Newcastle to Canberra road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time

Newcastle to Canberra road trip: Western Sydney

Just after the Richmond section of the Western Sydney Parklands, the M7 turns south and passes the Chinese gardens in the Nurragingy Reserve, Bungarribee Park and Sydney Zoo.

Further south in the Western Sydney Parklands, you’ll find the gloriously good Lizard Log Playground and Calmsley Hill City Farm in Abbotsbury.

The M7 then continues through Sydney’s Western Suburbs and joins the Hume Motorway. You’ll pass the Macquarie Links International Golf Club and the Australian Botanic Garden on the way to Campbelltown. Here, you’ll find the Sambar Brown Lookout and Campbelltown Steam and Machinery Museum.

The Newcastle to Canberra road trip roughly follows the Nepean River on the way toward the Southern Highlands. You’ll go past Sydney Skydivers in Wilton, the Australian Wildlife Sanctuary at Bargo and the Nepean Dam before reaching Mittagong, the first sizable town in the region.

Next section: Southern Highlands and Goulburn.