Cobar to Broken Hill road trip: Distance, driving time & best stops
The Cobar to Broken Hill road trip is a dry, dusty and empty one with few fuel stops. Go along the Barrier Highway and the Cobar to Broken Hill drive is 457km long, with a 4h45m driving time.
The Cobar to Broken Hill drive along the Barrier Highway is one of Australia’s epic road trips. It’ll be usually be undertaken as part of a bigger journey – say Sydney to Broken Hill or Brisbane to Adelaide. But this drive is all about the sense of scale in vast, dusty New South Wales outback.
To secure the best Cobar accommodation deals, head here.
To secure the best Broken Hill accommodation before arriving, sort it here.
Road trip essentials that many travellers forget
Search on the web, and you’ll find ludicrously long lists of equipment to take on a road trip. Australia Travel Questions isn’t going to do that to you. But it is worth buying the following road trip items before setting off. Click through for a good range of options.
- Charging cables – yes, you’ll probably need a spare at some point.
- Car charger adaptor – in case your rental car has the old-fashioned cigarette lighter rather than a USB.
- Multi USB charger – for those hotel rooms that don’t have enough power sockets.
- Fold-up chairs – to make anywhere a picnic spot.
- A really good water bottle – go for a bigger one than usual to last the longer drives.
- Packing cubes – save space but, more importantly, avoid unpacking everything every night.
Cobar to Broken Hill distance and driving time
The Cobar to Broken Hill drive is 457km in distance, with an estimated driving time of around four hours and 45 minutes.
Cobar accommodation recommendations
The best places to stay in Cobar are:
- For a decent-sized pool and kitchenettes: Crossroads Motel.
- For – usually – the cheapest prices: Copper City Motel.
- For family rooms and a restaurant: Cobar Town and Country Motor Inn.
Obviously, that’s a long stint behind the wheel, so the temptation will be to break the journey somewhere.
Cobar to Broken Hill fuel stops
You’ll need to manage your fuel on the Cobar to Broken Hill drive. There are three possible fuel stops between Cobar and Broken Hill, however. Take your pick from the Emmdale Roadhouse, Wilcannia and the Little Topar Roadhouse.
Cobar to Broken Hill road trip stops
Alas, the top attraction on the Cobar to Broken Hill route is only a few minutes out of Cobar. Mount Grenfell National Park hosts a wealth of Aboriginal rock art. A 4km loop walking track takes you to the summit for some spectacular views, calling at rock art sites on the way.
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The main settlement between Cobar and Broken Hill is Wilcannia, which has some heritage buildings to admire, but is in a sorry state. Wilcannia has been notably hard-hit by drought. The Queens Head Hotel is the top road trip attraction here. This delicensed pub has been turned into a gallery and accommodation.
Click through to the next section: Via White Cliffs.