Driving from Melbourne to Sydney: 10 things I learned on a road trip along the coastal route

Sea Cliff Bridge, Clifton, NSW. Driving from Melbourne to Sydney is a learning experience.Credit: Destination NSW

A three-week road trip along the coast from Sydney to Melbourne comes full of important lessons. Such as …

The best things in life are free

There are plenty of attractions you can shell out for on a coastal Melbourne to Sydney road trip. But this adventure is overwhelmingly about beaches, wildlife and national parks. The trip becomes so much more rewarding when you stop trying to overcomplicate it, and just make sure every day involves a swim, a walk and a gaggle of pelicans.

Phillip Island is more than just penguins

Credit: Visit Victoria

People come from all over the world to see Phillip Island's Penguin Parade (penguins.org.au). However, Phillip Island turns out to be lots of fun even without the penguins. The chocolate factory, maze and Koala Conservation Reserve are highly enjoyable during the day, the Woolamai Surf Beach is genuinely top tier and there's always another boat trip or winery or farm experience you've not budgeted enough time for.

You need to get off the highway

There's a reason that the Great Ocean Road is so popular – the road sticks to the coast. In Gippsland, it stubbornly refuses to. The South Gippsland Highway and Princes Highway stay slightly inland for most of the journey to the NSW border. The difference between a mundane drive and a brilliant road trip is a willingness to repeatedly peel off to the minor roads that do go along the coast. The Cape Paterson-Inverloch Road is the first of many cases in point, stringing together caves, beaches and weird rock formations.

There is no such thing as a quick photo stop with kids

Eagles Nest near Inverloch has a big sandstone stack jutting out into the ocean. In the adult head, this is a five minute journey-breaker. Go to the lookout, take a pic, get back in the car. Children have other ideas, wanting to nosy down every possible path and then tackle the million steep steps down to the beach.

The only answer is to give in to curiosity, set off earlier, and let the little ones show how wrong you were to write off places as a photo stop.

Wombats do exist in the wild

After two decades of only ever seeing wombats in wildlife parks, Wilsons Promontory breaks the duck. At the Tidal River Cabins, once the sun has nearly set, one emerges from its burrow and scuttles in front of the decking. The tourist board isn’t kidding when it says Wilsons Prom is one of the best places in the country to see wildlife.

Rain is not your friend

The Gippsland coast and New South Wales South Coast are heavily-oriented towards outdoor experiences. Some might say totally oriented towards them. This is, ahem, problematic during a multi-day deluge.

Never trust an orca

Credit: Claudine Thornton/Destination NSW

At the Killer Whale Museum (killerwhalemuseum.com.au) in Eden, the first town once over the NSW border, there's a remarkable tale of cynical cooperation. Back in the whaling days, the whalers teamed up with the local orca pod. The whalers would leave the whale carcass in the water so the orcas could eat the lips and tongue. In return, the treacherous orcas would herd the whales into Twofold Bay where they would get harpooned.

The best meals are the simplest

After ten days of trying to find a kid-friendly pub in each town, with mixed success, a change of tack in Narooma is revelatory. Take-out fish and chips, in the park, looking out over the water, brings an unbeatable sense of contentment.

Aussie holiday parks are great value

Holiday parks often get filed under daggy, but they come with free parking, usually a pool and playground, and often two bedroom cabins with full kitchens for under $150. You'll be hard-pushed to find a better deal.

Oh, and in the case of the NRMA Murramarang park (nrmaparksandresorts.com.au) in South Durras, you get kangaroos hopping around the grounds as part of the bargain.

Jervis Bay is Australia's great untapped secret

Credit: Destination NSW

Any foreigner who makes it to largely-unpromoted Jervis Bay is going to be utterly perplexed. Why on earth is this place so low key? There are dozens of dazzling white sand beaches, the dolphins play alongside the cruise boats and kangaroos hop through every patch of bushland.

Where are the big resorts? Why hasn't this place been developed for big money? Do you guys realise what you've got here?

David Whitley was a guest of Visit Victoria and Tourism Australia. See Visitvictoria.com and Australia.com