Melbourne to Sale drive: Distance & best road trip stops

Top road trip stops on the 214km Melbourne to Sale drive include the Old Gippstown Heritage Park and PowerWorks in Morwell. The drive should take around 2h45m.

The Melbourne to Sale drive links Victoria’s capital to one of the most attractive towns on the Gippsland Lakes. This drive is almost entirely along the Princes Highway.

For a great range of Melbourne tours and experiences, explore here. To track down the best value Melbourne accommodation, come this way.

Melbourne to Sale distance and driving time

The distance from Melbourne to Sale by car is 214km. This makes for a driving time of around two hours and 45 minutes, although this can increase substantially if there is heavy traffic coming out of Melbourne.

14 fantastic experiences that make the most of your free time in Melbourne

Get the very best views – on a hot air balloon flight over the city.
See the changing colours of the river – on a sunset kayaking tour – with dinner. (Highly recommended ✅)
Feast and see the sights at the same time – on a four course dinner cruise along the Yarra River.
A genuinely excellent street art tour, led by prominent street artists. (Highly recommended ✅)
The also superb Aboriginal heritage, plants and bush food tour in the Botanic Gardens. (💲 Great value 💲)
Best of Melbourne bike tour – you can see more on two wheels than walking.
Hidden laneways bar crawl OR foodie discovery tour OR chocolate and dessert tour.
Combo ticket for Australian Sports Museum and MCG tour.
Hassle-dodging advance tickets for the Melbourne Skydeck, Melbourne Zoo, the Ice Bar (with cocktails) and Sea Life Aquarium.

There are several moderately interesting towns along the route, starting with Warragul. Here, the Brandy Creek Estate and Wild Dog Winery offer wine-tasting, while the nearby Mount Worth State Walk has some pleasant walking trails.

Melbourne to Sale drive: Road trip stops

The Warragul to Traralgon section of the Melbourne to Sale drive takes you through Yarragon, Trafalgar, Moe and Morwell.

Yarragon has a nice collection of antique shops. Trafalgar is home to petrolhead favourite, the Trafalgar Holden Museum, and acts as the gateway to Narracan Falls. Moe hosts the Old Gippstown Heritage Park – an enjoyable open air museum – while you can learn about the region’s coal industry at PowerWorks in Morwell.

Melbourne to Sale drive: Traralgon and Sale

Things to do in Traralgon once you get there include testing your nerve on an aerobatic flight with Bandicoot Adventure Flights or spotting native wildlife in the Wirilda Environment Park.

The section from Traralgon to Sale is more rural. It passes Holey Plains State Park before reaching Sale. Here, attractions include the Sale Botanic Gardens, Sale Commons Wetlands Walk and Port of Sale Heritage Cruises.

For Sale accommodation, the Matador offers a pool plus plenty of character.