[acropolite (Phil)]

Ken, I've travelled both the Newell and Pacific.

As H pointed out, the Pacific highway is notorious, and after dark, is a truckers racetrack, particularly north of Sydney. I've travelled the Pacific highway en route to Astrofest many times, the kindest words I could use to describe the truck drivers is reckless, discourteous and dangerous. I found the traffic on the Newell highway to be slower and quite sparse in comparison, the trucks I did enounter were travelling slower and were more mindful of other road users.