Adelaide to Swan Hill road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time

Adelaide to Swan Hill road trip: Tailem Bend to the Victorian border.

Just south of Tailem Bend, you need to branch east down the Mallee Highway. This, it is fair to say, is not Australia’s most riveting road, and there is very little to see on the way to the Victorian border.

If you’ve got a 4WD, you might be interested in having a ride over the sand dunes near Peake.

Otherwise, Lameroo has a gold course, supermarket, pub and caravan park, although Pinnaroo just before the border crossing has a wider range of accommodation on offer.

Adelaide to Swan Hill drive: Victorian border to Ouyen

The drive along the Mallee Highway in Victoria doesn’t get much more scintillating. Murrayville is the first settlement of any real size, and there are a few tracks to explore through the Murrayville Conservation Reserve.

The same applies with the reserves around Cowangie, Tutye and Boinka, a little further to the west.

The best place to branch off the Mallee Highway, however, is Linka. To the north lies Murray Sunset National Park, the largest national park in Victoria. Here, you can see plenty of wildlife – notably, it’s one of the few places in Australia that plays home to both red and grey kangaroos.

There are also several campgrounds, and a few pink lakes.

Otherwise, push through to crossroads town Ouyen, where the Mallee Highway and Calder Highway meet. Here, you can have a dip in the swimming lake, fill up on goodies at the Mallee Bakery or detour north to the wildlife-surrounded lakes of Hattah-Kulkyne National Park.

Ouyen to Swan Hill

To continue to Swan Hill, however, you need to go south then east along the Calder Highway, past several underwhelming bushland reserves.

Then swing a left down the Chinkapook-Mittyack Road, where a detour to the south will bring you to Lake Tyrrell – one of Australia’s most impressive pink lakes.

Afterwards, you’ll eventually head south on the Robinvale-Sea Lake Road. You’ll need Springfield Road out of Chinkapook, then east on the Chillingolah Road. Once near Swan Hill, the Woorinen-Vintera Road and Woorinen Road will bring you into town.

Things to do in Swan Hill include visiting the Swan Hill Pioneer Settlement open air museum and going for a cruise on the PS Pyap paddlesteamer.

You can also visit the Flying Boat Museum at Lake Boga.

Find the best Swan Hill accommodation

The best Swan Hill accommodation choices are:

For families – with a pool and water park: Big4 Swan Hill holiday park.
For a solid, cheap motel – with a pool and great reviews: Murray River Motel.
For central location and convenience: Jane Eliza Motor Inn.