Horsham to Ballarat road trip: Best stops, distance & driving time
The best stops to add to a Horsham to Ballarat road trip itinerary are the Grampians National Park, the wineries around Stawell, and Beaufort. By car, the distance from Horsham to Ballarat is 188km, with a driving time of around 2h7m.
Planning a Horsham to Ballarat road trip
A Horsham to Ballarat road trip covers a scenic stretch of Western Victoria, although for most travellers, this is likely to be a leg of the inland drive from Adelaide to Melbourne.
Horsham is a country town with silo art at the northern end of the Grampians. To book Horsham accommodation, investigate the options here.
Goldfields city Ballarat has a wildlife park and a lake that once hosted the Olympics. But the star attraction is the Sovereign Hill open air museum. For the best Ballarat accommodation, search here.
This guide should help you plan your perfect Horsham to Ballarat road trip itinerary. Or, if going the other way, read in reverse to plan a Ballarat to Horsham drive.
Horsham to Ballarat distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Horsham to Ballarat is 188km. That makes for a driving time of around two hours and seven minutes. The best stops to add to a Horsham to Ballarat road trip itinerary are the Grampians National Park, the wineries around Stawell, and Beaufort.
Top Horsham accommodation choices
The best places to stay in Horsham are:
- For central location: Comfort Inn Capital Horsham.
- For cabins by the Wimmera River: Horsham Riverside Caravan Park.
- For a solid, cheap motel: Best Westlander Motor Inn.
Pick the right Grampians tour from Melbourne
- Small group eco-tour – including Silverband Falls and Mackenzie Falls.
- Great Ocean Road AND the Grampians – two day tour.
- Private Grampians tour – pick which sights you want to include.
- Small group hiking tour – with three hiking trails.
Horsham to Ballarat road trip: Horsham to Stawell
The Horsham to Ballarat road trip route leaves Horsham along the Western Highway
and passes a series of lakes. The Green Lake Recreation Area is the most pleasant place to stop.
The drive then skirts north of the Grampians National Park. The Mt Stapylton Loop Walk is a highlight in this section. For Aboriginal rock art, go to the Gulgurn Manja shelter.
Stick to the highway, however, and you’ll go past the Giant Koala in Dadswell Bridge and Lake Lonsdale – a popular camping spot.
The next town is Stawell, which is mainly of interest for a series of handsome churches and parks. The Big Hill Lookout offers the best photo stop.
Horsham to Ballarat drive: Stawell to Ararat
However, Stawell is also where you can turn off for Halls Gap, the kangaroo-heavy gateway village to many of the key attractions in the Grampians.
The Grand Canyon, the Balconies, Silverband Falls, Lake Bellfield, the Pinnacle Lookout and the Boroka Lookout are all close to Halls Gap.
Stay on the highway, and there are several wineries before you reach Ararat. Best’s Wines, the Seppelt Cellar Door and Grampians Estate are all worth a look.
You’ll also pass the Ararat Hills Regional Park, which has several walking trails. The one to the One Tree Hill Lookout is arguably the best.
In Ararat, the highlight is the J Ward Museum – a former lunatic asylum that hosts ghost tours.
Click through to the next section: Ararat to Ballarat.