how to get to canberra without going through sydney from brisbane?

Answer 1

Follow the Newell Highway from Goondiwindi Via Warick which is on the New England Highway before switching across to the Newell then follow signs to Dubbo, Parkes or Forbes then cut across to Cowra down to Yass then switch highways to Barton and go pass Murrumbateman which brings you in the back end of Canberra.
Or
At Dubbo cut across to Wellington and see the Wellington Caves and head to Orange,Blayne and Cowra. Country drive
No 24hrs fuel staion in the sticks and most things close around 6pm or 7pm??
Dubbo has 24hr fuel station.

Or
From Brisbane head to Toowoomba and follow the New England highway all the way to Tamworth then drive onto Musswellbrook and cut across to Mudgee then Bathurst, Cowra and head to Yass and follow the Barton highway again.

More direct route from Goondiwindi though via the Newell Highway.

It is alot quicker straight down the Pacific then follow the arrows at Sydney which is the numb 7 then Numb 5 and saves fuel and affordable run from Brissy.
Toll gates are a pain though

Hope this helps.

Traveler 21 years on all three highways.

Answer 2

Brisbane - Goondiwindi - Moree - Narrabri - Coonabarabran - Gilgandra - Dubbo - Wellington - Molong - Canowindra - Cowra - Boorowa - (Yass) - Canberra.

You don't actually go through Yass. You can also go through to Parkes on the Newell and then turn left for Manildra and Gooloogong.

Between Gundi and Narrabri you just point the car at the horizon and plant the right foot. (I use the cruise control). Look out for the B-doubles. Road is a bit more interesting near Coona.

Road from Wellington to Yass is OK but it is not a major highway so is a bit less wide and a bit bendier and up and downier. Scenery is good though, or would be if there was some rain on it.

Filled the car at the Caltex at Gundi - the other big servo closer to the border is a madhouse. Food is OK too, unusually for a service station. Stayed at the Goondiwindi Motel - inexpensive, OK. Or you might get through to Narrabri on the first day, there are plenty of OK motels there. Next day you might go through to Dubbo, lots of good motels, food acceptable at the bowling club not far from the zoo. (South Dubbo?) But you can make the Narrabri - Canberra leg in a day esp. if you have 2 drivers. Fill the car in Dubbo if not at Gilgandra.

Hard to find anywhere decent to eat in Moree and Coona for some reason. There is a Subway in Coona just on the north side of the post office intersection. Best to avoid the service stations unless you like grease and foul tea and coffee. Boorowa has a good small cafe near the town clock. At Narrabri there is a decent small cafe in the main street, attached to a bakery if I recall. One of the Chinese restaurants is OK for dinner but don't expect anything fancy. Food at Bellata serv station can be OK but sit down inside to eat.

Answer 3

An alternative way is to go out of Brisbane toward Ipswich. From there, you go south to Warwick, Tenterfield, Glenn Innes, Armidale and Tamworth. At Tamworth, you should turn west toward Gunnedah, Coonabarabran, Gilgandra and Dubbo. From Dubbo, you have two southwardly options. You should take the southeastern road toward Wellington and Bathurst and then turn west to Cowra. From Cowra you have two options. The first and shorter one is to take a secondary road from Cowra toward Boorowa which should drop you on the highway close to Yass. The other option that involves only primary roads, you can continue from Cowra toward Wagga Wagga. From there, you turn east to get to the highway that can take you to Yass. From Yass, it is just a short drive south to Canberra.

If you don't mind going on secondary roads for some distance, there's another alternative. This one involve the normal coastal road toward Sydney. However, shortly before reaching Newcastle, you should turn west toward Maitland. When you reach Singleton, you can take a secondary road toward Putty which should get you to Windsor at the outskirts of Sydney. From there, you can get to Penrith and then to Campbelltown. From Campbelltown, you can go south on the highway until you reach Goulburn shortly after which you can turn south toward Canberra.

Answer 4

go brisbane to warwick cut inland to goondawindi drive south to mooree, then narabri the onto young and canberra

stopping in mooree. narrabri and young will average a drive of around 4-5 hours a day

Answer 5

Stay inland - go via the New England Highway