Bypassing Sydney & Melbourne

Evening BnN
hot off the press like lol....
we just left Sydney this morning on toll free roads (Lane Cove campsite)
just arrived Canberra. So in answer to your ques. yup there are routes, and sites tho more seasoned travellers will surely provide better details on here.

Enjoy, we certainly did... :)

G+R

Bernie

Have a look at The Cumberland Highway

Cheers,

Cruiser

Free Camp

There is a free camp at Richmond. You are allowed 72hrs for free with all facilities. It is near the railway so could dash into Sydney by train and use back roads to dodge the city when leaving.

Alan

Hi Bernie,

There is a good caravan park at the Lane Cove National Park which is accessed from the southern side of the Lane Cove river on Ryde Road.

I have never been there but I have heard a lot of good things about it over the years.

It is close to Sydney City being on the outskirts of same and when you have finished looking around and head off toward Wollongong you can merely continue along Ryde Road heading south and it will get you to Sutherland where you will be well on your way to the south coast NSW.

I cannot enlighten you as regards Melbourne as I have never been to Melbourne as such. I have been past it but never to it.

There are some other van parks around Sydney but I know nothing of them, having left Sydney 25 years ago.

You can down load maps from google if that is a help otherwise the park office will be able to help you out

Cheers, Bruce.

Hi Bernie,

there's a good van park at Narabeen on the Northern side of Sydney, not sure how easy it is to get to though. I think it is a Big 4.

I know you wanted information on the toll free routes however I suggest you look into getting an infrequent users RTA etag ( or the equivalent of this if you arent a resident of NSW) as the M7 makes getting through Sydney a breeze. No traffic lights and wide lanes. It is worth very bit of the cost of using the toll roads I think.
Also it can be used on any toll road in Australia.

Regards,

Heather G

Bypassing Melbourne you would take the South Eastern Freeway to Chadstone, left at Warrigal Rd, then follow Dandenong Rd to StKilda. Left past Albert Park then left over the Westgate bridge. If taking the coast rd you continue to Geelong or if via Ballarat you will need to loop around the Western Ring rd & Deer Park Bypass. (all free)
I took some of that route last weekend & was a pain. Personally I suggest paying the minimal toll & take the stop/start headache out of towing a van around the city.
If you type "Avoid Tolls" in your Navigator it should tell you all this anyway or if you don't have one Google maps will do the same thing.
Cheers Craig.....................

There's a Caravan Park in Dural (North West of sydney). It's about 7kms off Pennant Hills Rd at Pennant Hills. From the North, turn right onto Boundary Rd.

Pennant Hills road runs from Hornsby to Parramatta, via Carlingford. You can join it from the F3. If you want to completely miss toll roads in Sydney going North/South, then you would take James Ruse Drive off Pennant Hills Rd at North Parramatta. This will lead you onto Cumberland Highway at Wentworthville. From there you travel to Liverpool where you would join the M5.

IMHO and as others have said, take the M2/M7. It will save you time and wear/tear on the car.


Pax

Endorse the Sorrento-Queenscliff ferry suggestion.
With the tolls, you have a grace period of a couple of days after using the toll road, without a tag, to phone up and pay by card.
Another idea: coming along the coast from Sydney, you could make your way via Cockatoo and Woori Yallock to Healesville, where there are a couple of good caravan parks. From Healesville, it is a 20 minute drive to the metro train line at Lilydale and thus access to the city. Healesville is a great base to explore the yarra Valley and Dandenongs.
From Healesville you could go Maroondah Highway, then cut up to the Western Ring Road to go round the city - best on a weekend day!