Ballarat to Bendigo: Distance, driving time and road trip attractions
The drive from Ballarat to Bendigo along the quickest route is 119km in distance, taking around 1h35m. But the slightly longer route on the Midland Highway via Daylesford, Hepburn Springs and Castlemaine packs in more.
Ballarat and Bendigo are the two main cities in the Goldfields region of Victoria. Both have enough high quality, distinctive attractions to make them worth visiting. This particularly applies to the Sovereign Hill open air museum in Ballarat and the tours of the Central Deborah Gold Mine in Bendigo.
To fix up good value Bendigo accommodation, look here.
It doesn’t take long to drive to Ballarat or Bendigo from Melbourne. But if combining the three to make a triangle, how long is the middle leg from Ballarat to Bendigo?
Ballarat to Bendigo distance and driving time
The drive from Ballarat to Bendigo, going via the quickest route, is 119km in distance. This makes for a Ballarat to Bendigo driving time of around one hour and 35 minutes.
4 Ballarat experiences to book in advance ⬇️
- Sovereign Hill tickets – visit Australia’s best open air museum. Give it a full day, too – there’s so much to see and do.
- Ballarat Wildlife Park entry – meet loads of cute native Aussie animals.
- Kryal Castle admission – enjoy a bizarre knights in armour theme park.
- Beer-making course – learn to brew, with tastings and lunch thrown in.
Deciding what the quickest route is probably depends where in Ballarat you set off from. But from the centre, the two main options take roughly the same time.
Ballarat to Bendigo driving routes
Option one is going directly north via the Midland Highway through the Creswick Plantation, then branching off onto the C283 just after Creswick.
The second option starts of to the east on the C292, then joins the Midland Highway at Newlyn, before joining the C283 later on after Campbelltown.
From this point, both routes join, veering on to the Muckleford-Walmer Road from Newstead. After that, you join the Calder Highway after Ravenswood South, and carry on to Bendigo.
Ballarat to Bendigo drive via Midland Highway
Slightly perversely, neither route follows the Midland Highway all the way. The Midland Highway arcs through Victoria from Geelong to Mansfield, but is supposed to be the main link from Ballarat to Bendigo. The Midland Highway does, however, link in the other most appealing towns in the Goldfields.
If you want to make it into a Ballarat to Bendigo road trip, stopping at Daylesford, Hepburn Springs and Castlemaine, taking the slightly longer official route may be a better choice. It’s only a couple of minutes longer. Via the Midland Highway, the Ballarat to Bendigo drive is 120km long and takes around one hour and 37 minutes.
Is Ballarat or Bendigo better, though? Well, that depends on personal preference…
Where to stay in Bendigo
The best Bendigo accommodation options are:
- For good quality, spacious apartments: Quest Bendigo Central.
- For art, liveliness and personality: Mercure Bendigo Schaller.7
- For historic charm: Hotel Shamrock.
- For central location and (usually) cheap rates: City Centre Motel.
More Victoria travel
Indulge in wine flights on the Maroondah Highway at Rochford Wines in the Yarra Valley.
Drive from Melbourne to Bendigo – or take the Bendigo train.
Look out over the plains from Flinders Peak in the You Yangs, near Geelong.
Go walking and 4WDing in the Little Desert National Park.
Stay at the Anglesea caravan park on the Great Ocean Road, Victoria