The Pacific Highway, the Twin Tragedies, and a Transformation 

Some added context: the reason why the highway took so long to upgrade is that it was not designated as the main federal highway to Brisbane. In 1974 the Whitlam government designated the New England Highway as the national highway due to the flatter grades and more friendly terrain, which meant that the state government was left with the sole responsibility for the Pacific Highway upgrade. Unfortunately it was clearly beyond the financial capacity of the NSW government to duplicate 900kms, so nothing was done for decades. Unfortunately the Pacific highway grew massively in road traffic during this time. The Kempsey and Grafton bus crashes eventually embarrassed the federal and state governments to do a deal to jointly upgrade the Pacific Highway. Even after the crashes it took 30 years to duplicate the whole road.

can i just say, i've watched almost every single one of your videos - the pride you take in making these videos, and your passion for infrastructure, is clearly reflected in the wonderfully written scripts and editing and beautiful footage you capture yourself. The pacing is great, and as someone with a very different background (environmental science) and vastly different interests/hobbies, I've found myself really enraptured by the complexity of infrastructure that you've managed to convey. Keep up the amazing work!

As someone who makes the Sydney-Gold Coast drive roughly twice i year i can safely say that the highway has not lost it’s scenic value whatsoever, it’s still a beautiful drive, oftentimes completely immersed by bushland on both sides and even in the median occasionally. The time saving has been invaluable aswell, we had to leave Sydney at 3AM just to ensure we would make it to the Gold Coast before nightfall during the worst of the roadworks speed restrictions, whereas now (still with a 3AM start to avoid traffic at Hexham!) we can arrive in time for a well deserved early afternoon lunch.

I was 17 when these collisions took place, and I didn't take a coach for a long time, not till 2005. These incidents also shook up the trucking and coach industries, IIRC, in regard to fatigue management, at least.

Our family used to regularly travel the Pacific highway in the very early 60s till the mid seventies, each tiny village Had a different feel, people who lived there could afford a house as tourism meant a council owned caravan park, crossing the many coastal rivers by ferry meant in some cases playing on the river bank till the ferry came back to our side. There were many "Real" fisherman's co-ops where you could buy excellent fish and chips for lunch, we never ever booked ahead at the council caravan parks and just stayed wherever it took mum and dads fancy. The journey was the holiday, not a rat run bypassing everything of interest. Getting to the gold coast meant a highlight of the trip, not the only reason for it. I do specifically remember staying at Moony Moony caravan park, and it didn't even have hot water showers, but it was fantastic, and the Banana Bowl was still a waterfront banana plantation where there were a handful of caravan sites on a working plantation. They were great days.

At the time of the crash I was travelling by bus around eastern Australia. I recall arriving into Melbourne from Brisbane a bit later on that day and seeing the story on the television in the bus terminal. Wow, I must have been close, as that was the route I had taken. Soon afterwards I heard from my parents in Canada who were in a panic as they had heard about it in the news there and knew I was travelling by bus in that area. I assured them I was okay and promised to tell them exactly where and when I was going next so they would not worry so much. Shortly thereafter I sent them a postcard letting them know I was heading to Newcastle, arriving in late December. That didn’t work out as planned as there was a deadly earthquake in Newcastle two days before I arrived. Once again my parents back in Canada heard about it before I did … and had received my postcard …

In the 1990s it took about 8 hours to go from Oatley to Coffs Harbour; it now takes that same 8 hours from Bungendore (near Canberra) to Sawtell. That's how much the road has improved. Bungendore to Oatley is about 2.5 hours.

I remember driving over the then new Hexham bridge in the 80's as a child in the back seat and my parents remembering when they were kids having to cross the Hunter River on a punt.

I did a motorcycle ride from Townsville to Hobart in 2007. The road from Brisbane to about Port Macquarie was so dodgy. I had semi trailers tailgating me, people with caravans only doing 80 in 100 zones and saw so many cases of dangerous overtaking. When I last did the trip in February last year from Brisbane to Sydney it has become so much of a better drive

Drove through Grafton and its crazy to see how much of the town was made for highway traffic. The petrol stations are huge and the shopping centre in town is massive compared to the size of the town.

Another amazing presentation. The Pacific Highway was not to blame for the bus accidents referenced in this video. Fatigue was a major player caused by unsafe work practices in the coach industry. The Highway has been upgraded as a result of the many accidents. The bus and coach industry has changed their work practices as has the heavy vehicle transport industry. Ðriving to the conditions of the road should be everyone's goal but sadly that is just not the case.

I remember those tragic accidents when in my late teens/early 20s. I can happily say that as civil engineering drafter: I have worked on many upgrades, including Woolgoolga to Balina (W2B), And now the final section of the M1 at Raymond Terrace. Great projects.

It’s impressive to see how the pacific highway has changed! I’m definitely glad it’s a safer journey. I recently did the trip from Sydney to Brisbane and back and I really enjoyed the drive as it is now, but I definitely get the love for the original meandering route

I was living in Kempsey in 1989... the second bus crash happened a few klms North of Kempsey. It was horrific and the carnage severely traumatized many of the rescue workers. It actually happened on a relatively safe section of the notorious highway. You are right about the pleasure of exploring the various towns dotted along the original route. Now these are all bypassed... in fact, it might be far safer, but it is also now, a boring drive.

I remember the head on between the 2 buses vividly. I woke up in the middle of the night when it happened, but I didn't know why until I got up in the morning and heard about the tragedy. I remember driving Brisbane to Woolongong back around 93. It was bad. Before the Ballina bypass was built it was a whole lot of sitting behind trucks up steep hills. The same with the Buladelah Bends, trying to drive that in the rain, right on dusk, being blinded by spray from oncoming trucks. I think it took about 17 hours to do the full trip. (although I managed the trip back in 14.5) Once the last of the bypasses are complete I will probably use the Pacific more for trips down south, but for now I use the Newell or the New England and try and split trips up over a couple of days.

Something else that came about from these accidents was mandatory seatbelts on coaches (not busses). Before this, seatbelts on coaches was pretty much unheard of. There were also a lot more coaches on the road before these accidents. Coaches used to be a much more common form of travel. Much like the Greyhounds in the USA, people used them to travel from town to town.

I grew up in Port Stephens (Nelson Bay), and as a child I remembered seeing in the news of regular accidents happening each and every holiday period of crashes in the Bulladelah bends, and surrounding areas. Love that we finally have (almost) a dual carriageway between Sydney & Brisbane. But nothing stops you from doing a short detour to visit some by-passed towns. We still do, specially when needing some food. Some of the best bakeries in this country can be found in these by-passed towns.

Great video! Would you consider doing one on the Hume Highway? My grandfather (a truck driver) passed away at Yerrinbool in the late 60’s. Would be interesting to see the old parts of the Hume Hwy (at least what still exists of it!)

Massive credit to this man for sharing so much forgotten history, its great to see the amazing development of this country. We must not forget how and why we are able to live in such a great place. Keep it up!

before the bypass was put in, I use to get car sick at Bulladelah EVERY TIME we drove it. The only place I ever got car sick, but every time I would get sick there, it just felt like we were driving in circles over and over again. Since the upgrade, never.

We used to holiday to Port Macquarie in the 80s and 90s, it would take 6 hours from Sydney. It now takes 4. I would even argue that some of the bypasses are safe enough that the speed limit could be increased from 110 to 130 to make the trip even faster.

I remember when this happened. I was 9 years old and traveling up to Grafton from Sydney and saw the horrific aftermath of this tragic event while on the road. I recall the great sadness that I felt knowing that people had lost their lives that day.

as a new zealander those photos of the highway before the bypass really resembled 85% of the main highway that is a little two lane meandering road

My parents drove to Queensland sometime around 1993 and one of the worst parts of the old pacific highway was this windy mountain road that was between Taree and Port Macquarie. That old road was so steep that trucks were going up that road at less than walking speed

I have driven the Pacific Highway from the Gold Coast to Sydney and return a minimum of 4 times per year since 1979, ceasing the drive with the commencement of Covid in 2020. I have not done it since as my mother passed during Covid, not of Covid though. What I am leading to is that the photos and images from back then do not do any justice as to just how bad the road used to be. As it is today I suggest everyone take a drive along it's length, at least as far south as Hexam just to experience how good a road can get - just watch out for speed traps

We're in the middle of moving from Sydney to Port Stephens (context, RAAF Williamtown) and the Tarro/Hexham bottleneck is *atrocious*, especially on public holidays. The M1 Raymond Terrace extension is well welcome to clear the bottleneck that this is. Although nice vid!

I have lived on the north coast of nsw for over 20 years and one of the most dangerous highways in Australia the pacific highway near Ballina

My ex-wife lost friends in the dual bus crash ... and the govt of the day said the highway would be dual carriageway in a very short time , yet 34 years after the 2 crashes the road is still not dual carriageway ALL the way ....

A similar situation exists on the drive between Melbourne and Sydney. The first way is the Hume Highway which is a controlled access dual carriageway along most of it's length, making it a safe and cruisy, if not boring drive. The alternative route, Princes Highway that runs along the coast is a single carriageway that whilst is longer and slower, does bring you into many more coastal towns and forests with interesting things to see between the two big cities.

I enjoy learning about Australia from afar. I would imagine the old road is now pretty quiet and an excellent sight-seeing ride for those not in a hurry. Still, I also endorse your recent high speed rail video. There's a place for everything.

As a child I remember many parts of the Pacific Highway being a single lane road in the mid to late 2000's. My parents had a house in Forster, so we would often drive from Canberra to Forster. I recall driving through Bulahdelah many times. Then one day there was construction happening, which was the Bulahdelah Bypass. I recall my father asking me what I thought would happen to the small town, to which I said many business might struggle without the traffic. In 2014 my High School had a Gold Coast trip when I was in Year 9. We took a Bus from Canberra to the Gold Coast and again, many new parts of the highway had opened or had been duplicated. I still remember much of it going back to single lane traffic and being rather tedious to travel on. In 2019 my best mate and I drove from Sydney to Brisbane and at this point most of the Highway had been duplicated or was close to being finished. It was pretty much Non-stop from Newcastle to Coffs Harbour, before going back to single lane sections just outside Grafton. We had the chance to drive on pretty much the entirety of the duplicated highway at that stage. The final pieces of the puzzle will be the Bypassing of Coffs Harbour and the linking of the existing M1 Pacific Motorway and Pacific Highway at Hexham. I'm both excited to see the end result as I am someone who loves a new, big and open road. Also having grown up in Canberra, a city designed for the car, I am used to big, open roads. Makes for where I live now, Adelaide, that little more exciting as we have a number of highway projects going on and duplications of existing roadways occurring.

As a stickler for detail, I have to point out that Urunga is pronounced “you-run-gah” and Maclean is pronounced “Mac-lane”

For some it's the destination, for others it's the journey. I used to have to drive from Sydney to Wollongong twice a week & the best part of the journey was always taking the Bulli Pass to get on & off the Highway. And, if I had some extra time up my sleeve, I'd skip the Highway & drive back via the coastal road & Royal National Park. Highways are fantastic & offer safer & faster journeys, but I'd rather take the "scenic route" every time.

When I first moved from Sydney to where I live now, which is about 2 hours south of Brisbane (moved in 2012), I remember the drive being over 10 hours, maybe even 11, to Sydney; now it’s hardly even 8, so even in this amount of time, it’s drastically reduced in time. I even remember some of the small towns and cities that we drove through. I was only young when we moved, so I don’t remember what towns we stopped at, but I do remember stopping at some.

I was a kid living in Northern NSW in the 1980s...I can attest that deaths on the Pacific were monotonously regular, and the journey was long and congested. The news of the two bus collisions deeply disturbed me. One could argue that the upgrades were due in the 1960s, and that the delay was tantamount to manslaughter.

I did the car trip from Sydney to the Gold Coast with my family several times in the 1960s, when you had to queue for 45mins at Hexham, waiting for the car ferry to take you over the Hunter River at Newcastle, because there was no bridge. The trip was so long, that it took 1.5 days. The first day got us to Grafton ( say 8-10 hours) where we stayed overnight, and we would make the Gold Coast by lunchtime the next day. Some younger foolhardy drivers did the trip in one haul (say 13 hours) - but they were risking their lives because of driver fatigue. The very worst part of the 2-lane driving experience on the old Pacific Highway, which today's drivers mercifully have rarely experienced, was the need to constantly overtake. This was the prime reason for the highway's shocking reputation for accidents - and also explains why the trip took so long. As a driver, because you were traveling mainly in a single lane, you had to frequently overtake across the centre line (unless you wanted to always stay behind one of the many trucks, which just crawled up the many hills doing 40mph). Most of the time you would find yourself in a queue of say 5 cars lined up behind a semi (or car trailing a caravan, which were super popular). The car immediately behind the truck was expected by all to overtake the truck at the first opportunity( highway etiquette!)-- and so it went on, back down the line. If the first car did not overtake, the second car would be tempted to do a double overtake; so all car drivers felt the pressure. And you never knew what might be coming once you crossed the centre line - or if you would in practice have enough seconds to get around in time -- so it was super stressful; and you were doing this countless times a day. There was usually a 3rd lane ( the "overtaking lane") inserted on the approach to a hill - but this was rarely long enough to allow 5 suburban cars (loaded up with a family and holiday gear) to get past a semi; so it didn't solve the problem. I'm so glad that driving on the highway today is relaxing. It feels (and is) 100% safer. .

When I was a kid, I remember stopping in at Buladelah on the way to the Mid-North Coast. It was always busy there

Always Delighted when Building Beautifully uploads a video!

Living in Gosford we used to go north every year as a kid in the 60's, certainly not what it is like now days.

Your channel is getting better and better - loving the content. I drove from Sydney to Grafton a few months ago and it's amazing how fast and easy the drive is these days. I reckon the Bulahdelah section of the old highway deserves a video of its own - that road was insane at night in the rain and fog.

I am so honoured that one of my videos made it onto your RU-vid channel! Even if it was without my permission 😢

As a Hunter Valley resident working in Newcastle, I am looking forward to the M1 Extension/Bypass of Hexham. As well as the traffic lights and ageing infrastructure of the Hexham Bridge, the New England Highway and Pacific Highway merge and share the same section of road, and then diverge after the Hexham bridge. Also another fun fact about the Pacific Motorway. The Macleay River and Flood Plain Bridge is the longest bridge in Australia. It is named Yapang gurraarrbang gayandugayigu, a very long track to the other side

I was stunned that it took 30 years from the time of those tragedies to make it a duel carriageway. I know it's a long distance but that is painfully slow for a wealthy advanced nation. Would also love you to hear your thoughts on the Great Western HWY upgrade from Lithgow to Katoomba and the controversy around that.

I'm 62 years old and that's old enough to remember when the Pacific Hwy passed through every town between Sydney and Brisbane and the Hume passed through every town between Sydney and Melbourne. I also live near Raymond Terrace which is at the north end of the missing section. Back in the depression of the 1930s, the US put men to work building the national highway system and I wonder why we didn't do the same. I've driven right around the US three times and it's an absolute pleasure. I don't expect Australia, given its small population that lives mostly on the east coast, to have a road system like the US's. We don't need a 4-lane highway to Birdsville but that we didn't have one from Adelaide to Cairns via Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane in the 1970s is unfathomable and to not have that in 2023 is inexcusable. That it took the deaths of 50+ in just two accidents for the government to even think about it is beyond belief and that 30+ years later it's still not finished is, I can't even think of the word. Australia is a great country to live in. We do a lot of things better than many other countries including the US but something we really suck at is land transportation. If you need further proof of that, every state in Australia still has a different railway gauge. So did the US and UK but the Yanks standardised in 1886 and the Brits in 1840. That we still haven't in 2023 is beyond a joke.

I love Township of Berry (Princes Motorway) after their bypass, much more quieter, less pollution and able better enjoy the cafes and shops.

Had good memories of my parents driving me to Gold Coast for a holiday and back in 2000 a few times before considered flying up

I remember both these crashes. I lived on the Gold Coast at the time. I had taken Deluxe coaches from Melbourne to Coolangatta that same year in 89 and yeah trucks and other buses passing within only feet of each other. It was a thing of nightmares.

Great content! I travel this road so often, and have loved the upgrades that have been undertaken since the early 2000s. Some of the bypasses make such an incredible difference in travel time and safety. The old 'Wootton Way' just north of Bulladelah was one of the worst stretches south of Port Mac. When that was bypassed it was fantastic.

Wow, this is amazing! I live on the Northern Rivers and have travelled on the section between Ballina & Kingscliff hundreds of times since I was little. I remember the old highway, how nice to drive on it was and the views you would see. Just fantastic. I now rely on bus routes locally which all still take most old highways. One particular route goes through a lot of these places, going up the old highway from Brunswick to Mullumbimby and back to Lismore via a tourist drive. While the upgrade has been worth it, I will never forget the exciting drives up the old windy roads but the best thing is they're still there! Brilliant video mate.

Another great video, thanks. Born & grew up in Taree in the 50s & 60s. With relatives in Newcastle & Sydney, & spending holidays in Queensland plus in a truck on a Newcastle-Brisbane run, spent a bit of time on the Pacific Highway. It seemed a lot quieter back then and one of my favourite places looked over to the Byron coast from green farmland and I wanted to have a house right there. But when I next travelled that way in 2008 nothing could be seen but a concrete wall - not everything has been improved...

The old Pacific Highway road from Nambucca Heads to Coffs Harbour is ingrained in my childhood. I agree the new freeway is a must but it's so great that you can still drive the old one. I've almost the same feeling as the drive from Nambucca Heads to Kempsey which is now Giinagay Way and then Macleay Valley Way.

The last time I drove from Sydney to the Gold Coast and back to Sydney was 1993. It was a single lane each way highway back then for most of the journey separated by a double white line. If I were to drive I again today I'd feel kind of disappointed not being able to go through town after town along the journey and having to deviate off the highway to check out the little towns along the way.

Another great video mate! I grew up in Berowra and was born after the F3 Freeway was built, but driving on the Old Pacific Highway - while an amazing road, it's a sketchy road and it's hard to fathom trucks, coaches and the sheer volume of traffic going through it, scary stuff!

Love your videos. Thank you.

I used to drive the old highway from Sydney to Gold Coast in around 2000. It took around 12~13 hours in total with stops. For someone who is not in good physical condition and well rested, it would have been a dangerous thing to do. Obviously the bus and truck drivers are more capable than the average motorist, but its not advisable to take chances with safety.

There were some people on Coffs Council opposed to the bypass claiming that their businesses would suffer. Being a Coffs local and a local cabbie, I can tell you that Coffs is a destination town. People will still come here, bypass or no bypass. I also have many good stories of holiday drives as a kid going from Sydney up the old stretches of the Pacific Highway.

I’ve done the drive before most of the duplication, it felt like a much much longer trip. It’s very easy to do these days.

Loved all the linkages to Cars! Clearly an inspiration for you!

We would drive from Hornsby to Coffs from the 1970s due to the lack of dual lane overtaking I swore I would never buy a caravan and inflict the slowness on the general motoring public. Not only would they pull the van with 4 cylinder Toyotas (remember the 1970s oil crisis) but they would drive in convoy leaving the same caravan park together. when we started to drive up at night I was amazed at the speed of the newspaper delivery truck drivers, clearly the coppers were looking the other way. The published times of the coaches arrival showed it was impossible to be on time without speeding, so more corporate law breaking

I remember these bus crashes, I was only 6 and it made me fear being on buses/coaches for years.

Hello, I've been following the building of the dual carriageway between Sydney & Brisbane for twenty something years & am heartened that the linking of the two in such a way has finally happened. I'm old enough to remember those horrible bus accidents & the death that they caused. Finally got to drive the whole thing recently & it was a change from when it used to take my family 7-8 hours to get to Port Macquarie from Sydney. Now it only took 10 hours to get to Queensland, amazing.

You have nailed something I call the ABC aesthetic, ur videos pacing and cuts give me mad vibes

My Nan grew up in Grafton and my Grandparents were heavily involved in emergency services. They often talked about the terrible Grafton bus crash in 1989.

Now, what to do with the Gold Coast, once Coffs is bypassed the stretch thru the GC will be the only hold up. On a trip between capital cities it can add back the hours saved nearly everyday😕

Now that was a bloody cool video mate ❤

I was on a replacement bus from Casino, when I watched this, I’m glad I’m still here

its great to see it finally completed. it was only a few years ago that the drive had to go through sevel very length sections with no overtaking and 60-80kmh "work" zones which may or may not have active roadworks happening.

THANK YOU FOR VIDEO

Try a trip up the Bruce Highway, or the inland highway north from Perth. Still a single lane road.

My dad was a police officer... during his career, he was part of the cleanup operations for both these crashes plus the Granville train disaster. He saw a lot in his 35 year career.

I've done this drive so many times and its so much quicker now, been through all the roadworks as they're upgrading and you can see how much better it is, and plenty of warning signs for town exits. Coffs harbour whilst a beautiful town to drive through, will be great when you don't have to slow down, and I'm sure locals will love the less congested roads.

One of the things that set the scene for these bus crashes was the Australian airline pilots dispute (strike) of 1989. The dispute led to mass resignations of airline pilots and utter turmoil in interstate travel. The RAAF and international airlines were filling the void in interstate travel, but bus companies soon joined in. Bus companies that usually ran school buses and charter services were suddenly running interstate coaches on 24-hour turnarounds. Blokes that were driving farm trucks were now driving coaches. Fatigue laws that existed were ignored. Buses were carrying two drivers, one sleeping in a bed on the back seat and one sleeping behind the steering wheel. People in the industry could see the disaster coming but nothing was done till it was too late.

1988 was the last time I was on that highway. Heading back home from Expo 88.

RIP to the Rock near tea gardens. Shattered to see that white elephant gone on my recent trip

I can remember doing 140km/hr on the highway around 1984 and being overtaken by interstate buses easily exceeding 160km/hr where the highway was a 2 lane road. Go and watch Mad Max I for an idea of what it was like.

been going up and down the pacific all my life living between the north and south coasts. seen its changes since the first sections of dual carriageway were built. i do miss the old road and would love to plan a road trip around taking the old route, at least as much of it that still exists. but i certainly dont miss the time savings when all i want to do is get back to sydney from brisbane.

Excellant video sir.

I had the pleasure of living in Coffs Harbour before the full upgrade & like you pointed out it did have its charm driving the old Highway. Many a town like Buladelah & Karuah where places I'd imagine what life was like as we drove through them. The Bulahdelah Range was a notorious Black Spot & was driven with 1x part apprehension & 1x part enthusiasm. Back then, mobile phones where in their infancy & a large portion of the drive was "off grid". Now that I live in SEQ & use the Pacific as a means to an end to visit family down south, I appreciate the freeway conditions for the large part of the journey. However, I still point out to my kids the towns off to the side & tell them tales of a once forgotten era. The coach tragedies where, unfortunately, a "kick in the guts" to improve things. But as you have kindly pointed out, their lives where not lost in vain. Vale to those souls & now am grateful for the journey for what it is

I remember the old mostly single lane highway passing through all the now bypassed towns. I also remember pulling a truck driver out of his crushed cab on Burringbah Range.

Magnificent vid 👌 👏

Good video this. I lived in Maclean growing up in the 00s and 10s, so we used to make the trip down to Sydney or up to Brisbane/the Gold Coast regularly, and got to see a lot of the road’s evolution. The section between Maclean and Grafton was a shocker for accidents. The idiots who designed the new highway didn’t think too hard about it, because you still have to pass through Tyndale and Ulmarra to get to Grafton from the north, rather than having a separate exit. The worst section though was what is now Hinterland Way, running between just north of Ballina and just south of Brunswick Heads. These days, it only takes about 7 hours to travel between Sydney and Maclean. 15 years ago, it took about 9. When my dad was a kid in the 80s, they drove from Sydney to the Gold Coast, and it took them 8 or 9 hours to get to Nambucca Heads. I feel like more people are willing to stop in the bypassed towns now, because there’s less traffic and it’s not as difficult to get out of them on the highway. It’s amazing to think that the old highway was seen as a success because it bypassed a tricky stretch of road in Maclean in 1966 and replaced every ferry with a bridge. The last bridge to be completed was the old Harwood Bridge (also in 1966), which replaced three punts and still opens to allow boats to pass through to this day.

I feel like a section that was heavily overlooked in this video was Tweed Heads to Brisbane. It is an awful bottle neck and frequently gridlocks. They are in the process of upgrading it but it still seems to be a while off completion. Great video otherwise mate and some great archival footage and pictures!

Have been up and down that highway from Sydney to Brisbane (and to destinations in between) hundreds of times since I was a kid in the 70's with my parents right up to the present day, and I have seen many changes for the better over the years. The thing about the highway formerly passing through all those town along the way was that it encouraged you to stop and take a break, stretch your legs, and get something to eat; you would then hit the road again an hour later refreshed and awakened. The problem now however with all the bypasses is that you are encouraged to just push on through for long periods of time at a constant speed, where fatigue combined with the boredom of the wide, straight divided road can have bad consequences; the Hume Highway south to Melbourne now has the same problem with fatigue since its upgrades in recent decades.

First time to your chanell. What a refreshing and educational video. What was that you were eating in Port Macquarie (we had $10 Fish and chips - and the caravan park on the river mouth was a delight) your particular meal looked interesting.

I should say, though, that the Bass Hwy in Tasmania between Devonport and Launceston is looking very much like the Pacific back in the 1990s. I hope that gets upgraded soon.

If you want to see the towns. Go the New England Highway.

One good thing about old pac, hardly anyone drives it to get places, people drive it because they enjoy driving, especially the stretch from sydney to newcastle. One of the best fun roads in the area.

Long time coming. It’s great that those small towns are now bypassed, cutting the Syd-Bris drive time.

Thank you for another great video, I always enjoy the enthusiasm and effort you put into your productions! I thought it was interesting that, having described Hexham as 'infuriating', you went on to say that the 'joy of the drive' had been 'lost'. Perhaps you can now choose to enjoy traffic-free meandering parts of the drive that previously consisted of infuriating nose-to-tail traffic and choose to 'explore' towns that former generations of drivers only knew as hellish bottlenecks negotiated on their way to somewhere else? I had an experience that caused me to think along similar lines a few years ago when I drove the Old Hume Highway from Camden to Yanderra, it was a beautiful drive through a rolling green landscape; nothing at all like my childhood memories of being stuck to the Torana's vinyl seats, when the only view was a line of overheating 1970s cars following a semi-trailer up the hill at less than walking speed. Keep up the good work.

I would recommend doing the old pacific highway route at least once, as it transforms you back to the era of 2 lane hwy without the traffic.

I think the last time I did that drive was about 2006. Was definitely still a lot of unseparated highways bits then, but most towns seemed to be bypassed from memory. Also silly me did Canberra to Brisbane in one slog, because I'm bad at making myself stop

As somebody who makes the drive from the Coffs Harbour area to Sydney several times a year I certainly appreciate how much faster and safer it is now than it was 20 years ago. It used to take over 8 hours, but now if you time it right and have a good run with traffic it can be done in under 6. And the new Coffs bypass is set to shave another 20 mins off the journey when it's finished. It used to take the best part of a whole day, but now I can leave after lunch and still arrive in Sydney in time for tea. Having said that, there is definitely something that's been lost by not driving through all the little towns and villages along the way. There are a few landmarks I miss not seeing as I was driving by, and places I used to stop for a bite to eat and a short rest before hitting the road again. And the big cookie cutter "service centres" on the new highway with all the same places selling all the same food is a bit tedious too. More often than not I jump off the big highway to find somewhere more interesting (and less busy) to spend 20 minutes just having a chill when I need a rest from driving, so it's not just you who misses the old goat track. I don't miss the fatalities though. No one misses that.

Fantastic job, slightly different from your usual stuff, but great nonetheless!! Any chance you could do a similar video on the Hume Highway from Sydney to Melbourne?

The Clybucca Bus crash was the worst accident I have ever been involved in. I lived not far from the crash site and was a member of the local SES at the time. It was something that I just couldn't handle and I stayed off site doing traffic control instead. The best bypass ever was to bypass Kempsey. You go on about how the town will be forgotten but seriously Kempsey has nothing worth looking at and by passing it was the best thing that could have ever happened. It's been 15 years not since I last drove the Pacific Highway so it would be interesting to see how much it has really changes.

I remember these unfortunate accidents. I was terrified to drive on the hwy. After travelling overseas and driving around Europe and the USA, I’m relieved the hwy is almost completed. So much safer, quicker and less fatigue. Cannot one day to see the Princess Hwy done, the Great Western Hwy, the Newell Hwy and the New England Hwy all done. All like the highways around the World. Driving will become safer, quicker and country areas will be better accessed. It’ll create so many jobs in rural areas for sure.

Driver fatigue was a big contributing factor. I grew up on the mid north coast and remember when the M1 finished at Morresett. Back then the accidents were on the outskirts of Newcastle and Swansea/Belmont often featured. The M1 was extended to Freemans Waterhole and the crashes started happening at Karuah. Each time the upgrades pushed north, so did the crash zone to Bulladelah, Cundletown (Taree), Port Macquarie, Kempsey and Coffs. At least with a dual carriageway divided road drivers don't have to take as many risks to get past slow traffic and the consequences aren't as catastrophic if they make a mistake.

Another great video. It's sad that too often it takes a tragedy to act, even though it was clear that it should have bean done long before that tragedy. The upgrade looks great and it was absolutely necessary but if you can afford to invest this on a highway why you refuse to invest in long distance rail travel. A high speed line can connect the two cities in less than 4h30, which is the time it takes for the French high speed direct service between Marseille and Lille which covers a distance of 1000km and with fares starting at 25€ (~42 AUD).

Although I love the current Pacific Highway, there is one exception, that exception I hate with a burning passion. The Pacific Highway's stretch between North Sydney and St Leonards is infuriating, due to 6 lanes tearing through the CBD's of the suburbs in between North Sydney and St Leonards. After all, the M1 exists for a reason (bypass). Vehicular traffic goes up to 60 kph on the Pacific Highway, with vehicular traffic constantly stopping. I think the speed should be reduced to ~30kph, have only 4 lanes, and have widen footpaths. I don't think bus lanes or bike paths will be added, but it's still possible. I believe this will result in a much needed upgrade implemented to support the blossoming area between North Sydney and St Leonards. On top as an extra, possibly a longer crossing time? Literally everyone on that stretch never uses the crossings, and instead j walks because of the long wait time, and the short crossing time. As a resident of the Lower North Shore, I hope for this to be implemented.

I love your sense of tumour

After driving the Canberra to Sunshine coast route on all highways such as the Newell, New England and Pacific since the early 80's. I've always preferred using the Pacific from when I used to do the trip each year with my parents as a little tacker. Always used to think we were getting to the tropics at Coffs harbour (thanks to the countless Banana Palms back in the day), the bit from there to the Burringbar Range I found a bit "meh". Always like getting to the top of the range to see the Pacific ocean and Byron Bay off in the distance. The new highway is just as good IMO, perfect for setting the cruise control and some cool tunes on the stereo and just cruising along. The highway is now way more safe and quick comparatively.