Armidale to Brisbane road trip: Distance, drive time & stops
The Armidale to Brisbane drive covers a 464km distance in a driving time of around five hours and 31 minutes. The best stops to add to an Armidale to Brisbane road trip itinerary are Glen Innes, Tenterfield and Stanthorpe.
A road trip from Armidale to Brisbane takes in some of the best of the New England region of New South Wales before heading into Queensland’s capital.
To pick out the best Armidale accommodation, head here.
Top options in Brisbane, meanwhile, include a Moreton Island day trip, climbing the Story Bridge and Segway tours through the botanic gardens. To browse the collection of Brisbane tours and experiences, step this way. For the best value Brisbane hotels, pick here.
6 supreme Brisbane day trips that will improve your holiday
- Moreton Island day trip – with kayaking, sandboarding and snorkelling or with dolphin-feeding and desert dunes adventure.
- Springbrook National Park glowworms and rainforest tour – including Tamborine Skywalk.
- Eumundi Markets day trip – Australia’s best markets, plus the Sunshine Coast Hinterland and Noosa.
- North Stradbroke Island day tour – with cruise, wildlife spotting and guided walk.
- Tamborine Mountain winery tour – with gourmet lunch.
- Maialia rainforest walking and wildlife tour – visit lesser-known D’Aguilar National Park.
This guide is designed to help travellers plan their perfect Armidale to Brisbane road trip itinerary. Click through on the links for more detailed links about individual towns and attractions – and remember to stock up on your road trip essentials before setting off, however.
Armidale to Brisbane distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Armidale to Brisbane is 464km. That makes for a driving time of around five hours and 31 minutes.
Things to do in Armidale include helicopter flights over the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.
Where to stay in Armidale
For the best Armidale accommodation, book one of these:
- For charm and character: Petersons Armidale Winery & Guesthouse.
- For a great value motel: Alluna Motel.
- For central location: Tattersalls Hotel.
Armidale to Brisbane drive: Armidale to Guyra
It’s another 99km from Armidale to Glen Innes, and there’s more Captain Thunderbolt along the way. Thunderbolt’s Cave, just south of Black Mountain, was one of the bushranger’s hideouts. The loop walk here is about 0.5km long, and should take you about ten minutes.
The biggest town between Armidale and Glen Innes is Guyra. Here, you can go fishing and birdwatching at the Mother of Ducks Lagoon Nature Reserve.
Further north, the Little Langothlin Nature Reserve offers much of the same, plus a picnic area and a 4.8km walk circumnavigating the lagoon.
Attractions between Armidale and Brisbane: Guyra to Glen Innes
As you get close to Glen Innes, you’ll go past the Balancing Rock. As the name suggests, this is a big granite boulder teetering on what looks like an impossibly small pointed end.
There are more big granite rocks in the neighbouring Stonehenge Recreation Reserve.
Things to do in Glen Innes include seeing the peculiar Australian Standing Stones Monument and tackling the tough Tommy’s Rock Walking Track in the Mann River Nature Reserve.
Glen Innes accommodation
Glen Innes accommodation options are basically various iterations on the motel. The New England Motor Lodge is the strongest contender, here – it has the most central location and a surprisingly sprawling pool. The Clansman Motel on the New England Highway also has good reviews. Meanwhile the Great Central Hotel does cheap but decent rooms above a pub.
Click through for the next section: Glen Innes to Tenterfield.