Bendigo to Sydney road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
The best stops on a Bendigo to Sydney road trip are Albury and Bowral. By car, the distance from Bendigo to Sydney is 836km, with a driving time of around 8h23m.
The Bendigo to Sydney drive connects the largest inland town in Victoria to a city that is an unquestioned international icon.
Bendigo is the home of Victoria’s biggest gold rush. It offers gold mine tours and a lively pub scene. To fix up good value Bendigo accommodation, look here.
Sydney’s enormous collection of experiences includes all-inclusive sunset dinner cruises, behind-the-scenes tours of the Opera House and whale-watching cruises. Also worth looking at are helicopter flights over the harbour and coastline, jet boat thrill rides and historic walking tours.
To get the best deals on Sydney accommodation, book here. To find Sydney tours and experiences that suit your tastes, step this way.
This guide should help you plan the perfect Bendigo to Sydney road trip itinerary. For more information on individual towns and activities, click on the links for further detail.
Bendigo to Sydney distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Bendigo to Sydney is 836km. That makes for a driving time of around eight hours and 23 minutes.
The best stops to add to a Bendigo to Sydney road trip itinerary are Albury and Bowral.
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.
Bendigo to Sydney road trip: Bendigo to Glenrowan
The quickest route leaves Bendigo to the north-east, past the Bendigo Botanic Gardens. It then joins the Midland Highway just after Bagshot, then branches off again after Goornong.
Keep going along the Bendigo-Murchison Road, and it’s largely farmland apart from the Runnymede State Forest. Just after Rushworth, you’ll reach the southern end of the Waranga Basin, one of the biggest reservoirs in Victoria. Camping, fishing and boating is permitted here.
The road hits the Goulburn River in Murchison, where the streamside reserve is a good place to hang out. Longleat Wines, meanwhile offers wine-tasting at its cellar door.
Continue along the Murchison-Violet Town Road and you’ll go through the amiable Seven Creeks Streamside Reserve in Miepoll, then join the Hume Freeway in Violet Town.
Benalla is a little further north, but you can enjoy wildlife and wildflowers in the Reef Hills State Park on the way in.
Things to do in Benalla include taking a walk around the town’s many murals. The Benalla Art Gallery is one of the best regional art galleries in Australia, while the Benalla Aviation Museum gives unexpectedly interesting insights into World War II pilot training.
Pick the best Benalla accommodation options
The best places to stay in Benalla are…
- For a solid, affordable motel with a pool: Glider City Motel.
- For family-friendly cabins: Benalla Tourist Park.
- For central location: Top of the Town Motel.
The next worthwhile stop is Glenrowan, where Ned Kelly’s last stand took place. Interpretive displays on Siege Street tell the story of the Kelly Gang’s shoot-out with the police.
Click through to the next section: Glenrowan to Albury.