Melbourne to Merimbula road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time
Melbourne to Merimbula drive: Traralgon, Sale and Bairnsdale
The slightly interesting Gippsland towns keep coming, and they offer more as you head further east.
Things to do in Traralgon include aerobatic flights with Bandicoot Adventure Flights and admiring the native animals in the Wirilda Environment Park.
Value-conscious Traralgon accommodation picks include the City Gardens Motel and the Big4 Park Lane Holiday Park.
From Traralgon to Bairnsdale, you’ll go past Holey Plains State Park on the way to Sale. Top Sale attractions include the educational Sale Commons Wetlands Walk, Port of Sale Heritage Cruises and Sale Botanic Gardens.
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.
For Sale accommodation, the Matador offers a pool plus plenty of character.
The Melbourne to Merimbula drive then passes through Stratford on the way to East Gippsland’s biggest town, Bairnsdale.
Things to do in Bairnsdale include seeing the frescoes of St Mary’s Church and learning about local Indigenous culture at the Krowathunkooloong Keeping Place.
Bairnsdale accommodation favourites include the heritage-heavy Riversleigh and the good value Colonial Motor Inn.
Next section: Lakes Entrance and Lake Tyers.