Melbourne to Rockhampton road trip: Distance, time & best stops
The Melbourne to Rockhampton drive covers a distance of 1,968km in a driving time of around 22h3m. Top road trip stops to add to the itinerary include Nagambie, Shepparton, Dubbo, Goondiwindi and Miles.
A road trip from Melbourne to Rockhampton takes you through some lesser explored areas of country Australia. But there’s a surprising amount to see and do along the route.
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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Rockhampton offers fascinating history walks and cave tours. To source the best Rockhampton accommodation deals, go here.
This guide should help you plan your perfect Melbourne to Rockhampton road trip itinerary.
Click through on the individual places and attractions for more detailed, specific information.
If you need to hire a car, find the best rental deals. And don’t forget to do all your pre-road trip shopping.
Melbourne to Rockhampton distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Melbourne to Rockhampton is 1,968km. This makes for a driving time of around 22 hours and three minutes. Obviously, you may want to make a few road trip stops along the way. This guide should help you plan your itinerary.
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.
The first leg of the journey, from Melbourne to Shepparton, is 190km long, and passes through Victoria’s Goulburn Valley.
Melbourne to Rockhampton road trip: Melbourne to Shepparton
Decent stops along the way which require little to no detour include the Mount Ridley Lookout in Craigieburn at the edge of the city sprawl, and the walking trails of Mount Disappointment.
There are also wineries such as the Trawool Estate around Tallarook, plus the Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk and Seymour Railway Heritage Centre in Seymour.
It’s another 81km from Seymour to Shepparton, with Nagambie the best journey-breaker along the way. Take your pick from craft beers at the Nagambie Brewery or wine-tasting and Aboriginal art at the Mitchelton Winery.
Top Nagambie accommodation options
The best places to stay in Nagambie are:
- For a luxurious winery hotel: Mitchelton Hotel Nagambie.
- For a good quality lakeside motel: Nagambie Waterfront Motel.
- For a budget stay: Nagambie Caravan Park and Motel.
The best things to do in Shepparton include Aquamoves near Victoria Park Lake, the Shepparton Art Museum and the Lower Goulburn National Park.
Shepparton accommodation recommendations
These are the best places to stay in Shepparton.
- For grandeur and lake view rooms: Carrington Hotel.
- For a holiday park with lots of kid-friendly facilities: Big4 Shepparton Park Lane Holiday Park.
- For high quality apartments: Quest Shepparton.
- For a good value motel with a pool: Peppermill Inn Motel.
Melbourne to Rockhampton drive: Shepparton to the New South Wales border
The next leg of the Melbourne to Rockhampton road trip crosses into New South Wales.
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.
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.
Melbourne to Rockhampton road trip: Tocumwal to Narrandera
It’s another 165km from Tocumwal to Narrandera, and it’s a pretty boring stretch of highway in all honesty. Jerilderie has a couple of accommodation options for an overnight stop, but you may as well keep going to Narrandera on the Murrumbidgee River, which has more going for it.
On the outskirts of Narrandera, the Koala Reserve is one of the best places in Australia for spotting koalas.
Other things to do in Narrandera include kayaking on the Rocky Waterholes, admiring the giant mural on the Narrandera Water Tower and taking a self-guided walking tour of the town’s heritage buildings.
The top accommodation in Narrandera, NSW
The best places to stay in Narrandera are:
- For overall quality: Narrandera Club Motor Inn.
- For an outdoor pool and BBQs: Bishops Lodge.
- For a solid motel with low prices: Camellia Motel.
Click through to the next section: Narrandera to West Wyalong.