Canberra to Orange road trip: Distance, stops & drive time
The best stops on a Canberra to Orange road trip include the Murrumbateman wineries, the POW camp at Cowra and Nangar National Park. The drive covers a 279km distance in around three hours and 17 minutes.
The Canberra to Orange drive connects the capital of Australia to one of the most appealing inland New South Wales towns. It’s a road trip though country Australia, and passes through some places most Australians haven’t even heard of.
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.
Orange activities include gourmet picnic lunches in the vineyards and wine-tasting by trike. For the top Orange accommodation options, book here.
Canberra to Orange distance and driving time
It’s one of those instances where the geographically shortest route is not the quickest.
By car, the distance from Canberra to Orange is 270km. That’s the route that goes via Gunning and Crookwell, and should take around three hours and 31 minutes.
However, steer west, and the slightly longer Canberra to Orange drive via Yass and Cowra takes 3h17m to cover a 279km distance.
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.
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.
Canberra to Orange road trip: Murrumbateman and Yass
The first leg of the journey is from Canberra to Yass. This goes past model village Cockington Green and the National Dinosaur Museum as it leaves the Australian Capital Territory.
Next come comes Murrumbateman, home to several Canberra region wineries around Murrumbateman. If you want to stay close to the Barton Highway, Briar Hill Estate, McKellar Ridge Wines, Eden Road Wines or Clonakilla should do the trick.
Things to do in Yass include learning about early pastoral history at Cooma Cottage and tackling the 2.8km walk to the top of Mount Mundoonen.
If staying the night, Yass accommodation options include the primely-positioned Yass Central Bed and Breakfast and the strongly reviewed Colonial Lodge Motor Inn.
Click through for the next section: Boorowa and Cowra.