Armidale to Toowoomba road trip: Distance, drive time & stops

Armidale to Toowoomba road trip: Distance, drive time & stops

The Armidale to Toowoomba drive covers a 389km distance in a driving time of around four hours and 33 minutes. The best stops to add to an Armidale to Toowoomba road trip itinerary are Glen Innes, Tenterfield and Stanthorpe.

A road trip from Armidale to Toowoomba takes in some of the best of the New England region of New South Wales before heading into Queensland’s Darling Downs.

To pick out the best Armidale accommodation, head here.

Top attractions in Toowoomba include the DownsSteam railway museum, Japanese Garden and Cobb & Co Museum. For Toowoomba accommodation, book here.

This guide is designed to help travellers plan their perfect Armidale to Toowoomba 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 Toowoomba distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Armidale to Toowoomba is 389km. That makes for a driving time of around four hours and 33 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:

Armidale to Toowoomba 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.

Armidale to Toowoomba road trip: 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.

The Australian Standing Stones in Glen Innes, New South Wales
The Australian Standing Stones in Glen Innes, New South Wales. Photo courtesy of Destination NSW.

Click through for the next section: Glen Innes to Tenterfield.