Scenic driving route in Australia as recommended by locals
This is my third visit to Australia. Just like last time (2019), I was invited to a friend’s wedding, but this time it was not in Sydney, but in Merimbula, a coastal town between Sydney and Melbourne. It’s a small town and possibly not well known to foreigners, but the journey to get here was a lot of fun, so I’d like to introduce it to some highlights on the drive.
Contents
Considering your mode of transportation
Rent a car at the airport
The overnight stop was in the seaside town of Batemans Bay
460km road trip
Arrived in Merimbula
Useful information
Considering your mode of transportation
The shortest route from Sydney to Merimbula is approximately 460km. This is the distance that an airplane flies. A friend of mine who lives in Sydney said that Merimbula is a nice place and recommended taking a car because there are so many things to see on the way. We decided to go there by car and return by plane.
Rent a car at the airport
I pre-booked a rental car from the UK and picked it up at Sydney Airport. There didn’t seem to be any additional charge to return the vehicle to a different rental location. If you have a British driving license, there is no need to obtain an international driving license.
The car didn’t have a navigation system, so I started up Google Maps on my smartphone and connected it to the screen with a cable. Using roaming can be expensive, so I purchased a prepaid SIM card in a Vodafone shop at the airport while comparing the length of stay and usage data. I stayed in Australia for 12 days, and 20GB was more than enough. Regarding the signal, I was able to stay connected all the way to my destination.
The overnight stop was in the seaside town of Batemans Bay
If you were to travel by car from Sydney to Merimbula, you might get tired from driving if attempting to complete the route in a day, so I decided to stay over somewhere for one night on the way.
A friend recommended Mollymook and Bateman’s Bay as good options. On the first day, I wanted to get slightly closer to Merimbula, so I decided to stay in a town called Bateman’s Bay. This place was much nicer than I expected; the hotel I stayed in was very comfortable, and I went to a restaurant called Trapper’s (also a recommendation from a friend) and ate my fill of fresh seafood. Before heading south to Merimbula, we had breakfast at a seaside restaurant called JJ’s.
Rick Stein, who is famous in the UK, has a restaurant in Mollymook, so I tried to go there. Unfortunately, it was fully booked so we weren’t able to eat there, but the hotel rooms located on the cape seem to offer a spectacular view.
460km road trip
Basically, you can reach Merimbula easily by following the car navigation system and A1 road. The roads are wide, visibility is good, there wasn’t much traffic and, like Japan and the UK, driving is on the left, so I was able to drive comfortably from beginning to end. The scenery changes all along the route, from eucalyptus forests to meadows that make you think you’re in Europe, to scattered small towns; you’ll never get tired of looking at the scenery from the window.
We turned off from the A1 at Tilba Tilba and took the Tathra-Bermagee Road. The road was paved until we entered a specific part of the national park, so it was a comfortable drive.
Arrived in Merimbula
We had heard that the wedding venue would be on a sandy beach, but the two of us had a preview and decided on the venue, but it was the day before the wedding. The ceremony was held in a relaxing atmosphere with the soothing sound of waves and under a bright blue sky. It was a beautiful ceremony, and seeing the happy couple reminded me how wonderful weddings are.
Merimbula is a place that I would never have come to unless I was invited. The area is known as the Sapphire Coast, and the blue, sparkling sea is beautiful. The view from our hilltop hotel was amazing. Merimbula is rich in fresh seafood so don’t forget to try the local specialty: oysters.
Useful information
One thing to be aware of when driving is the system of roundabouts, which are rare in Japan. I think it’s a good idea to prepare by watching videos on YouTube, etc.
I think you can avoid contact with kangaroos by trying to arrive at the city before sunset.
For short-term stays, it seems that a driver’s license issued in Japan is valid, but I feel that it is better to obtain an international driver’s license in case something happens.
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