Melbourne to Sydney Road Trip | Part One

As my time in Melbourne came to an end, I was uncertain about my next steps. I had several options, and due to some last minute work opportunities and other financial factors, I decided to fly home to the UK slightly earlier than planned. As my flight was booked from Sydney, I needed to get there. It feels hypocritical to say, considering I have flown across the globe multiple times in the past year and a quarter, but I like to avoid air travel where possible. Within Australia, with so many kilometres to cover, it is the most convenient way to get from one capital city to another. But a more interesting and less environmentally-damaging way is to drive. Having enjoyed five various road trips recently on this side of the globe, I felt driving up the coast would be the perfect finish to this stint in Australia. 

I was so excited at the prospect of seeing a part of Australia’s coast that I have never before. And to drive it on my own over the course of a week felt like a good solo challenge to bring me back to what brought me out here back in January 2023. So, I hired a converted Toyota Estima from Spaceship Car Rentals, which contained everything I needed to live on the road. On the first of May, my friend dropped me off at the depot with all my bags and I moved into my home for the following week.

All the other road trips I’ve done over here, four in Australia, and one in New Zealand, I’ve done with company. I’ve driven a tiny rental Suzuki and a converted Toyota Hiace, surprising myself with how comfortable I became at manoeuvring the latter. At seventeen, I’d found driving lessons induced a lot of anxiety in me and I qualified as a competent but cautious driver. Still, I barely drove on the motorway, I stuck to familiar roads, and I always looked up the parking situation in advance. Over in Australia and New Zealand, however, driving automatic vehicles on generally wider and less busy roads, I was pretty happy behind the wheel. Even knowing this, though, when I first got into the driver’s seat of my new ride and headed towards the city, my anxiety spiked. With no one to bear witness to what I was doing, I felt untethered. How could I drive across the city of Melbourne, out the other side, and up an unfamiliar coast to another large city, all by myself? 1400 kms on unknown roads felt impossible. Suspended in nerves, I had to be a friend to myself, remind myself that I was very capable of doing this. Of driving a new vehicle, of merging onto a motorway, of even simply filling the tank with petrol. With kindness, I reminded myself of my abilities and eased myself onto the roads. 

It didn’t take long for me to be very comfortable driving the car. It was pretty smooth, and I had a long afternoon of driving out of the city and heading to a free camp at Mcloughlins Beach – plenty of time to get acquainted with my wheels. The sun began to set as I drove through rural Victoria, gold light melting into the car, fields of cows munching on grass as the sky turned pastel blue and the clouds lilac. My music of choice swelled and I felt encouraged and proud for what I had accomplished so far. 

I got to Mcloughlins Beach boat ramp before the sun had set, but dark was definitely coming. I tried not to be unsettled by the fact that I was the only vehicle parked up, and rather relish the freedom of the quiet. I had a peaceful first evening in the van, making the set up cosy, listening to podcasts, and cobbling together a dinner of cold foods that I’d brought with me. At the boat ramp, there was a toilet and sink and when I returned from brushing my teeth, the light from the toilet block shone on the frozen silhouette of something. My brain immediately tried to categorise what I saw before processing all of the information. A fox was my first, obviously incorrect guess: it was far too round for that. My next thought was a dog of some species, being walked by a not-yet visible stranger – that was more frightening. And then my eyes adjusted totally and I remembered a wildlife sign I’d seen back on the road. It was a wombat! Much more exciting! We watched each other for a moment until it pottered off into some shrubbery, and then I walked back to the car under a sky of glorious stars. 

I slept okay that first night, waking maybe every couple of hours for a few minutes at a time, a little chilly, but then returning to a pretty decent sleep. I slept until the sun had risen and the cold had gone. Outside was warm and clear and I was surrounded by trees and a path along the sand that was beckoning me. I dressed and walked out to the picnic area at Mcloughlins Beach Jetty. There the water glittered, but unfortunately swimming was prohibited, so I just admired it instead, before ambling to the car. Alone, I stripped off and got changed outside, feeling free and comfortable. I made an easy breakfast and ate it from my camping chair in that lovely morning sunshine. 

And then I was back on the road. After yesterday being an afternoon of driving, I was excited to start really exploring. My first destination was Raymond Island, which a backpacker friend had mentioned to me. Raymond Island is a four minute ferry ride from Paynesville, Victoria, and there is a quiet trail known as the Koala Trail, where you can spot the beautiful creatures sleeping peacefully in eucalyptus trees. I drove to Paynesville and parked by the water. After a coffee at a nearby cafe, I walked over to take the ferry, which runs a pretty regular service. It’s free for pedestrians, so I walked straight on and was shortly across the way. 

I began the Koala Trail with anticipation. It begins on a residential street which has houses mixed in with the trees, and then opens out into a small forest. I kept my eyes peeled between the branches, and eventually saw my first koala because of a couple of people watching it from below. It was snuggled into the crooked branches of the tree, its limbs wrapped to secure it as it slept. It extended its legs in a stretch and got itself comfortable again. Adorable.

I spotted my next koala quite high up in a tree, again perched perfectly in the dip of a branch, like the tree had grown to hold it. As I continued through the trees, my eyes got good at spotting the creatures in their perfect pockets in the trees. Several of them had their beautiful faces turned to face the ground, so I saw so many gorgeous features. It was so beautiful being able to respectfully admire these creatures in their natural habitat. Each time I saw one my heart lept, and I was beaming when I finished the trail. 

It was a sunny afternoon and being on an island, I was surrounded by water. So, of course I had to take a quick dip before the return ferry. The water was cool but refreshing and the perfect way to finish my walk!

I spent the late afternoon driving to my next campsite. It was a gorgeous green paddock on a farm that looked out onto more green fields filled with animals. Lush autumnal trees lost crisp orange leaves that I waded through to get to the amenities block. I parked up and extended my bed out the rear of the car and watched the sun go down over the next hour. The temperature drop was instant when the sun dipped below the treeline, and the colours of everything in my sight changed, growing dimmer. 

That night got really chilly as darkness fell. As I returned to the car from a trip to the bathroom before bed, I looked up at the sky. I could see so many stars, and all of them so clearly! Each shone so brightly and I could even make out colours and textures of the milky way. Standing in the field staring up at this beautiful, natural expanse, I felt a huge surge of gratitude that I got to be here, staring at such a stunning night, after a delightful day’s exploring.