Geelong to Echuca road trip: Distance, drive time and best stops

Geelong to Echuca drive: Kyneton to Axedale

Finally along the Gisborne to Kyneton leg of the drive comes Kyneton, which has a pretty botanic gardens.

There are more wineries, and a couple of good walking trails. The 3.5km Campapse River Walk marries nature with information about the town’s heritage.

From Kyneton, head north along Edgecombe Road (which morphs into the Kyneton-Heathcote Road). This will take you past the Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery, the Northern Lookout in Black Hill Reserve and Turpins Falls – an 18 metre waterfall pouring over basalt cliffs.

You’ll later reach Redesdale, which has a massive mural all over its water tank. This is also where you need to swing north-west along Lyell Road.

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.

This eventually brings you alongside Lake Eppalock, a popular spot for watersports and home to the Lake Eppalock Holiday Park.

Near the north of the lake, there’s a junction, and you need to head north along the Kimbolton-Axedale Road. This goes past the Doaks Reserve on the Campapse River and past Axedale Golf Club on the way into Axedale. From there, continue north along the Axedale-Goornong Road until you join the Midland Highway.

Geelong to Echuca drive: Elmore and Rochester

Follow the Midland Highway until Elmore, where you join the Northern Highway, or B75. Take a slight detour via Burnewang instead, however, and you can stop by scenic Aysons Reserve on the Campaspe River.

Either way, you’ll come out at Rochester, a small agricultural town. The highlight here is the silo art – a massive mural has been painted onto grain silos by the Northern Highway.

Following the Northern Highway north towards Echuca, there are a few more pleasant beauty spots. These include the Ballendella Streamside Reserve in Ballendella and the Campaspe River Highway Park.

The Bendigo to Echuca drive passes west of Strathallen before arriving in Echuca, perhaps the most appealing of the Murray River towns.

The best things to do in Echuca include Murray River paddlesteamer cruises, e-bike tours and the Port After Dark ghost tour run by the Port of Echuca Discovery Centre. The Echuca weather is at its best in April or October.

Your Echuca checklist

Combine a one hour Murray River paddlesteamer cruise with lunch at Morrison’s Winery.
Book a nature-focused guided e-bike tour.
Or an extended three hour e-bike tour with a winery visit.
Find the best deals on Echuca accommodation.