M1 Pacific Motorway

Seaeagle63 · Member

M1 Pacific Motorway

Possum3 · Guru

You can avoid tolls in NSW by travelling west of Sydney CBD. Unless you need to visit Newcastle or Sydney, it would be less distance to go North /East from Broken Hill, also flatter terain. Note tolls in NSW are charged at B Double truck rates for car and caravan combinations - you'll need to mortgage the cat. Inland highways are better scenery anyway, with abundant rest areas/free camps.

I believe Brisbane toll charges are still at car only rates.

Seaeagle63 · Member

Thanks Possum

Whenarewethere · Guru

Unless you want to drive through the Blue Mountains & have a look, just drive around Sydney. The only toll road I can't really avoid is Sydney Harbour Bridge. The others I do avoid, but you need to plan around them.

Toll roads.jpg

Are We Lost · Guru

Seaeagle63 wrote:
.... Specifically between Newcastle & Gold Coast on the M1. Is there a toll on this part of the road ...

No.

In NSW the only toll roads are in Sydney. You say specifically Newcastle, Gold Coast ..... how are you getting there? Presumably via Broken Hill ... no toll roads.

If coming via Katoomba and Blue Mountains (worthwhile if you have not been), there are no toll roads.

If coming via Mildura then via the Hume Highway you can bypass the toll roads, but they do make it so easy. It is all motorway with divided road and not a single traffic light, roundabout or interesection all the way from Melbourne to Newcastle, over 1000km. The Newcastle section (around the outskirts) takes about 20 minutes, then back to motorway. But you would only travel part of that route.

For the toll sections, (Sydney only) the cost is a little over $20 for small to mid sized vans. But if your rig is more than 12.5M long or 2.8M high you get assessed as heavy vehicle and the rates are triple, so $60+. NSW residents can claim back that excess. There are no toll booths. Just camera recognition of your numberplate or that in combination with an optional electronic tag.

The most expensive section is the NorthConnex tunnel between Carlingford and Wahroonga, but it is easy to bypass that. An extra 5-10 minutes to save a little over $8/$24.

Peak hours are a good time to avoid.

When you are on the toll roads there are signs with telephone numbers to call and pay. You can pay a few days after the trip. If they send an invoice it costs more. Or you can open an account. The cities are linked to the same system so one account does all. Details here.

Linkt tolls

If I was planning the trip, presumably return as well, I would choose different routes, avoiding the Broken Hill route in mid summer. Also it depends if you are just making kilometers or stopping to smell the roses. I will leave it others to talk about the Queensland toll roads.

-- Edited by Are We Lost on Tuesday 17th of October 2023 01:30:33 PM

Seaeagle63 · Member

Thank you for that info. I plan on staying at Narromine for a few weeks and head toward Newcastle via Singleton & Maitland. I was born & bred in Narromine but left there 40+ years ago. I want to visit a few places on the coast North of Newcastle, Bowraville, Macksville Nambucca Heads etc and then head inland from the Gold Coast or Brisbane. Im planning to be on the road for the next couple of years so Im planning on exploring as much as I can.

The Belmont Bear · Guru

Seaeagle63 wrote:
Thank you for that info. I plan on staying at Narromine for a few weeks and head toward Newcastle via Singleton & Maitland. I was born & bred in Narromine but left there 40+ years ago. I want to visit a few places on the coast North of Newcastle, Bowraville, Macksville Nambucca Heads etc and then head inland from the Gold Coast or Brisbane. Im planning to be on the road for the next couple of years so Im planning on exploring as much as I can.

There is no need to actually go through Maitland or Singleton use the Golden Hwy to the Wiittingham Interchange (just south of Singleton) turn onto the New England Hwy towards Newcastle. It will eventually become the Hunter Expressway stay on it until you get to the Hexham off ramp, cross the Hexham Bridge and follow the Pacific Hwy all the way up to the Gold Coast. We live in Lake Macquarie and use the Golden Hwy a lot, we would only ever drive through Sydney if we had no other choice. Even if I wanted to visit the Blue Mountains coming from your direction after I saw what I wanted I would go back through Lithgow to Mudgee and join the Golden Hwy via Ulan Rd rather than going through western Sydney..There are no tolls north of Sydney the toll on the old F3 (now M1) was probably dropped 30 or 40 years ago apparently after the road had been paid for..

BB

Jaahn · Guru

Seaeagle63 wrote:
Gday fellow nomads, as I live in WA and we dont have tolls can someone explain to me how I go about using them? Specifically between Newcastle & Gold Coast on the M1. Is there a toll on this part of the road and what are the costs of travelling with a caravan. Similarly tolls in and around Brisbane. Cheers in advance

Hi Seaeagle 63, smile

To answer what you asked about using the toll roads. There are no places to pay real money for tolls anymore. You either need to have a tag or ring a number for that toll road after you have used it. Number will be on signs along the road, and then pay with a credit card. This can be done for any toll really.

But most people have an electronic tag on the windscreen which beeps as you go under a toll point and registers a charge. This is our Sydney tax furious I have one issued by out RTA dept which is linked to a credit card. It is cheaper that doing the ringing up and matching your registration number as they charge extra for that way, often more than a small toll. My tag works in all states and tolls, private or government. The toll companies also provide electronic tags but I never used one !

Another way ; The eMU Casual Pass will allow you to travel on NSW toll roads for up to 30 days. As you drive through the toll collection point, your vehicles Licence Plate Number will be photographed, matched to your eMU Casual Pass and then charged to your nominated credit card or Visa/MasterCard debit card.

https://www.myetoll.transport.nsw.gov.au/emu-casual-pass

OR :https://www.myetoll.transport.nsw.gov.au/e-toll-tag-and-e-toll-tagless

As said there are no tolls then up the highway till Brissy ! My tag works there so I know nothing !! Perhaps only the bridge anyway.

Good luck jaahn

-- Edited by Jaahn on Tuesday 17th of October 2023 07:10:16 PM

Gundog · Guru

The easist way to travel and pay for toll roads in Qld, NSW and Vic is download the Linkt App for your mobile phone, and the pre load it with $20 and then travel, as you pass a toll point it will be registered and the toll will be asigned to your balance in a few days, if your balance goes into negative you will receive a email or txt to let you know.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Once you have left Sydney Seaeagle63, there are no tolls along the rest of the M1 in NSW. A great road in fact. I have travelled it many times up and down.

As for a the Linkt account, easy as. Just do as suggested and you can even set up a top up system so it tops up your account automatically. I have it set up like that and never have to worry about it again.

Keep Safe on the roads and out there.

erad · Guru

The Putty Road bypasses all of Sydney. The road is slow and winding in places, but is a pretty drive. You probably know the road from 40 years ago, but it is vastly improved. There is a free camp about half way (Grey Gums) with a nice cafe there as well. The road runs into Singleton. It is a lot slower, but is our choice if we are not in a hurry to reach our destination..

Mackayak · Veteran Member

I agree with Gundog get the app or I got a tag of them and organised for auto payment in a Linkt account takes the worry off it especially if you are on the road for a few years. It works in every state

Derek Barnes · Senior Member

We have an account set up which automatically tops up the account when below a set amount. Driving from Canberra to the north NSW coast or Queensland is now a breeze. I would never go back to the bad old days of driving through congested Sydney streets! Hune highway, M7, M2, Northconnex are so easy especially outside peak times. Worth every cent. Note our caravan is only 13' long.

Whenarewethere · Guru

In 2016 we came back to Sydney from the north coast for something a bit different, via the west side of the Blue Mountains along Bylong Valley Way. The road is a bit windy but not out of hand, it was a very nice drive. Just something a bit different & barely another vehicle. Camped at Glen Davis for a few nights (I believe avoid camping there during school holidays).

Cupie · Guru

Whenarewethere wrote:
Unless you want to drive through the Blue Mountains & have a look, just drive around Sydney. The only toll road I can't really avoid is Sydney Harbour Bridge. The others I do avoid, but you need to plan around them.

Great map .. thanks for that.

When going south I always stay at Narabeen Lakes, coming down from Newcastle on the freeway M1/F3 & then off East on the A3/Monavale Rd then on to Pit water Rd. to Narabeen. When continuing south I leave on a Sunday morning, retracing my steps back to the A3 and following it South right through until clear of Sydney & onto the A! Princes Hway

Never a problem when using it on a Sunday morning about 10am. I try to stay in a Centre lane keeping a careful eye out for approaching 'exits' & need for any lane changes

Other motorists are invariably far more courteous than their Qld. equivalents despite the rather narrow lanes in a few sections and my often poor indecisive driving.

Not stressful at all & no tolls.

-- Edited by Cupie on Sunday 22nd of October 2023 06:26:59 PM

-- Edited by Cupie on Sunday 22nd of October 2023 06:36:26 PM

Hydeeeho · Senior Member

Surely if you a Grey Nomad tolls would mean nothing to you as it is a daily expense, in QLD we have bugga all tolls compared to NSW

Gundog · Guru

Hydeeeho wrote:
Surely if you a Grey Nomad tolls would mean nothing to you as it is a daily expense, in QLD we have bugga all tolls compared to NSW

There's a few in Qld, we travelled on the Toowoomba Bypass on Wednesday part of it is a toll road, I rechecked my Linkt app again, no charge yet probably slow because of the Ph.

We travelled from Goondawindi to Toogoolawah via Millmerran and the bypass to Gatton, far better than going g through Toowoomba

Brodie Allen · Guru

No tolls Sydney (Manly) To Gold Coast via M1

Or Newcastle to Gold Coast.

B

PeterD · Guru

Seaeagle63 wrote:
Thank you for that info. I plan on staying at Narromine for a few weeks and head toward Newcastle via Singleton & Maitland. I was born & bred in Narromine but left there 40+ years ago. I want to visit a few places on the coast North of Newcastle, Bowraville, Macksville Nambucca Heads etc and then head inland from the Gold Coast or Brisbane. Im planning to be on the road for the next couple of years so Im planning on exploring as much as I can.

As you are heading for the north coast, is there any desire for you to go to Newcastle or Sydney? When we had relatives in Narromine we headed to Port Macquarie to get to the coast. Look at this map. The heavy coloured blue route is basically the route that The Belmont Bear mentioned above to take you to the Pacific Highway - A1 (The M1 with its grade separated intersections finishes at Hexham and the A1 with very few grade separated intersections continues from there.)

When I travelled from Narromine I headed for Gilgandra and travelled through Tamworth. (The Golden Hwy was gravel in those days.) It's slightly shorter and unless you are towing at 110 km/h the difference in travel times will not be as much as shown on the map. It is a very good road most of the way and OK for the rest of the way. I would still go that way and steer clear of the busier roads via Newcastle