Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Hey guys,

A mate and I are heading up to Sydney to catch Top Gear Live in a few weeks, and we thought it would be blasphemy to fly somewhere to get to Top Gear so we'll be doing a mini-road trip. However, we're keen to avoid the interminable boredom of the Hume Hwy, so was hoping you guys might have some suggestions of good routes to take.

We're planning to leave late afternoon/early evening Friday, have a stop-over somewhere, and then be in Sydney by about 12pm Saturday. Then probably leaving Syd almost straight after the show, another stop over, and then home some time on the Sunday. Accordingly the trip up has to be reasonably short, but the trip back can be a little longer. I was thinking maybe drive up inland and hit up some mountains/twisties and then return via the coastal roads for some scenery (and maybe more twisties? :down:).

Any advice (including good places to stop over) would be appreciated!

Cheers.

P.S. I did attempt a search but was surprised to come up with nothing, forgive me if this is my own failure at search.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/252072-the-road-to-top-gear/
Share on other sites

so we'll be doing a mini-road trip.

I was thinking maybe drive up inland and hit up some mountains/twisties and then return via the coastal roads for some scenery (and maybe more twisties? :cheers: ).

Yikes! WHat's a full-size road trip then? The full M1?

What you suggest would be what you want. Fastest way there is Hume, scenic way back is coastal.

Yass or Gundagai are generally the best spots to stop over for the night as they are about half way and thats where most people go so its not just some one horse town like some on the hume. Personally I cant just stop after 6 hours I just wanna get where I'm going and just keep driving. I've done the run a couple of times now, was gonna stop in Yass, couldnt be bothered so I just kept driving all the way to Sydney. If you do decide to do it in one go, take plenty of Coca Cola and chocalate bars to keep you perked up. And if you got in car screen put on a movie or something to keep you awake and have an "i'm really f**kin tired" cd full of really loud techno or rock to keep you awake, worked for me. Also do some speeding for me, when I did the last run I had a mattress on the roof of my car for 14 hours straight couldnt drive faster than 80km/h without the bloody thing trying to fly off :cheers:

No question the Hume will get you there fastest but is boring at batshit. The best way would be the coastal route - for the most part well maintained and has some good twisty bits but takes much, much longer.....you might struggle for high octane fuel as well.

The g/f and I are heading up for this, via plane. Adz/Leewang, where are you staying? The email is generating much interest and need to book something ASAP.

Thinking of Fri night after work and Sunday morning fly back.

FYI - being i drove back last week from Syd - go up overnight.

There is fken painful, and i mean to the tune of 1-1.5hrs of delays worth of Roadworks going on in about half a dozen sections of the Hume.

As for the coastal route, forget that, its a two dag slog up past Merimbula, Eden and so on, its i think double the length as you go right out and being the time of year it is, you'll run into caravans and all sorts of crap IMO.

So just get some good CD's, and do the Hume - @ night.

Thats what i think :P

I'm staying at the Marriott in the city with Rossco, Matt Lowth, Barney and the boys from Import Monster.

Not sure where Adz, Mav and others are staying.

The g/f and I are heading up for this, via plane. Adz/Leewang, where are you staying? The email is generating much interest and need to book something ASAP.

Thinking of Fri night after work and Sunday morning fly back.

Come on guys the Hume isnt "that" bad, besides its a highway not a mountain run :D

Ive lost count of the times ive used it last year.

I cant stress enough how important it is to know the usual hangouts for the HWP on that road if you plan on doing anything you shouldnt.

Also if you're going off the whereis.com.au time frame from Melbourne to Sydney - ignore it, that trip can be safely done about 2 hours 15 mins less than it quotes if needed.

Thanks for the replies guys - must admit I'm surprised at all the negativity though, for a car forum :D Are there really no good routes? Even taking the hume part of the way and branching off for some more interesting bits? Going straight down the hume both ways kind of kills the whole idea of the trip as far as I'm concerned...

Oh and top gear race sounds awesome - I'm thinking me in the car, my mate in a canoe. Sound fair? :yes:

Mav/Adz, what time are your flights? I need to lock them in too. Somewhere central would be good and happy to head up on the 6th for a few quiet beers in Sydney, spot of sight seeing on Saturday before the event, then home some time in the morning on the Sunday :)

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Hi, i’m making a rb25det coil loom for Vag short coil. Can anybody tell me which Ecu signal wire belong to coil number 1 and 2,3,4,5,6? The connecting switch in above pic is 8 wire i think white is for +12v and black for earth.
    • Was there ever a model of the Stagea m35 that didnt have a badge on the grill? I thought I saw that somewhere, some aero edition or something? I cant find it again? davemoto
    • Its a 2002 vr-x four VQ25DET, silver. Coil overs, lowered, polished alloys and sport exhaust. Bit of a project, was sitting in a shed for a while but runs and drives great.
    • I wasn’t able to replicate the sound anymore. It was a one time sound so maybe it was just coincidence but it was like small pebbles being dropped in a coke can.   should I try cleaning the MAF? It could be it’s functioning but dirty? I don’t know.
    • Update 4: Hi all. The car drives again! Haven't driven for long, only to store it in the garage again, but the test drive was successful. The coolant and oil leaks seem to be fixed for now. Temps on the engine were also very good, while moving I never even saw 80C water during the approx. 30 minute drive. Ate up all the coolant in the reservoir though so will have to fill that even more when I go to the car next time. One thing that pisses me off is that the RPM gauge is still f**ked, I even resoldered the board twice and used copper paste on the silly screws that are used as connections. Next time I take it out I'll take apart the board and fit new components, I'll see if I can get a replacement IC for it.  I have an appointment set for 22nd of September for the engine tune to 370hp. Alignment also still needs to be done. My hope is that I can get all the legal stuff over with by the end of this season. Anyone of you have advice regarding intercoolers? Currently there is an APEXI core fitted, one of those weird hybrid ones, 600x270x76. I don't think it's bad but it's not new and now I still have the chance to change it now to legally include it in the paperwork. Only issue is that the only options that would arrive in time are a HKS Type R intercooler or generic Ebay spec intercoolers comparable to a JustJap one. Ideally I'd order a Plazmaman but it takes over a month to receive which would mean making the car legal has to wait until next season. Would love to hear some input on this. Same story for my injectors, the previous owner was a nunce and put ID 1050x on the engine. They work but are obviously not ideal at "normal" power levels. But I don't see a reason to change them unless the tuner says it's necessary. I read online before buying a different exhaust that the top secret style rear diffusers won't fit due to the size of the rear resonators. My buddy and I made it work by slightly "adjusting the shape" of the mounting bracket and making some spacers out of 3d print for the mounting bolts. Fits like a charm. Just putting this here in case someone has this problem. Even the hefty HKS Silent Hi Power rear can fits without hitting anything.
×
×
  • Create New...