Sydney to Brisbane
7-Day Coastal Tour

7 days, 6 nights. Approximately 1,000 kilometres of East Coast Australia travel from Sydney (NSW) to Brisbane (Queensland) along the Pacific Highway with strategic 2-night stays in Port Stephens (Days 2-3) and Coffs Harbour/Darlington Beach (Days 4-5) for deeper destination exploration.

Total stops:

• Sydney (Day 1)
• Hunter Valley (Day 2 daytime)
• Port Stephens (Days 2-3 nights)
• Port Macquarie (Day 4 daytime)
• Coffs Harbour (Days 4-5 nights)
• Byron Bay (Day 6 night)
• Gold Coast (Day 7 daytime)
• Brisbane (Day 7 finale)

From AUD $3,295pp twin share. Solo supplement from $895pp ($4,190pp single occupancy).

Tour cost includes:

• 7 nights premium accommodation (hotels and beachfront villas)
• Comfortable air-conditioned coach transport across approximately 1,000km
• Expert local guide throughout
• 3 breakfasts plus farewell dinner
• Hunter Valley wine tour with tastings
• Port Macquarie Koala Hospital tour
• Gumbaynggirr Aboriginal cultural experience
• Cape Byron lighthouse visit
• All national park entry fees
• Comprehensive travel pack

Lunches and most dinners are at guests' own expense to give flexibility. Maximum 20 travellers per departure.

Cooee offers two Sydney-to-Brisbane multi-day tour products:

• 6-day tour ($2,995pp twin share) — more direct Pacific Highway route with single-night stays at most stops. Best for time-constrained travellers.
• 7-day tour ($3,295pp twin share) — adds an extra night each at Port Stephens and Coffs Harbour for deeper exploration, plus includes the Gumbaynggirr Aboriginal cultural experience and Port Macquarie Koala Hospital visit as standard.

Both tours cover the same headline destinations; the 7-day adds depth, cultural content, and free-day flexibility. See comparison table above.

Yes — the Cooee 7-day tour includes a Gumbaynggirr cultural experience operated by Gumbaynggirr Traditional Owners themselves, in Orara East State Forest near Coffs Harbour on Gumbaynggirr Country.

The Gumbaynggirr people are the Traditional Custodians of mid-north coast NSW from the Nambucca River north to the Clarence River. The experience covers:

• Gumbaynggirr language introduction
• Dreamtime storytelling
• Traditional music and dance
• Bush tucker walk
• Country connection and weapons demonstrations

A portion of tour proceeds supports the Gumbaynggirr bilingual school program. This is the authentic Aboriginal-owned and Aboriginal-led experience — not a token cultural stop or Cooee staff performing Aboriginal content.

Approximately 3 hours in Orara East State Forest near Coffs Harbour with Gumbaynggirr Traditional Owner guides.

Includes:

• Language introduction (basic Gumbaynggirr greetings and terms)
• Dreamtime storytelling about Country and ancestral beings
• Traditional music demonstrations including didgeridoo
• Women's dance circle (where appropriate)
• Bush tucker walk identifying native plants used as food and medicine
• Weapons and tools demonstration
• Smoking ceremony (where culturally appropriate)

The Gumbaynggirr people have been Traditional Custodians of this Country for tens of thousands of years. Their language was nearly lost during colonisation but is being actively revived through the Gumbaynggirr bilingual school programs which this experience supports.

Port Stephens (Worimi Country) has more visitor attractions than can reasonably be covered in a single overnight:

• Dolphin Discovery Cruises — over 140 resident bottlenose dolphins year-round, plus migrating humpback whales June-November
• Stockton Sand Dunes — the largest mobile coastal sand dune system in the Southern Hemisphere, ~32km long, popular for sandboarding
• Tomaree Mountain summit hike — 1.5-hour return, 360-degree views over Port Stephens
• 26 beaches across the harbour
• Thriving coastal town with restaurants and accommodation

The 2-night structure (with Day 3 as a free day) lets guests choose which experiences matter to them.

Yes — Port Macquarie Koala Hospital was Australia's first dedicated koala hospital, opened in 1973 by the Port Macquarie-Hastings Koala Preservation Society.

The hospital treats injured koalas (vehicle strike, dog attacks, disease, bushfire injury) and runs a public education and rehabilitation program. Free guided tours run daily 10am-4pm with passionate volunteer guides sharing rescue stories. Visitors can see koalas in outdoor enclosures recovering from injuries.

The hospital relies on donations and adoptions — the Cooee tour includes a contribution to the hospital's lifesaving work.

Located at Lord Street, Port Macquarie. Open daily; check portkoalas.org for current information.

The Sydney-to-Brisbane 7-day route crosses traditional Country of at least seven Aboriginal nations:

• Gadigal/Eora (Sydney)
• Wonnarua/Geawegal (Hunter Valley)
• Worimi (Port Stephens — important context — the Worimi Conservation Lands at Stockton Sand Dunes are co-managed with Worimi LALC)
• Birpai (Port Macquarie)
• Gumbaynggirr (Coffs Harbour to Nambucca — featured in the Day 5 cultural experience)
• Bundjalung (Northern Rivers including Byron Bay)
• Wangerriburra Yugambeh (Gold Coast hinterland)
• Yugambeh (Gold Coast)
• Turrbal/Yuggera/Jagera (Brisbane)

Cooee guides acknowledge Country at appropriate points and partner with the Gumbaynggirr-owned cultural experience operator for the Day 5 component.

Yes — approximately 40% of Cooee Sydney-to-Brisbane 7-day guests travel solo.

The small group format (maximum 20 travellers per departure, smaller than the 24 max for the 14-day Sydney-to-Cairns) makes it easy to connect with fellow travellers.

Solo travellers can be:

• Matched with a same-gender roommate to access twin-share pricing
• Upgraded to a single-occupancy room for the standard solo supplement (from $895pp)

Many solo guests have travelled multiple Cooee tours after their first East Coast experience. The 2-night stops at Port Stephens and Coffs Harbour give solo travellers downtime for personal exploration.

Cooee multi-day tour cancellation policy:

• 60+ days before departure: full refund
• 30-59 days before departure: 50% refund
• Less than 30 days before departure: no refund

Travel insurance is compulsory for all Cooee multi-day tour guests. We strongly recommend comprehensive coverage including trip cancellation, medical issues, and travel disruption. Travel insurance protects against costs that wouldn't otherwise be refundable.

Cooee can recommend Australian travel insurance providers if needed. International guests should also consider COVID-19 / pandemic clauses in their insurance.

The Cooee Sydney to Brisbane 7-day tour runs as a monthly scheduled departure year-round (typically a Monday-Sunday cycle). Specific 2026 departure dates available on enquiry.

Best months for the East Coast experience:

• May-October — mild temperatures, low humidity, whale watching season June-November
• December-February — Australian summer peak with warmer beach weather but more crowds

Book 3-4 months in advance for popular months. Custom departures for private groups (10+ travellers) can be arranged outside the standard schedule — email contact@waggiegroup.com for private departure quotes.

Yes — Cooee offers flexible join/leave options at major points along the route.

Examples:

• Joining in Coffs Harbour — gives a 4-day Coffs-to-Brisbane segment
• Leaving in Byron Bay — gives a 6-day Sydney-to-Byron segment

Pricing adjusted pro-rata. Contact us to discuss customising your itinerary.

Combined tours: Cooee's Sydney-to-Brisbane 7-day pairs naturally with the Brisbane-to-Cairns 7-day product for a 14-day combined East Coast experience (effectively a Sydney-to-Cairns route with deeper southern depth). Ask about combined pricing.