Melbourne to Castlemaine road trip: Best stops, distance & time
The best stops on a Melbourne to Castlemaine road trip are Organ Pipes National Park, Hanging Rock and Kyneton. The distance from Melbourne to Castlemaine is 131km, with the driving time around 1h34m.
A Melbourne to Castlemaine road trip takes you from the capital of Victoria to one of the most appealing towns in the Goldfields region.
Before leaving, you may want to tick Melbourne Cricket Ground tours, Yarra River dinner cruises and cross-city hot air balloon flights off your Melbourne wish list. To track down the best Melbourne accommodation rates, head here.
👇 7 great day trips while you’re in Melbourne 👇
- Great Ocean Road tour – with koalas 🐨.
- Brighton Beach, Moonlit Sanctuary and Phillip Island tour – with penguins 🐧.
- Yarra Valley wine tour – with gin, cider and cheese 🍷.
- Grampians National Park tour – with bushwalks and LOADS of kangaroos 🦘.
- Mornington Peninsula tour – with hot springs bathing 🛀.
- Wilsons Promontory tour – with all manner of native wildlife 🦘🐨.
- Dandenong Ranges steam train ride – plus wildlife at Healesville Sanctuary and chocolate-tasting in the Yarra Valley.
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For Castlemaine accommodation deals, hunt here.
This guide is aimed at helping travellers plan their perfect Melbourne to Castlemaine road trip itinerary.
Click through on the links for more detailed links about individual towns and attractions – and remember to stock up on your road trip essentials before setting off.
Melbourne to Castlemaine distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Melbourne to Castlemaine is 131km. That makes for a driving time of around one hour and 34 minutes.
The best stops on a Melbourne to Castlemaine road trip include Organ Pipes National Park, Hanging Rock and Kyneton.
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.
Melbourne to Castlemaine road trip: Melbourne to Gisborne
The route out of Melbourne is along the Calder Freeway, which passes Brimbank Park and Taylors Lakes on its way through the city’s north-western suburbia.
The first good stop is the Organ Pipes National Park, where the walking trails head to mammoth basalt columns. Next come underwhelming Sunbury and more attractive Gisborne.
Sunbury is home to the Goonawarra Golf Club and a Christmas tree farm next to the highway.
Before arriving in Gisborne, you might want to branch off to the west and do a dingo encounter tour at the Dingo Discovery Centre.
Stop at Gisborne to see kangaroos bounding around the Gisborne Golf Club, or taste wines at the Gisborne Peak Winery.
Top Gisborne accommodation choices
The best places to stay in Gisborne are:
- For cottages amongst the vineyards: Gisborne Peak Winery Short Term Stays.
- For a private lake, tennis court, golf driving net and sauna: Cleggett Estate.
- For quirk factor and four poster beds: Galahad’s Animal Sanctuary B&B.
Melbourne to Castlemaine drive: Gisborne to Macedon
Shortly after Gisborne, you’ll come to Macedon. Branch off slightly here to enjoy the Mount Towrong Vineyard and the Sanatorium Lake Nature Walk.
There are plenty of walks in the Macedon Regional Park, but if you want to drive up somewhere for good views and a photo stop, plump for Camels Hump.
Click through for the next section: Macedon to Woodend.