the Pacific Highway

Hi, guys! I'm planning to travel along the Pacific Highway by bike this August. Can somebody tell me that the hwy is safe or not? Or are there any parts of the hwy that are generally safe? If not, are there any alternative route to the hwy? I'd like to go fast to Byron Bay (or Brisbane if possible), starting from Sydney. I'm thinking of travlling 150 - 180 km per day riding at the speed of 25 km/h for 6 - 8 hours a day. Staying at YHAs or motels or pubs. I'm really serious. So pleae give me any info about the hwy. One more thing to add, I'm a Japanese and my AUS friend in Sydney gave me a guide book Cycling Australia issued by Lonely Planet. It shows the route mainly along the east coast. The author tries not to take the hwy as possible.

There is not problem taking the pacific highway out of sydney. Once you get past Hornsby the traffic thins out and it's quite a nice scenic ride on the old highway. Between Berowra and the Gosford area, it's quiet and peacefull (it will be slow going because of a few climbs but they're not unrideable). However once you get to around Gosford it's pretty busy again in areas and after Newcastle would be impossibly dangerous with all the trafic as it's the major route north apart from the New England Hwy. I would definitely be examining local maps for secondary roads beyond Gosford if I were you.