Horsham to Melbourne road trip: Best stops, distance & driving time

The best stops to add to a Horsham to Melbourne road trip itinerary are the Grampians National Park, the wineries around Stawell and Sovereign Hill in Ballarat. By car, the distance from Horsham to Melbourne is 300km, with a driving time of around 3h24m.

Planning a Horsham to Melbourne road trip

A Horsham to Melbourne road trip covers a significant stretch of western Victoria. For many travellers, this is likely to be the last 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.

Melbourne offers street art tours, supreme views from the Melbourne Skydeck and Aboriginal cultural tours in the Botanic Gardens. For a great range of Melbourne tours and experiences, explore here. To track down the best value Melbourne accommodation, come this way.

This guide should help you plan your perfect Horsham to Melbourne road trip itinerary. Or, if going the other way, read in reverse to plan a Melbourne to Horsham drive.

Horsham to Melbourne distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Horsham to Melbourne is 300km. That makes for a driving time of around three hours and 24 minutes.

The best stops to add to a Horsham to Melbourne road trip itinerary are the Grampians National Park, the wineries around Stawell and Sovereign Hill in Ballarat.

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.

Horsham to Melbourne road trip: Horsham to Stawell

The Horsham to Melbourne 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 Melbourne 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.

Silverband Falls near Halls Gap, Victoria. Photo courtesy of Visit Victoria.

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.

Horsham to Melbourne road trip: Ararat to Ballarat

On the Ararat to Ballarat section of the Horsham to Melbourne drive, you’ll go past Langi Ghiran State Park. There are fine views from the Reservoir Lookout, and the Mount Langi Ghiran winery is just at the eastern edge.

A little further along the drive is Mount Buangor State Park, which has several good walking trails. Many of them are blessed with kangaroos, echidnas and koalas.

The next town, however, is Beaufort. It’s a place lined with handsome 1850s buildings and quirky antiques shops.

Other things to do in Beaufort include picnicking or fishing at Beaufort Lake and smelling the flowers at the Beaufort Memorial Rose Garden.

Before reaching Ballarat, you can enjoy the lakeside park at Lake Burrumbeet.

4 Ballarat experiences to book in advance ⬇️

Sovereign Hill tickets – visit Australia’s best open air museum. Give it a full day, too – there’s so much to see and do.
Ballarat Wildlife Park entry – meet loads of cute native Aussie animals.
Kryal Castle admission – enjoy a bizarre knights in armour theme park.
Beer-making course – learn to brew, with tastings and lunch thrown in.

Ballarat attractions, restaurants and accommodation

The main attraction in Ballarat is Sovereign Hill. This recreated gold rush town offers gold panning, mine tours, plus all manner of shows and craft demonstrations. Fix up your Sovereign Hill tickets here.

Sovereign Hill in Ballarat is more than just a museum – it’s a recreated gold mining town crammed with activities. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions

Top places to eat in Ballarat include traditional Spanish restaurant Meigas Ballarat, Latin American joint Pancho and the lakeside Boatshed Ballarat.

Good Ballarat accommodation choices include the apartment-style Quest, the family-friendly Big4 NRMA Ballarat holiday park and the well-reviewed Lake Inn.

Click through to the next section: Ballarat to Werribee Gorge.

Horsham to Melbourne road trip: Ballarat to Werribee Gorge

On the way out of Ballarat towards Melbourne, you might want to visit perennially popular Ballarat Wildlife Park, for which tickets can be booked online in advance.

Other options include Gold Rush Indoor and Outdoor Mini Golf and Kryal Castle in Leigh Creek. This quirky old-fashioned amusement park has a knights and dragons theme, and is better for younger children than older ones. You can save time queueing by buying tickets online.

The Freeway then passes north of Ballan. The best hang-outs in the town itself are Caledonian Park and the Ballan Outdoor Pool next to the Werribee River.

The drive then goes past the scenic Pykes Creek Reservoir. Those travelling with kids may be interested in Pykes Creek Playground at the south-eastern end.

A little further along, Werribee Gorge State Park is right next to the freeway, and hosts a lovely handful of walking trails and lookouts.

The 3km Ironbark Gorge Walk to Falcons Lookout and the 5km Short Circuit Walk are good alternatives for those who don’t want to tackle to the full 10km Werribee Gorge Circuit Walk.

Horsham to Melbourne road trip: Bacchus Marsh to Melbourne

Near Bacchus Marsh, you can make a short diversion to the north for the walking trails of Lerderderg State Park. The Grahams Dam section is closest. There’s also the Melton Botanic Garden in Melton before you enter suburban Melbourne.

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.