Sydney is the airport, not the trip. The Blue Mountains are 100 km west and worth a day. After that the next place on this list is Byron Bay at 756 km, and the gap is the whole argument.
Most people land with a week and a plan built around the city. It works better if the city is where the van is collected and the week is spent somewhere the road is not a car park. One short day trip west, one long highway day north, and nothing in between that justifies keeping the vehicle in town.
The exception is the mountains, which are the one place here a van earns its keep. A night at Katoomba puts the lookouts at sunrise and removes a return drive, and 100 km is short enough to do on the day you land.
The first stops, measured
- Blue Mountains100 km
- Byron Bay756 km
- Brisbane908 km
Byron is the first listed stop after the mountains, and it is a full day from the airport.
The van is a problem in this city
Inner Sydney is built for small cars. Height-limited car parks, time-limited streets and paid parking turn a high-top campervan into a cost and a constraint before it has left the suburbs. Collect it on the way out rather than the day before, and skip the question entirely.
Which road out
- Hume south The fastest way off the city. A highway day to Melbourne with little on it to stop for.
- Pacific north The coast road to Newcastle and on to Byron. This is the road the 756 km figure belongs to.
- Great Western west 100 km of climbing to the mountains, then the tablelands and a long inland run.
Collect it and go
Every option above is a highway day, so the vehicle is chosen for distance rather than for the city. A van with a bed removes the first night’s booking and turns the 100 km west into an easy start.
Explore Wicked Campers for campervan hire in Sydney. Check vehicle availability and road restrictions with the operator.
Where this leads
the east coast route north how far you can drive in a day campervan or 4WD for this coast
Sydney questions
Is it worth staying in the city first?
Only if the city is the point of the trip. Otherwise a night in town costs a day of daylight driving and puts the van in the one place on this list where parking is hardest.
Which road north is better?
The Pacific Highway, because the 756 km figure belongs to it and it keeps the coast within reach. An inland route is a different trip, not a faster version of this one.
Do you need a 4WD for the Blue Mountains?
No. The pass is sealed and the towns sit on an ordinary highway. A 4WD is for fire trails and unsealed lookouts, which are not the reason to go.