEs

Thunderbolts Way - fast & flowing
Oxley Hwy - tight & twisty in the mountains, then fast & flowing after it opens up
Waterfall Way - twisty climb up to Dorrigo
Armidale Rd (Dorrigo to Grafton via Nymboida) - heaven on a stick for MX-5s - DO NOT MISS THIS BIT!
Gwydir Hwy (Grafton to Tenterfield) - excellent twisty climb of the Gibraltar Range
Bruxner Hwy (Tenterfield to Kyogle) - nice mix of fast & flowing with tight & twisty as you cross the ranges again
Kyogle Rd (Kyogle to Murwillimbah) - more nice twisties mixed with open farmland

This covers pretty much every sealed road that crosses the great dividing range. Check it out via Google Street View.

What Guran said, excellent routing!


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Taken on board some suggestions and come up with this route. Distances and times via Google Maps, but any suggestions or tips welcome.

Day 1, leaving Raymond Terrace around lunch time.

Raymond Terrace to Twelve Mile Creek via Pacific Hwy (23km / 17min)
Twelve Mile Creek to Gloucester via The Bucketts Way (80km / 64 min)
Gloucester to Burrell Creek via The Bucketts Way (55km / 45min)
Burrell Creek to Wingham via Gloucester Rd (14km / 15min)
Wingham to Comboyne via Comboyne Rd/Wingham Rd (41km / 55 min)
Comboyne to Bago via Comboyne Rd (28km / 26 min)
Bago to Pacific Hwy (near Port Macquarie) via Oxley Hwy (21km / 21 min)
Subtotal (262km / 4hrs) Stop for refuelling at Port Macquarie service centre.
Port Macquarie service centre to Coffs Harbour via Pacific Hwy ( 158km / 114min)

Total for Day 1 (420km / 6hrs). Stop for refuelling and overnight stay in Coffs Harbour.

Day 2, leaving around 6-7am.

Coffs Harbour to Coramba via Coramba Rd (16km / 16min)
Coramba to South Grafton via Orara Way (70km / 57 min)
Grafton to Casino via B91 Hwy (102km / 70 min)
Subtotal (188 km / 143 min) Stop for refueliing at Casino.
Casino to near Woodenbong via Summerland Way ( 87km / 67 min)
Near Woodenbong to Beaudesert via Mt Lindesay Hwy ( 67km / 56 min)
Beaudesert to Home via Tamborine / Cedar Ck etc (55km / 45 min)

Total for Day 2 (397 km / 5 hr 11 min)

Total all up (817km / 11hrs 11min)

Guran wrote:Google map link: https://goo.gl/maps/PMzJ13FotEs

Thunderbolts Way - fast & flowing
Oxley Hwy - tight & twisty in the mountains, then fast & flowing after it opens up
Waterfall Way - twisty climb up to Dorrigo
Armidale Rd (Dorrigo to Grafton via Nymboida) - heaven on a stick for MX-5s - DO NOT MISS THIS BIT!
Gwydir Hwy (Grafton to Tenterfield) - excellent twisty climb of the Gibraltar Range
Bruxner Hwy (Tenterfield to Kyogle) - nice mix of fast & flowing with tight & twisty as you cross the ranges again
Kyogle Rd (Kyogle to Murwillimbah) - more nice twisties mixed with open farmland

This covers pretty much every sealed road that crosses the great dividing range. Check it out via Google Street View.

Thanks Guran, that does look like a lot of fun, but i don't think I'll have the time to do that route. Even given a slight adjustment to home on the Southside of Brisbane, it's still a 1250km trip and around 16hrs and 20 minutes of driving.

Any tip on trying to plot my route the same way you did yours in Google Maps?

Slight amendment to my route.

Day 1, leaving Raymond Terrace around lunch time.

Raymond Terrace to Twelve Mile Creek via Pacific Hwy (15km / 15min)
Twelve Mile Creek to Gloucester via The Bucketts Way (80km / 64 min)
Gloucester to Burrell Creek via The Bucketts Way (55km / 45min)
Burrell Creek to Wingham via Gloucester Rd (14km / 15min)
Wingham to Comboyne via Comboyne Rd/Wingham Rd (41km / 45 min)
Comboyne to Bago via Comboyne Rd (28km / 26 min)
Bago to Pacific Hwy (near Port Macquarie) via Oxley Hwy (21km / 19 min)
Subtotal (254km / 3hr 49 min) Stop for refuelling at Port Macquarie service centre.
Port Macquarie service centre to Coffs Harbour via Pacific Hwy ( 158km / 110min)

Total for Day 1 (412km / 5hr 39 min). Stop for refuelling and overnight stay in Coffs Harbour.

Day 2, leaving around 6-7am.

Coffs Harbour to Coramba via Coramba Rd (16km / 16min)
Coramba to Grafton via Orara Way (66km / 50 min)
Grafton to Casino via B91 Hwy (102km / 70 min)
Subtotal (184 km / 136 min) Stop for refueliing at Casino.
Casino to Mt Lindesay Hwy via B91 Hwy/ Gradys Creek Rd/ Lions Rd/Running Creek Rd (101km / 92 min)
Mt Lindesay Hwy to Beaudesert (26km / 19 min)
Beaudesert to Home via Tamborine / Cedar Ck etc (55km / 45 min)

Total for Day 2 (366 km / 4 hr 52 min)

Total all up (778km / 10hrs 31min)

Google Maps link

https://goo.gl/maps/SQ4n6ezU6ds

Wootton way is a must


Lachlan
1989 Eunos Roadster (NA8B)