Canberra to Moruya drive: Distance, time & best road trip stops

The best road trip stops on a Canberra to Moruya road trip are Bungendore, Braidwood and Batemans Bay. The Canberra to Moruya drive is 173km long, with a 2h22m driving time.

The Canberra to Moruya drive takes you from Australia’s capital to a hub town on the New South Wales South Coast.

Canberra offers wine and distillery tours, plus guided visits to the National Museum of Australia. To investigate Canberra tour and experience options, head here. To find the best Canberra hotel deals, book here.

For Moruya accommodation deals, head here.

This guide should help you plan your perfect Canberra to Moruya road trip itinerary.

Canberra to Moruya distance and driving time

The Canberra to Moruya drive is 173km in distance, with a driving time of around two hours and 22 minutes.

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.

Save money – book Canberra accommodation here, now

The top Canberra accommodation picks

There is a large selection of Canberra accommodation options. But these are particularly good choices…

The one with the highest guest rating: A By Adina Canberra.
For something cool and stylish: East Hotel and Apartments.
The one where the VIPs stay: Hyatt Hotel Canberra.
For high quality apartments: Quest Canberra City Walk.
For something much cheaper and family-focused: Alivio Tourist Park.

The road trip route vaguely follows the Molonglo River at first, going past Canberra Airport and passing through the Molonglo Gorge Nature Reserve.

The Canberra to Moruya drive then leaves the Australian Capital Territory and enters New South Wales in the northern outskirts of Queanbeyan. This is also where it joins the Kings Highway.

Canberra to Moruya drive: Bungendore and Braidwood

Bungendore is the next road trip stop of any reasonable size, and offers handsome colonial buildings plus a few wineries. The Bungendore Wood Works Gallery is worth a mooch around here, but there are plenty of specialist shops to enjoy.

Braidwood, roughly halfway between Canberra and Moruya, is next up. It’s a delightful National Trust town, sprinkled with handsome colonial buildings. It brims with art studios, craft shops and antique shops. The Royal Mail Hotel in Braidwood is a beautiful country pub, too.

Canberra to Moruya drive: Monga National Park

The Braidwood to Batemans Bay leg of the drive passes between two national parks, and the Kings Highway gets rumpled and twisty.

To the south, the Monga National Park is popular with horse riders. The 16km Corn Trail Track, taking in mountain ridges and rainforest valleys, makes for an invigorating, challenging hike, too.

The Budawang National Park is to the north, but the most accessible section of this park is way to the north of the Kings Highway.

Batemans Bay to Moruya

Once the mountains and rainforests are left behind, the Canberra to Moruya drive passes through Nelligen and crosses the Clyde River. You then recross the Clyde River over the Batemans Bay Bridge to reach Batemans Bay.

Batemans Bay is a place where you can go oyster-tasting by kayak, whale-watching and on a sunset paddle.

5 Batemans Bay experiences to book ahead

Family-friendly glass bottom kayak tour through the Batemans Marine Park Sanctuary
South Coast nature tour – meet locals, spot seals and go to all the best photo stops.
Oyster-tasting by kayak – taste fresh oysters, then paddle through the calm water.
Aboriginal cultural experience – with bush medicine and traditional stories.
Coastal snorkelling tour – with the best snorkelling spots picked according to conditions.

Batemans Bay accommodation recommendations

According to hotel booking site Wotif, Batemans Bay accommodation costs from $80 a night. The following are particularly good options.

For central location: Argyle Terrace Motor Inn.
For families on a budget: Clyde View Holiday Park.
For beachside location: Corrigans Cove.
For views from the balconies: The Esplanade.

On the way out of Batemans Bay, you’ll pass through the Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Garden and through Mogo. Animal-lovers might want to stop off here at the Mogo Wildlife Park.

There are also several lovely beach towns worthy of a diversion on the way to regional hub town Moruya. Tomakin, Mossy Point and Broulee all line up near the mouth of the Tomaga River, with surfing and other water sports being the main priorities.

Things to do in Moruya include skydives, seaplane flights and walking the 13.5km Bingi Dreaming track.