Bendigo to Canberra road trip: Best stops, distance and drive time

Bendigo to Canberra road trip: Albury to Canberra section

Near Albury on the New South Wales side of the border, Woomargama National Park provides a pleasant diversion if you’re in search of wildlife and walking trails.

Gundagai offers the Australian Road Transport Heritage Centre and high quality, distinctive accommodation nearby at the Nimbo Fork Lodge or Kimo Estate.

Where to stay in Gundagai

The best Gundagai accommodation options are:

For a decent, cheap motel: Poets Recall Motel.
For family cabins and a playground: Gundagai Cabins and Tourist Park.
For central location: Garden Motor Inn.

Jugiong on the Murrumbidgee River is the perfect lunch stop, with several good places to eat – most notably the Long Track Pantry.

Yass, however, is arguably the better overnight stop as it is near several Canberra region wineries. Canberra Winery Tours offers pick-ups in Yass.

For Yass accommodation, try the handily downtown Yass Central Bed and Breakfast and the well-reviewed Colonial Lodge Motor Inn.

Alternatively, just drive from Yass to Canberra along the Barton Highway. On the way in, you’ll go near several Canberra region wineries around Murrumbateman. These include Eden Road Wines, Shaw Wine and Clonakilla.

7 great Canberra experiences to book before you arrive

Full day city highlights tour – including Mount Ainslie, Parliament House and the Australian War Memorial.
Tidbinbilla wildlife and birds tour – see kangaroos, koalas, platypus and emus in the wild.
Hot air balloon flight – see Canberra’s unique design while floating above the city.
Small group wine tour – discover the amazing wineries and food producers of the Canberra region.
Australian Institute of Sport tour – see where Australia’s next generation of sporting greats train.
Australian Museum – expert-guided tour of the museum highlights.
Brewery tour – hop between Canberra’s best craft breweries.

On the way into central Canberra, three attractions cluster together by the highway. The Canberra Reptile Zoo, National Dinosaur Museum and Cockington Green – essentially a model village – can fill a few hours.

Things to do in Canberra include hot air ballooning, checking out the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex and touring Australia’s Parliament House. You can also head around Lake Burley-Griffin on a GoBoat and see wildlife at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve.