Ballarat to Castlemaine drive: Distance, time & best stops

The best road trip stops on the Ballarat to Castlemaine drive are Maze House, Daylesford and the Mount Franklin Reserve. By car, the distance from Ballarat to Castlemaine is 81km, with a 1h17m driving time.

The drive from Ballarat to Castlemaine connects two of the most appealing destinations in Victoria’s Goldfields region. For many, this journey will be part of a longer road trip – perhaps from Geelong to Bendigo.

Ballarat has a wildlife park and a lake that once hosted the Olympics. But the star attraction is the Sovereign Hill open air museum. For the best Ballarat accommodation, search here.

For Castlemaine accommodation deals, hunt here.

Ballarat to Castlemaine distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Ballarat to Castlemaine is 81km. That makes for a driving time of around one hour and 17 minutes.

The best stops on the Ballarat to Castlemaine drive are Maze House, Daylesford and the Mount Franklin Reserve.

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.

The quickest route heads east out of Ballarat through Brown Hill and Gong Gong. You might wish to stop at the Monte Christo Bushland Reserve in Brown Hill before continuing along the Ballarat-Daylesford Road – aka the C292.

Ballarat to Castlemaine drive: Ballarat to Daylesford

The road threads between Gong Gong Reservoir and Kirks Reservoir – both perfectly pretty places for a stroll.

The Ballarat-Daylesford Road then continues through Pootilla, Clarkes Hill and Dean with not an awful lot to get excited about. Just north of Dean, however, you may wish to pull over at the Soho Rose Farm.

At Newlyn the Ballarat-Daylesford Road joins the Midland Highway. You’ll then pass Newlyn Reservoir and Seven Hills Nursery on the way in to Daylesford. Hepburn Lagoon Trail Rides offers horse-riding tours around Mt Prospect here and Maze House has a maze and gardens.

The road enters Daylesford between the Wombat Plantation and Hepburn Region Park. The Two Bridges Picnic Area is just off the road as you come into town.

Top things to do in Daylesford include the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens and one of regional Australia’s best art galleries – the Convent.

Daylesford also brings private winery tours and paddleboating on Lake Daylesford.

Daylesford accommodation options with personality include the Daylesford Art Motel and the Dudley Boutique Hotel.

Ballarat to Castlemaine road trip: Daylesford to Castlemaine

The Daylesford to Castlemaine leg of the Ballarat to Castlemaine drive follows the Midland Highway out of Daylesford, skirting the edge of the Hepburn Springs Mineral Reserve.

It then goes past the Chocolate Mill – a specialist chocolate shop that has developed a reputation for high quality chocs.

Next comes the Mount Franklin Reserve, an extinct volcanic crater that makes for pretty walks and has a camping area.

Just south of Guildford, the Kennedy Gully Streamside Reserve is another picturesque place for a picnic. The Guildford Vineyard and Cellar is just to the north.

Between Guildford and Yapeen, you can enjoy the views from the Alfred Passalaqua Memorial Lookout, while Vaughan Springs in the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park is a little further east.

Before entering Castlemaine, there’s a potential diversion to the Jirrahlinga Dingo Conservation and Wildlife Education Centre. This is to the south of Eureka Reef, where you can take a short heritage walk around the old quartz mining site.

Things to do in Castlemaine include panning for gold at the Forrest Creek Historic Gold Diggings and mooching through the Castlemaine Botanic Gardens.

Top Castlemaine accommodation choices include the Big4 Castlemaine Gardens holiday park and well-rated Albion Motel.