We all seem time-poor these days, but if you can carve some time out of your calendar, it's always best to journey that little bit further than just an hour out of town. We did just that for a girls' getaway and the reward included fewer crowds, incredible driving roads, amazing beaches, and spectacular scenery – here's how to get there!
Drive Season 2 screens on Channel 9 at 1:00pm each Sunday. The full episode will be available to view on 9Now after it airs.
Our drive this week took us to Forster – a jewel of the Barrington Coast, NSW. Beginning in Sydney, jump on the Old Pacific Highway if time permits. It's then a run along The Lakes Way to Seal Rocks and a short trek north to Forster. Overall, the travel time is just over three-and-a-half hours.
Leaving the hustle and bustle of Sydney behind, we jumped onto the Old Pacific Highway at Brooklyn, which follows the line of the motorway, however, offers some twisty driving roads and pleasant scenery – a nice treat before getting stuck on a freeway. It's only a short stint, but well worth the minor detour that finishes at Gosford. It's then a run along the wide-open road of the M1 to reach Bulahdelah.
This run east along The Lakes Way is one of the true highlights of this drive. Surrounded by greenery with glimpses of the water peeking through the forest, it's the perfect combination of impressive scenery and incredible driving roads. While relaxing, this 40-minute stint is also lot of fun – dishing up plenty of tight hairpins and sweeping bends.
The Lakes Way turns into Seal Rocks Road with a run down the hill past a stretch of beach known as 'Number One Beach'. Within the blink of an eye you're met with the glistening water and white sand of Boat Beach. We were fortunate enough to take in this view for hours, spending the first night of the road trip along the waterfront.
From Seal Rocks, it's a quick 45-minute run along The Lakes Way up north to Forster. There are plenty of places to visit along the way, including the Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse, various walking trails, and the popular Elizabeth and Blueys beaches.
We made the stop along to the way to Elizabeth Beach for a surf lesson with Gary from Gary Hughes Surf School.
A lot of this drive takes you along a narrow stretch of tarmac, which doesn't look like much on face value, but the Seven Mile Beach that runs alongside this road is simply incredible.
Google maps link for this route (from Sydney)