Geelong to Bendigo road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
The Geelong to Bendigo drive covers a 175km distance in a driving time of around 2h19m. The best road trip stops along the way include Fairy Park, Daylesford and Castlemaine.
The drive from Geelong to Bendigo connects two of Victoria’s largest regional cities.
Geelong is a surprisingly fun place, offer water-biking, hot air balloon flights and electric picnic boat rentals. Bendigo drips with goldrush heritage. To fix up good value Bendigo accommodation, look here.
But there’s plenty to see between the two – and Australia Travel Questions has picked out some of the best attractions to add to a Geelong to Bendigo road trip itinerary.
Geelong to Bendigo distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Geelong to Bendigo is 175km. This makes for a driving time of around two hours and 19 minutes.
3 Geelong experiences to book in advance
- A water bike tour along the coast.
- A sunrise balloon flight – see the bay, hills and river from above.
- Rent an electric picnic boat on the Waterfront.
The best places to stay in Geelong
The top Geelong accommodation options are:
- For an affordably-priced, good quality motel: Parkside Motel.
- For fabulous apartments near the beach: Vue Apartments Geelong.
- For a family-friendly hotel with an indoor pool and balconies in each room: Novotel Geelong.
- For a facility-packed holiday park: Tasman Holiday Parks Geelong.
The Geelong to Bendigo drive initially starts out along the Midland Highway from Geelong, but quickly turns up the C141. In these parts, this is known as the Geelong-Ballan Road.
Geelong to Geelong road trip attractions: Fairy Park
The initial Geelong to Daylesford route runs through Moorabul, then Anakie – home of Fairy Park. This quaint theme park of castles, dragons and model railways is aimed at younger children.
The road then runs east of the Brisbane Ranges National Park, through the Upper Stony Creek Reservoir and eventually west of Ballan.
There are a few parks in Ballan, but nothing to get you particularly excited. The Bostock Reservoir to the west of the town is arguably the prettiest photo stop.
Click through for the next section: Ballan to Daylesford.