Melbourne to Geelong drive: Distance, time and road trip attractions
The Melbourne to Geelong drive covers a 74km distance, with a driving time of around 1h5m. Road trip attractions worth visiting include the Werribee Open Range Zoo, You Yangs Regional Park and Roraima Nursery.
The Melbourne to Geelong drive connects the Victorian state capital to its second largest city. The journey is neither particularly long nor particularly attractive, as it runs along the Princes Freeway, slightly inland from Port Phillip Bay.
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. For a great range of Melbourne tours and experiences, explore here. To track down the best value Melbourne accommodation, come this way.
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Melbourne to Geelong distance and driving time
The distance from Melbourne to Geelong by car is 74km. This makes for a driving time of around one hour and five minutes, although that can depend heavily on traffic. Book in advance for the best Melbourne car hire deals.
The quickest route leaves central Melbourne via the West Gate Bridge, running past the Scienceworks Museum and Stony Creek Reserve. The West Gate Freeway continues past the Altona Memorial Park in Altona North, then joins the Princes Freeway.
3 Geelong experiences to book in advance
- A water bike tour along the coast.
- A sunrise balloon flight – see the bay, hills and river from above.
- Rent an electric picnic boat on the Waterfront.
Melbourne to Geelong road trip attractions
On the way out of suburbia, the Melbourne to Geelong drive passes the Werribee Open Range Zoo in Werribee. This is arguably the top road trip attraction along the drive.
On the outskirts of Werribee, it’s only a short detour to the River Walk Village water park and the Cocoroc Historic Township open air museum.
There are wetlands to the east of the freeway after leaving Werribee. The Little River Bird Hide is a pleasant spot to observe the bird life. But the most attractive mini-detours are to the west of the highway.
Melbourne to Geelong drive: Lara and the You Yangs
The You Yangs Regional Park offers wildlife and walking trails through a series of granite ridges, while the Serendip Sanctuary provides close-up encounters with native Aussie wildlife.
The Freeway then skirts the southern edge of Lara, home to the Lara Museum and the cactus displays at the Roraima Nursery.
Shortly afterwards, the drive enters the northern suburbs of Geelong. The best things to do in Geelong include the National Wool Museum, helicopter rides, the Baywalk Bollards on Geelong Waterfront and the Boom Gallery.
The best places to stay in Geelong
The top Geelong accommodation options are:
- For an affordably-priced, good quality motel: Parkside Motel.
- For fabulous apartments near the beach: Vue Apartments Geelong.
- For a family-friendly hotel with an indoor pool and balconies in each room: Novotel Geelong.
- For a facility-packed holiday park: Tasman Holiday Parks Geelong.
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.
More Victoria travel
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Stay at the art deco Fish Creek Hotel in Fish Creek, South Gippsland.
What are the best stops on the Albury to Wangaratta drive?
Stop at the Benalla Art Gallery in Benalla on the Melbourne to Wangaratta drive.