OK - in case anyone else is interested in this functionality, I've found a way to achieve this that is not too bad.
In Nautilus, when one starts typing, Nautilus assumes you are typing in a folder or file for it to search for, so it changes to "Text format"
...so what I do is as follows:
- type a char (eg. /)
- The bar changes to text format
- then I simply paste over whatever I've typed with my new folders structure text eg.
/this/is/the/folder/in/question
- press Enter, and I am taken to the correct folder
hope this makes someone's life a bit easier ...like it's made mine :)