You can’t go to Sydney without visiting the Opera House! We decided to pay for The Sydney Opera House tour, which introduced us to the history and construction of the place, and allowed us access into the lobbies, lounges and theatres.

Because all we did that day was drive… and drive… and drive…

Another full day out! Leaving Lakes Entrance, we took a small detour along the route to take a look at Mallacoota. We weren’t quite sure of what to expect, but once we reached Mallacoota, we saw rows of camper-vans lining the parking area facing out to clear blue waters. Camper-vans are non-existent in Singapore, so seeing so many in one place was pretty interesting. I guess this is what summer is like for some people living in other parts of the world – renting a camper-van or taking yours out to somewhere near the sea, and spending a few days there. I wonder show it’s like to live in one…

Ending our week-long stay at Melbourne, we drove for the next 3 days to Sydney. There are 3 main ways to get there: (1) by the highway, which takes about 9 hours and can be done in a single day, (2) the inland heritage route, which passes through historic towns built during the 19th century gold rushes, and (3) the coastal route, which is perhaps the one most tourists choose to take.

Wanting to see the coastline between Melbourne and Sydney, we decided on the coastal route and planned our stops accordingly. We decided to make the drive over 3 days so that we didn’t have to rush to our accommodation each night, but in retrospect, driving over 4 days would have let us see more places even though the 3-day drive already allowed us to go at a leisurely pace. We also picked up a copy of the Coastal Explorer Sydney to Melbourne Holiday Guide along the way, which I felt was very useful in giving information about the towns we passed, as well as the attractions around each place. I recommend picking it up if you come across it in the tourist information centers.

The first day of our drive took us from Melbourne city to Lakes Entrance (~382km) , where we spent the night.

Heading out of Melbourne, our first stop was at Yarragon. We spotted a long row of shops from the road (which happens to be the shopping street), turned in and had a good breakfast at one of the cafes there. A walk down the street and a toilet break after breakfast, and we were back on the road again since there was still a long drive waiting ahead.