Sydney to Cooma road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time
The best stops on a Sydney to Cooma road trip include Bowral and Canberra. The Sydney to Cooma drive covers a 398km distance in a driving time of around 4h10m.
The Sydney to Cooma drive takes you from the New South Wales state capital to the hub town of the Snowy Mountains.
Sydney’s enormous collection of experiences includes all-inclusive sunset dinner cruises, behind-the-scenes tours of the Opera House, jet boat thrill rides and historic walking tours. To get the best deals on Sydney accommodation, book here. To find Sydney tours and experiences that suit your tastes, step this way.
For the best Cooma accommodation, look here. To book Perisher accommodation, head here.
This guide is aimed at travellers planning a Sydney to Cooma road trip itinerary, perhaps building in a few stops along the way.
Sydney to Cooma distance and driving time
By car along sealed roads, the distance from Sydney to Cooma is 398km. If you tackle that in one stint behind the wheel, then it’ll take around four hours and 10 minutes. However, if you’re not desperate to get to the snow as quickly as humanly possible, there are plenty of attractions you can weave into a road trip itinerary.
Top road trip stops between Sydney and Cooma include Bowral and Canberra.
13 brilliant experiences in Sydney you should book
- (💲Great value 💲) Tick off several bucket list items on a highlights-packed Blue Mountains day tour.
- Get perfect views of the world’s most beautiful city on a Sydney Harbour helicopter tour.
- Save money with a multi-attraction pass.
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Enjoy the romance of a tall ship cruise on Sydney Harbour.
- Eat all you can at the Skyfeast at the top of Sydney Tower.
- See migrating humpbacks – on a whale-watching cruise.
- (Highly recommended ✅) Go behind the scenes of Australia’s most famous building on an Opera House tour.
- Dine as the city lights up on sunset dinner cruise around the harbour.
- Combine beers and stories on a historic pubs tour through the convict-era Rocks district.
- Stand on your board and catch waves during Bondi Beach surfing lessons.
- Go to wombat and kangaroo-spotting hotspots on a Southern Highlands tour.
- Enjoy Sydney’s wild side on a Manly snorkelling & nature walk.
- (🥇Top choice in Sydney) And, best of all, paddle to hidden beaches on a harbour kayaking adventure.
Sydney to Cooma road trip: Sydney to Mittagong
The fastest Sydney to Cooma driving route leaves Sydney via the south-western suburbs along the Hume Motorway. It heads past the Macquarie Links International Golf Club and the Australian Botanic Garden en route to Campbelltown. Here, you can enjoy the Sambar Brown Lookout or the Campbelltown Steam and Machinery Museum.
The Sydney to Cooma road trip broadly follows the Nepean River on the way toward the Southern Highlands. It heads past Sydney Skydivers in Wilton, the Australian Wildlife Sanctuary at Bargo and the Nepean Dam before arriving in Mittagong.
Things to do in Mittagong include spotting birds at the Lake Alexandra Reserve and tasting wines at Tertini Wines.
Top Mittagong accommodation
The best places to stay in Mittagong are:
- For heritage in an 1836 sandstone building: Fitzroy Inn Historic Retreat.
- For kid-friendly facilities: Mittagong Caravan Park.
- For a relatively cheap, decent motel: Mittagong Motel.
Sydney to Cooma drive: Mittagong to Goulburn
Nearby Bowral is a better base, though. It has stunning accommodation at the Berida Hotel and Milton Park, plus innovative wineries such as Centennial Vineyards. Cricket fans will lap up the Bradman Museum, while Fitzroy Falls or Belmore Falls in the nearby Morton National Park show off the region’s natural beauty.
5 great Southern Highlands experiences to boost your visit
- Personalised private Southern Highlands wine and attractions tours – tailored to your tastes.
- Tutored wine-tasting and canapes experience.
- Beekeeping experience – learn how honey is made.
- Guided wine-tasting at the Mill – with tasting notes procided.
- Behind the scenes tour of a sustainable winery in Berrima.
The Forest East Service Centre is the most common stop on the way to Goulburn, although nearby Sutton Forest Estate Wines can provide wines rather than fuel.
The turn-off from the Hume Motorway is at Goulburn, but you can go into town to see the Big Merino, the Goulburn Rail Heritage Centre and the Goulburn Historic Waterworks.
Click through to the next section: Goulburn to Canberra.