EAST COAST ROAD TRIP
On this trip, we saw so much (and so little) of Australia! We also saw first hand the aftermath of the Summer bushfires. Incredibly heartbreaking.
My only regret on this trip was not enough time in each town. My biggest tip would be two nights in each town instead of one - really important!
Another big tip……..rent a Kia Carnival, the perfect road tripping car for a family
On our way
Billabong Roadhouse
DAY 1 | MELBOURNE TO MALLACOOTA
DO
Drive via Billabong Roadhouse Fernbank - classic road house from the 60’s……untouched - buy a Chiko Roll, potato cake and Coke (in a glass bottle of course)
Visit Metung
Stop off in Lakes Entrance
EAT - LUNCH
Metung Hotel: iconic pub with great views over the Metung Harbour
or
Albert & Co, Lakes Entrance: delicious fish and chips and lakeside views
EAT - DINNER
Gipsy Point Lodge: delicious home cooked meal - lasagne just incredible - like dining with locals
STAY
Gipsy Point Lodge: cute, and as the name suggests, lodge style accommodation, great atmosphere. Book the most expensive room available at around $150/night
WE DIDN’T DO THIS BUT HEARD IT’S GREAT
Loch
- Tamsin Table: a shared table, a rambling kitchen garden and a hilltop farmhouse - what more could you ask for
- The Borough Dept. Store: set amongst the stunning rolling hills of South Gippsland, right in the heart of beautiful Korumburra, the Borough Dept. Store is a cafe, cake shop, creamerie and wine store in one
- Udder & Hoe: head here for amazing local produce and great coffee
Wilsons Promontory
Fish Creek Hotel: an iconic pub - go check out the big fish
The Big Drift: miles and miles of sand dunes. Make sure you head there for sunset, if feels like you could be anywhere in the world
Squeaky Beach: named because of the sounds you'll hear while walking along the sand. Squeaky Beach is a must do
- Whisky Bay: pack a picnic of local produce and you'll be set for the day
- Tongue Point Hike: 9.4km (one way) this is a hike you need to be prepared for…..showcasing the most stunning views of the Prom
Paynesville
Sardine Eatery and Bar: ex Vue de Monde head chef Mark Briggs
Stay at Captains Cove
Metung
Bancroft Bites: try the coffee and pies
Metung Village Store: stock up
Metung Farmers’ Market: held in the centre of town on the second Saturday of each month
Stay at Edgewater Terraces Apartments, 5 Knots or McMillans of Metung
Lakes Entrance
Buy prawns direct from the guy who caught them at Off The Wharf on the wharf
Stay at Waverley House Cottages
Ninety Mile Beach: 90 miles of white sand perfection and perfect for a 4WD!
Panel Van devastation | Fires burned into the sea
Eden Whale Museum | Hard earned thirst needs a big cold beer at Tathra
DAY 2 | MALLACOOTA TO Mollymook
DO
Incredible coastal walk along the cliffs of Mallacoota - approximately 5km (1 hour) return - sadly such terrible devastation
Stop at Eden and visit the Eden Whale Museum - classic Art Deco Museum - loved it!
EAT - LUNCH
Tathra Hotel: delicious pub lunch right on the headland overlooking the water - can also stay here
EAT - DINNER
Bannisters Pavilion Rooftop Bar and Grill: after a long day on the road, this was perfect
STAY
Bannisters Pavilion: amazing place to stay at Mollymook - make sure you book a room facing forest/inland (away from road which can be a bit noisy apparently), highest floor possible and toward East (beach) end
WE DIDN’T DO THIS BUT HEARD IT’S GREAT
Tathra
Stay at Tathra Hotel in Heritage Rooms/Suites
Mollymook
Bannisters by the Sea: lots of people stay here as it is a little fancier but I haven’t heard great reports - apparently Bannisters Pavilion is better but no views of water
Rick Stein at Bannisters Restaurant: also hear this is very over the top, degustation style menu and a bit stitched up
Top Row: Modernist Classic
Middle Row: Mollymook Sea Pools - ocean end of Burleigh Way
Bottom Row: Hyams Beach beauty
DAY 3 | Mollymook TO SYDNEY
DO
Wake up early, grab some brekky at the Bannisters Breakfast Cart in the lobby and head out to explore Mollymook
Gorgeous town and even better beach but sadly many of the super cool, modernist, 60’s houses have been pulled down and terrible, new ones built in their place
Modernist Gem: Albeit, had heard of this one gem that has survived the bulldozer and was recently for sale in February 2019. So I played detective and hunted it down - Lot 165 Burleigh Way Mollymook. Oh my goodness - just incredible. Designed in c. 1968 by one of the nation’s most-beloved Modernist firms – Allen Jack + Cottier Architects - the house sits nestled and harmonious on a headland so naturally beautiful we couldn’t quite believe it’ was real. With almost two acres of absolute beach front native bush – a natural sea pool at your doorstep, one of the best surf breaks in Australia to one side of your front lawn and Mollymook Beach on the other - we almost would have sold up everything to buy it…….anyway - next life!
Pigeon House Mountain Didthul Walking Track Morton National Park: 5km Return / 2.5 - 3.5 hours as its really steep. One of the best walks in Morton National Park and on the south coast. The walk is pretty steep in parts, but amazing views make it worthwhile. Hike through forest, heathland and age-old sandstone before coming to the best part – negotiating a series of ladders that lead you to the summit and the view. If you suffer vertigo this is not the walk for you!
Hyams Beach: stop here for lunch at Hyams Beach Store and Cafe - what an absolute treat - burgers, BLTs and milkshakes (skinny chocolate milkshake with extra pump of chocolate for me - my daily ritual)!
Walk along the pure white sands of Hyams Beach and swim in the crystal clear, gin like water - amazing and renowned as one of the best beaches in the world!
EAT - LUNCH
Hyams Beach Store and Cafe: Amazing old school milk bar - burgers and milkshakes hit the spot!
EAT - DINNER
Sean’s Panorama, Bondi: Classic
STAY
QT Bondi: make sure you book a room with a balcony facing West for the magnificent sunsets and views over the City - also book highest floor possible (note there are no rooms facing the beach)
WE DIDN’T DO THIS BUT I KNOW IT’S GREAT
Wish we had stayed a night or two at Hyams Beach / Jervis Bay
The beauty of Sydney sea baths
DAY 4 | SYDNEY
DO
Bondi to Bronte Walk: unreal as always
Swim at Bronte Sea Baths and Icebergs: iconic, brilliant, would never miss it
EAT - BREAKFAST
Tamarama Beach Cafe: after a swim in Bronte sea baths
EAT - LUNCH
Raw Bar: best Japanese!
EAT - DINNER
Totti’s: the best!!! Fun dinner with Perkins and Soph
STAY
QT Bondi: make sure you book a room with a balcony facing West for the magnificent sunsets and views over the City - also book highest floor possible (note there are no rooms facing the beach)
WE DIDN’T DO THIS BUT I KNOW IT’S GREAT
Icebergs: for lunch or dinner - amazing
Catalina: for lunch, a favourite
Icebergs swim with Tubba | Iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge
Classic roadsign | Blueys Motel
DAY 5 | SYDNEY to BLUEYS BEACH
DO
A quick early morning swim at Icebergs and then it’s in the car heading to Blueys Beach
Crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge……..always a highlight
Arrived into the sleepy seaside town of Blueys Beach around 5pm and checked into the super cute, 60’s Blueys Motel. Recently renovated and so cool. Best ever pizza for dinner over the road at Hueys at Blueys and then all bundled into our Queen beds with a packet of Tim Tams to watch National Lampoons Vacation with Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo and not to forget, the famous Christie Brinkley!!!
I was wetting myself with laughter (especially when Chevy Chase forgets that the dog is tied to the bumper bar and drives for 50km or when the grandma dies and they strap her to the roof racks in full rigour mortis)…….girls didn’t see the humour in that and thought it was the least funny, lamest movie ever! So epic fail on that front! I think humour has changed (must admit, fabulously inappropriate in parts)
Off to bed with sound of the surf in our ears
EAT - BREAKFAST
Bills, Bondi: best ricotta pancakes I have ever had
EAT - LUNCH
Lunch that day a big highlight - Salt and Vinegar Chips and a Chocolate Big M from the road-side petrol station (actually the NSW version as they don’t have Chocolate Big M in NSW - work that out!)
EAT - DINNER
Hueys at Blueys Pizzeria: delicious, fun, very casual
STAY
Blueys Motel: the only place that takes a one night stay but boy did we love it! Just so cute in a ‘60’s motel ‘toast in a paper bag’ kind of way
Seal Rocks heaven
DAY 6 | BLUEYS BEACH TO YAMBA
DO
Up early for a big walk along Blueys Beach and then THE YUMMIEST breakfast at Kembali next door to Blueys Motel (see below)
Then checked out of motel and off to Seal Rocks which is about a 10 minute drive South. Oh my goodness - Seal Rocks - just incredible. The pictures say it all. The water, the water, the water. We all had a swim and literally didn’t want to come out of the water. Then went for a bit of a look around. Such a lovely little town with one General Store and not much else - just beauty in every direction. So gorgeous - we definitely plan on returning. Lots of gorgeous houses to rent and walks to the Lighthouse and along the beaches which we didn’t have time to do
So then back in the Kia Carnival for the big 5 hour drive to Yamba
Arrived into Yamba about 5pm and oh wow. Had booked the classic, iconic Pacific Hotel right on the beach at Yamba. And boy were we surprised when we were shown to our room. The outside is classic “crumbling grandeur" in its appearance but gosh it really was an amazing stay
EAT - BREAKFAST
Kembali Blueys Beach: egg and bacon rolls and smoothies and of course my triple shot caffe latte - gets me going. Ella also now addicted to iced caffe lattes! Delicious
EAT - DINNER
Pacific Hotel Pub: a delicious and traditional pub dinner downstairs at the Pacific Hotel and off to bed after a big day on the road.
STAY
Pacific Hotel, Yamba: I loved the charm of staying above the old pub and the views are the best. You can look straight out to the beach from your room. You really can’t beat it. Make sure you call up in advance, it books out fast.
In a nut-shell, half the rooms (9 rooms) have been meticulously and beautifully renovated (101 - 109) and the other rooms are like pub rooms from the 50’s - yikes, pretty rough and shared bathrooms. Luckily I had put my research in and booked the renovated rooms but never in a million years did I actually expect them to be so beautiful
So must book one of the Signature Pacific King Rooms in this order 101, 102, 103, 104 - all with ocean views - absolutely insane and meticulously renovated
If those rooms not available then next best are Signature Town Queen Room 105, 106, 107, 108, 109 - no ocean views but renovated and beautiful!
Do not book a Pub Room - very one star
WE DIDN’T DO BUT WISH WE HAD
Spent longer! At least another night
Seal Rocks Lighthouse Walk: A must do
Stay for a week at Seal Rocks at Fish Cakes - iconic beach house available to rent through Airbnb
Stay for a week at SALT - 14A and 14B (Upstairs) Newman Avenue Blueys Beach NSW - rented via Pacific Palms Holidays - fantastic if there for a little while
So much to see between Blueys and Yamba that we missed……..
The classic Pacific Hotel | Angourie Beach | Yamba Sea Baths
Yamba SLSC | Frangipanis everywhere | A peak into Flots and Jets Vintage
Jumping off the cliffs at the famous Blue Pools of Angourie | Beach shack love | Fields and fields of cane sugar on the way to Byron
DAY 7 | YAMBA TO BYRON BAY
DO
Good morning Yamba!
Woke up to the sound of the surf and beautiful views over Yamba beach
Off for a walk along the shore line and then a swim in the Yamba sea baths - brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrisk but worth it
Angourie: just a few minutes South - a must
Angourie Surfing Reserve: walk through the Reserve and onto the beach and lie in the sun watching the surfers - just mesmerising and really, really beautiful
Blue Pools of Angourie: jump off the cliffs at the famous Blue Pools of Angourie. It’s a freshwater haven. You can hike the surrounding areas and then cool off in the refreshing water
Flots and Jets Vintage Store Yamba: dropped into the most gorgeous little vintage store Flots and Jets and bought a super cute, vintage book on Kites - heaven! Megan (the lovely owner) wrapped it in an old dress making pattern and tied it up with string ("these are a few of my favourite things’!) - absolute magic. I actually now can’t bear to unwrap it as it is so beautiful
Beautiful drive through the swaying, rustling sugar canes to Byron Bay
EAT - BREAKFAST
THE BEST BREAKFAST ANY OF US HAVE EVER HAD at the Kiosk at the Yamba Surf Life Saving Club, Yamba Beach
OMG - we all agree, highlight of the trip
THE BEST:
- egg and bacon rolls
- smoothies
- açai bowls
- fresh juice
- coffee, coffee, coffee
So good we all walked up to the counter afterwards and told the gorgeous guy who owns it how much we loved it!!!
EAT - LUNCH
Cafe Angourie: delicious
EAT - DINNER
Kinoko Japanese, Byron Bay: off to find dinner in Byron Bay - for once I hadn’t organised a dinner booking - most unlike me - was kind of exhausted by the planning by then (total decision fatigue) so winged it (not really part of my vocabulary)!
So stumbled across a Japanese restaurant Kinoko which was so, so good (but goodness had to really negotiate hard for a table so lesson learned on “winging it”, especially in Byron Bay)
STAY
Atlantic: oh wow - super cool boutique hotel with outdoor fire pit with black butterfly chairs. So beautiful and had great rooms with balconies - sat around the fire pit at dusk - pretty happy with that
WE DIDN’T DO BUT WISH WE HAD
Lake Arragan and Red Cliff campgrounds in the Angourie precinct of Yuraygir National Park, an hour south of Yamba, is apparently a must do. Dirt roads, ti tree lakes surrounded by paperbarks and isolated empty beaches. Bliss! Plus, you might spot an emu on the run - enjoy this part of the world, it’s very beautiful
Top Row: Atlantic
Middle Row: Lighthouse walk
Bottom Row: The Bower
DAY 8 TO 11 | BYRON BAY
DO
Lighthouse walk
Beach and more beach
Visit the industrial-chic Habitat community development at Byron Bay’s North Beach - lots of very cool shops and cafes
Fun to visit Lennox Head, another surfy town, and watch surfers from the headland or have a surf! Especially good to drop in to Lennox Head on your way to Harvest (see below) for lunch
EAT - BREAKFAST
Byron Bay General Store: next to the Bower (see places to stay). Really yummy breakfast albeit vegan, vegetarian, organic (and everything else) so no bacon for Jeremy that day
Top Shop, Byron Bay: did not eat breakfast here but had lunch here twice! Apparently good for breakfast too
Bay Leaf: amazing breakfast
EAT - LUNCH
Harvest at Newrybar: just out of Byron is the most amazing place for lunch - it was seriously a highlight of our road trip - the food and service was some of the best we have ever had - an absolute MUST DO
Top Shop, Byron Bay: pretty much went here everyday for lunch - had the fish burger twice
EAT - DINNER
Mez Club: great for drinks
Bang Bang: amazing food - Melbourne chefs pay homage to southeast Asian cuisine - delicious sashimi, satay, sticky braised beef ribs - yum!
Raes on Wategos: Byron Bay institution, fantastic for lunch or dinner
Il Buco: decent Italian
STAY
Atlantic: spent two nights here
The Bower: spent two nights here - possibly had the edge on the Atlantic - very cool circular pool. We stayed in the 5 Bedroom Cottage - huge and just perfect and beautifully done
WE DIDN’T DO BUT WISH WE HAD
Three Blue Ducks Restaurant, The Bread Social Bakery and Baylato Gelato all at The Farm, Ewingsdale just north of Byron: amazing apparently but didn’t get there!
Views from apartment | Sunrise | Our own pool
DAY 12 - DAY 18 | CABARITA BEACH
DO
Just go to Cabarita Beach!!! We prefer it to Byron - less pretentious, more relaxed, a very surfy, low key town
Beach, beach and more beach
Rent a Townie bike (the most comfortable bikes in the world - seriously) from Cabarita Beach Cycles and ride along boardwalk to Kingscliff - just fantastic!
Great walks and runs along the beach
Walk to Nobbys Head each day for the most spectacular whale watching
EAT - BREAKFAST
Caba Social: over the road from The Beach (apartments) - the best coffee I found. Great egg and bacon rolls
The Coffee Club: apparently is also very good and just down the road from Caba Social but I didn’t go there
Tucker: this little place is in Casuarina so we rode bikes there one morning (maximum 20 minutes) - very cute - really yummy but not on the beach so lower your expectations on location - a bit suburban - but worth it for the breakfast!
EAT - DINNER
Spice Den, Casuarina: a must, loved it, delicious
Bombay Cricketers Club, Casuarina: delicious
Jordy’s Pizza, Casuarina: I am not joking this was one of the best pizzas we have ever, ever had - sourdough base and crust - most delicious pizza ever - A MUST - can’t book, need to email Jordy - next door to Tucker (see above for breakfast) so once again lower your location expectations!
The Stunned Mullet, Cabarita: best fish and chips - we had takeaway and ate outside! GOLD!
STAY
The Beach Apartments Penthouse 303: the most insane 3 bedroom apartment - beyond our wildest expectations! Overlooking the beach with private pool and deck - incredible views and very reasonable
Must book Penthouse 303 and if not available book Penthouse 302. Otherwise any apartment facing the beach and on the highest floor
WE DIDN’T DO BUT WISH WE HAD
These restaurants were closed when we were there due to Corona but heard they are amazing:
Taverna, Kingscliff: amazing Greek fusion food and in a great location
Pipit, Pottsville: a few minutes in the car from cabarita Beach - apparently really amazing and owned by the same people that own Fleet in Brunswick Heads
Fleet, Brunswick Heads: I have been here before and whilst it is regarded as foody Nirvana I felt it was a bit odd in a “deep fried sheeps’ balls” kind of way
Paper Daisy at Halcyon House: only open to guests when we were there and only option was three course or four course set menu - ridiculous and have never loved the food at Paper Daisy - prefer the lunch/bar options from there
Halcyon House: gorgeous to stay here as a couple but expensive (verging on overpriced)
