Motorcycle Rides in New South Wales

Riding out of Sydney

Sydney sits in the middle of one of the best riding rings in the country. Within a couple of hours of the city you can be on a coastal escarpment, in temperate rainforest or crossing a mountain range, and most of those routes work as a long day or a weekend.

Two things shape how you use them. First, the city's edges are slow, so leaving on a weekday morning is a different proposition from leaving at nine on a Saturday. Second, the good roads are popular in exactly the way you would expect. Blue Mountains National Park sits within about two hours' drive of Sydney, and Macquarie Pass, on the Illawarra escarpment near Wollongong and Kiama, is an easy day trip from the southern suburbs.

Royal National Park and the coast

South of Sydney, Royal National Park is the world's second-oldest national park, heritage listed and established in 1879, covering about 16,000 hectares of coastline, heath and rainforest near Cronulla — within an hour's drive of both the Sydney CBD and Wollongong. The road through it is the closest proper ride to the city, with northern entry points off the Princes Highway at Farnell Avenue near Loftus and McKell Avenue at Waterfall, and access from the south at Otford, north of Stanwell Park. If you are staying in the city first, rides out of Sydney covers how to leave town without losing a morning to traffic.

The park road has a specific problem. The park's own visitor information warns that roads inside Royal National Park can be extremely busy, and that traffic delays should be expected on weekends and public holidays during summer. Ride it early or midweek, treat it as a slow road, and take the corners for what they are rather than chasing a pace.

• Northern entry points are Farnell Avenue at Loftus and McKell Avenue at Waterfall, both off the Princes Highway.
• From Wollongong the park is reached along the Princes Highway or via Otford, north of Stanwell Park.
• Park entry fees apply, and can be paid at vehicle entry stations, pay machines, the visitor centre or through the park's app.
• The park is open 7am to 8.30pm but may have to close at times because of poor weather or fire danger.

Macquarie Pass and the Southern Highlands

Macquarie Pass National Park sits on the Illawarra escarpment between the coastal plain and the Southern Highlands. The pass is the link between the two: a climb out of rainforest and tall eucalypt into cooler tableland country, with the road tightening as it rises and the ocean coming into view behind you.

Riding it as a loop out of Sydney means choosing which side to climb and where to rejoin the highway. The park itself is known for waterfalls, walking trails and rainforest picnic areas, so a mid-ride stop is easy to justify.

Expect slow vehicles and cyclists on the pass, and ride your own side of the line through the hairpins. The escarpment has its own weather, with rainforest on one face of the climb and dry tableland on the other.

• Climb the pass from the coast, then stop for the rainforest walks and picnic areas rather than treating it as a through road.
• Once inland, the Southern Highlands towns give you fuel, food and a decision point for the return.
• Take the descent gently after rain; shaded corners hold moisture long after the road above has dried.

Putty Road and the Hunter

Putty Road runs north from the Hawkesbury country through Colo and on towards the Hunter Valley. It is a genuine long ride out of Sydney rather than a quick loop, and Transport for NSW has been repairing it after repeated bouts of heavy rainfall and severe weather, with emergency pavement and slope repair work along the road since early 2023. The route planning around that work is the reason remote fuel and water planning is worth reading before the New England run.

That repair program matters to a rider because of how it is run: stop and slow traffic control, lane closures and a reduced speed limit through the work zones, with the road kept open rather than closed.

• Expect work zones, lane closures and a lower speed limit along repaired sections.
• Traffic is managed with stop and slow arrangements in places, so allow extra travel time.
• Plan fuel and food around the towns at either end rather than the middle of the road.
• Check the state traffic site before you set off: a single closure here changes the whole day.

The old Pacific Highway north

North of Sydney, the old Pacific Highway follows the Hawkesbury River and threads through the Brisbane Water hinterland, away from the motorway that replaced it as the main route north. It is the closest thing the city has to a classic short river-and-forest ride, and it works as a half day or as the start of a longer run up the coast.

Because the motorway carries the through traffic, the old road is quieter, but it is also narrow and residential in places. Ride it as a road through towns rather than a road to make time on.

Oxley Highway and the New England

The Oxley Highway is the big one for riders heading north-west out of the coastal plain. It climbs from the country around Wauchope into the tableland towards Walcha, running through the gorge country of Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, and on through New England grazing land. Done properly it is a two or three day trip rather than a day ride, and it pairs naturally with the New England Highway for the return.

The climb is what makes it worth the trip: the road gains altitude quickly, leaves the humid coastal air behind, and then runs across open tableland where the towns sit further apart than they do on the coast.

The ride is planned out in more detail as a trip idea, including how to break it over two days.

• The road runs from the coastal plain into tableland country, so the weather changes with the altitude.
• Tableland towns are spaced further apart than coastal towns; plan fuel and overnight stops accordingly.
• The gorge country is national park, so check alerts before detouring onto any side road.

Bells Line and the Blue Mountains

Blue Mountains National Park is within about two hours' drive of Sydney and holds more than 140 kilometres of tracks and trails across six areas, from Glenbrook in the east to the remote southern section near Oberon. The Bells Line of Road crosses the northern part of the mountains through the Mount Wilson and Mount Banks country, and it is the alternative to the Great Western Highway when you want a longer, quieter crossing.

The riding here is about the crossing rather than a single pass: escarpment lookouts on the eastern side, then long descents into the plains beyond. The rules that differ once you cross into the ACT are collected in road rules for motorcyclists.

The Snowy Mountains

Kosciuszko National Park covers the high country south-west of Canberra, including the alpine villages of Thredbo and Perisher and the country around Khancoban. It is open all year, but the park's guidance is that some roads and trails close at times because of weather conditions or park management, so the high routes are a warmer-months plan.

The park is split into seven areas — Thredbo-Perisher, Lower Snowy River, Khancoban, Selwyn, Yarrangobilly, Tumut and the High Plains — which is what makes it usable: pick the area that matches the ride you want rather than trying to see the whole park in one pass.

Long days in the high country are easier if you are not also chasing accommodation every night. For travellers covering the coast and the mountains on one loop, campervan hire in Sydney gives you a bed that moves with you.

• The Alpine Way and the Snowy Mountains Highway are the two scenic drives through the park.
• Park entry fees apply, and motorcycles are charged at a lower rate than cars; the winter rate applies from the June long weekend to the October long weekend.
• Roads and trails can close at any time of year, so check park alerts before committing to a high route.
• Thredbo, Perisher and Khancoban each give a different way into the park, so choose a base before you choose the route.