Melbourne to Cairns inland road trip: Distance, time & best stops
Melbourne to Cairns drive: Shepparton to Griffith
The next leg of the Melbourne to Cairns road trip crosses into New South Wales. It’s 265km from Shepparton to Griffith, a journey that should take around three hours and five minutes.
Before entering New South Wales, you might like to take a look at the massive collection of cacti at Cactus Country in Strathmerton, or go for a swim in the Murray River from Thompsons Beach in Cobram.
There are more river beaches in Tocumwal, where you join the Newell Highway. Continue north through the small towns of Finley and Jerilderie, and you’ll eventually reach the junction with Kidman Way.
The best accommodation in Tocumwal, NSW
The best places to stay in Tocumwal are:
- For a no-frills (but decent) motel with bargain rates: Tocumwal Hotel Motel.
- For a pool, gardens and golf: Tocumwal Golf Resort.
- For a family-friendly holiday park: Boomerang Way Tourist Park.
- For good value, free parking and a pool: Kingswood Motel.
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.
North along the Kidman Way
This lonely country road – also called the B87 – passes through vast swathes of rural New South Wales. It hits the Murrumbidgee River at Darlington Point, which is best known for hosting the Altina Wildlife Park, but has some pleasant riverside parkland too.
Shortly afterwards, you’ll start to see signs of the Griffith wine region. The Nugan Estate vineyards are right next to the Kidman Way.
Things to do in Griffith aside from wine-tasting include the Griffith Regional Art Gallery and Griffith Pioneer Park Museum. You can also go walking and peregrine falcon-watching in Cocoparra National Park.
The best places to stay in Griffith, NSW
The top Griffith accommodation options are:
- For a cheap, but good quality, motel: Coro Club Motel.
- For a four star with flair (and free private parking): The Gem.
- For a business-friendly aparthotel: Quest Griffith.
Click through to the next section: Cobar and Bourke.