Melbourne to Canberra road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time
The Melbourne to Canberra drive covers a 663km distance in a driving time of around 6h57m. Top stops to add to a Melbourne to Canberra road trip itinerary include the Ned Kelly trail in Glenrowan, the Murray River in Albury and the wineries around Yass.
The drive from Melbourne to Canberra is not usually seen as Australia’s most exciting road trip. It’s mostly along the monotonous Hume Highway. But there are a few interesting stops and attractions worth considering for a Melbourne to Canberra road trip itinerary.
Before leaving on a Melbourne to Canberra road trip, you may want to tick Melbourne Cricket Ground tours, Yarra River dinner cruises and cross-city hot air balloon flights off your Melbourne wish list.
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.
Melbourne to Canberra distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Melbourne to Canberra is 663km. That makes for a driving time of around six hours and 57 minutes, although traffic conditions can have a significant impact on that.
The best road trip stops along the Melbourne to Canberra driving route include Glenrowan, Albury and Gundagai.
14 fantastic experiences that make the most of your free time in Melbourne
- Get the very best views – on a hot air balloon flight over the city.
- See the changing colours of the river – on a sunset kayaking tour – with dinner. (Highly recommended ✅)
- Feast and see the sights at the same time – on a four course dinner cruise along the Yarra River.
- A genuinely excellent street art tour, led by prominent street artists. (Highly recommended ✅)
- The also superb Aboriginal heritage, plants and bush food tour in the Botanic Gardens. (💲 Great value 💲)
- Best of Melbourne bike tour – you can see more on two wheels than walking.
- Hidden laneways bar crawl OR foodie discovery tour OR chocolate and dessert tour.
- Combo ticket for Australian Sports Museum and MCG tour.
- Hassle-dodging advance tickets for the Melbourne Skydeck, Melbourne Zoo, the Ice Bar (with cocktails) and Sea Life Aquarium.
Leaving Melbourne, there are a few decent stops before reaching the first decent-sized town, Seymour.
The Mount Ridley Lookout in Craigieburn shows the split between suburbia and rural Victoria, while a short detour to the east of Wallan will bring you to the walking trails of Mount Disappointment.
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.
Further along, Tallarook offers an outdoor pool and a few wineries, with Trawool Estate being the most visitor-friendly.
Things to do in Seymour include the somewhat haunting Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk and getting giddy about vintage trains at the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre.
To see more of Seymour, book accommodation at the family-oriented Big4 Holiday Park or the well-reviewed New Crossing Place Motel and Apartments.
Click through for the next section: Seymour to Benalla.