Sydney to Lake Keepit: A Roadtrip of Soft Luxury and Big Skies

There are road trips, and then there are journeys that feel like slow spells being cast across your senses. The Sydney to Lake Keepit drive is the latter, stretching from the polished bustle of Sydney’s north to the still, open grace of New South Wales' Big Sky Country. You’re not just heading inland; you’re heading upward, outward, and a little deeper into the state’s quieter stories.

Sure, you could jump on a short hour-long Qantas flight from Sydney to Tamworth but this is a curated road trip drift through wine country, art towns, golden paddocks and backroads lined with ghost gums. Anything but a mad dash or a pitstop-hopping checklist. At the end of it? Wilderluxe Lake Keepit, a luxury retreat nestled in bushland high above the lake, where the air feels different and time unhooks itself from the clock.

Here’s how to make the most of the drive – what to see, where to linger, eat good nosh and why this is one of the most romantic road trips from Sydney you’ll ever take.

Departure: Leaving Sydney Behind

Start early. Not because you’re in a rush, but because there’s something liberating about slipping out of Sydney before everyone has had their first coffee. Whether you're weaving out through the leafy North Shore or taking the M1 toward the Central Coast, the city will slowly soften behind you.

You’re not just heading toward your destination, you're stepping into the in between. The spaces where things unfold more gently and the chance to leave your stresses behind you.

Morning Pause: Saddles at Mt White

Credit: Destination NSW

Your first stop sets the tone. Just an hour north of the city, Saddles is perched beside a dam and wrapped in bushland, with warm timber interiors, sculptural saddlery by artisan Geoff Harvey, and one of the best pork and fennel sausage rolls in NSW.

This isn’t just breakfast, it’s an arrival into another pace. Grab coffee, sit out on the deck, say hello to the birds in the onsite aviary and let the bush air start doing its work.

Into the Vines: Bimbadgen Estate + Muse in the Hunter Valley

Credit: Destination NSW

From here, it’s a short one and half hours gentle drive into wine country. The Hunter Valley never tries too hard, which is part of its unique charm. Bimbadgen Estate is your next marker, a place where architecture and agriculture meet beautifully. Their cellar door offers elegant tastings (plenty of award-winners here) with uninterrupted views, and if timing allows, the wood-fired menu at Esca is well worth a midday linger.

For something a little more elevated, book dinner on the way back at nearby Muse Restaurant, open Tuesday - Saturday (serving between 6 - 7:45 - bookings essential) - one of the most quietly confident fine dining experiences in regional NSW. Seasonal, rooted, and never showy, it’s the kind of meal that reminds you why we travel at all.

Credit: Destination NSW

The Hunter makes a beautiful overnight stop, but if you’ve got time to keep moving...

Culture in the Hills: Michael Reid Murrurundi

Back on the road, the route west begins to narrow, less traffic, fewer signs, more sky. A two-hour drive and you’ll find Michael Reid Murrurundi, just past Scone and Emirates Stud Farm, a contemporary art gallery in a renovated country building with serious presence. Michael’s curation is always bold, always moving, and always worth the detour. There’s an onsite Kiosk for special coffee blends, alongside homemade sweet treats.

This town – Murrurundi – has a quiet pulse. Artists live here. Makers, too. You’ll find antique stores, slow cafés, and that particular quality of light that seems to cling to old rail towns.

If you’re craving rest, it’s easy to linger and stay the night here. There are charming local stays, and mornings in Murrurundi come with birdsong and golden paddocks.

Next Stop: Quirindi Silo Art Light & Sound Show

As you inch closer to Lake Keepit, the land flattens and opens. A short half hour drive and Quirindi’s silos rise up out of the ground like totems, wrapped in light and story. If your timing’s right, see the award-winning Quirindi Silo Light & Sound Show, a local silo art marvel designed by Perth based artist Peter Ryan. By day a mix of a mural and a canvas, but by night projections by Illuminart add to the stories of the Liverpool Plains’ past, present and future, transforming the agricultural into the poetic.

It’s public art with heart, and it feels all the more powerful under the stars. From here, you're not far now.

Gunnedah: A Final Wonder

Just before you reach Lake Keepit, consider a brief detour to Gunnedah. The town itself hums with quiet charm, a place where sunburnt streets meet rich Wiradjuri heritage and country hospitality still means something.

If you've got time, pop into the Gunnedah Cultural Precinct or stretch your legs at Pensioners Hill Lookout for sweeping views over the Namoi plains. For those in the know Reverence Sourdough is considered the best coffee and bakery for last-minute supplies. A fitting pause before Lake Keepit’s breezy stillness and the last leg, a gentle roll through farmland and gum-lined tracks.

Arrival: Wilderluxe Lake Keepit

And then, at last, Wilderluxe. High above the lake, the canvas retreat blends beautifully into the bush, with a wide veranda, woodfire warmth and curated comfort that feels deeply connected to its setting. It’s all soft neutrals, elegant simplicity, and space to rest, reconnect, and recalibrate.

Lake Keepit itself is vast and gentle. The water moves like silk on a still day. Mornings here begin with the sound of magpies echoing through the trees. Evenings come dressed in stars, with no light pollution, no city rumble, no rush.

Whether you spend your days paddling, wandering, gliding, or simply watching the water shift in colour, this is a place that doesn’t need itinerary or agenda. It just needs you to arrive.

The Road Well Travelled (But Not Too Well Known)

This Sydney to Lake Keepit road trip offers everything a good NSW journey should: moments of stillness, pockets of delight, stories in unexpected places, and a destination that doesn’t scream, but sings softly.

It’s a route for lovers of the land, for those who believe travel is less about ticking boxes and more about tuning in. And whether you stop at Saddles, sip at Bimbadgen, or sit quietly under the silo lights of Quirindi, each part of the journey adds something to your arrival.

Wilderluxe isn’t just where the road ends, it’s where everything finally slows down.