Ballarat to Echuca road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time
The best stops on a Ballarat to Echuca road trip are Daylesford, Malmsbury and Rochester. By car, the distance from Ballarat to Echuca is 212km, with a driving time of 2h34.
Planning a Ballarat to Echuca road trip
A Ballarat to Echuca road trip connects two of the most appealing towns in Victoria, Australia.
Ballarat offers the amazing Sovereign Hill open air museum and the quirky Kryal Castle theme park. For the best Ballarat accommodation, search here.
Echuca offers guided e-bike tours and paddlesteamer cruises with winery lunches, plus plenty of history. To fix your Echuca accommodation, look through your options here.
This expert-researched guide is aimed at helping travellers plan the perfect Ballarat to Echuca road trip itinerary.
Ballarat to Echuca distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Ballarat to Echuca is 212km. That makes for a Ballarat to Echuca driving time of around two hours and 34 minutes.
The main attraction in Ballarat is Sovereign Hill. This recreated gold rush town offers gold panning, mine tours, plus all manner of shows and craft demonstrations. Fix up your Sovereign Hill tickets here.
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.
Top places to eat in Ballarat include traditional Spanish restaurant Meigas Ballarat, Latin American joint Pancho and the lakeside Boatshed Ballarat.
Good Ballarat accommodation choices include the apartment-style Quest, the family-friendly Big4 NRMA Ballarat holiday park and the well-reviewed Lake Inn.
Ballarat to Echuca road trip: Ballarat to Daylesford
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.
The road threads between Gong Gong Reservoir and Kirks Reservoir – both perfectly pretty places for a stroll.
The Ballarat to Daylesford section of the drive 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 to 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 Echuca drive: Daylesford to Malmsbury
The quickest route from Ballarat to Echuca skirts around the edge of Bendigo, but you can venture into the city if you’ve got time on your hands.
Things to do in Bendigo include gold mine tours at the Central Deborah Gold Mine, the Great Stupa, the Bendigo Art Gallery and walking around Lake Weeroona.
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.
Otherwise, continue on the Daylesford-Malmsbury Road toward Malmsbury. Potential diversions to keep you occupied include Loddon Falls, the Red Hare Estate Vineyard and Lauriston Dam.
The top attractions in Malmsbury are the Malmsbury Viaduct over the Coliban River and the Malmsbury Botanic Gardens. It’s a handsome little town for browsing, though, with plenty of independent shops and cafés.
Click through to the next section: Taradale to Elmore.