Tamworth to Toowoomba road trip: Distance, drive time & stops

The Tamworth to Toowoomba drive covers a 498km distance in a driving time of around five hours and 50 minutes. The best stops to add to a Tamworth to Toowoomba road trip itinerary are Armidale, Glen Innes and Stanthorpe.

A road trip from Tamworth to Toowoomba takes in some of the best of the New England region of New South Wales before heading into Queensland’s Darling Downs.

Tamworth is Australia’s country music capital. You can look at the Tamworth accommodation options here.

Top attractions in Toowoomba include the DownsSteam railway museum, Japanese Garden and Cobb & Co Museum. For Toowoomba accommodation, book here.

This guide is designed to help travellers plan their perfect Tamworth to Toowoomba road trip itinerary. Click through on the links for more detailed links about individual towns and attractions – and remember to stock up on your road trip essentials before setting off, however.

Tamworth to Toowoomba distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Tamworth to Toowoomba is 498km. That makes for a driving time of around five hours and 50 minutes.

The best places to stay in Tamworth

There are several Tamworth accommodation options. These, however, are the best picks…

For excellent value and a pool: Roydons Motor Inn.
For design flair: CH Boutique Hotel.
For central location: City Sider Motor Inn.
For spacious apartments: Cadman Motor Inn and Apartments.
For heritage and charm: Quality Inn Ashby House.

The first leg of the Tamworth to Toowoomba drive is from Tamworth to Bendemeer. You pass close to the Botanical Gardens and Oxley Scenic Lookout before joining the New England Highway in Tintinhull.

The Moonbi Lookout, a big granite outcrop, offers fabulous views of the New England countryside further north.

Bendemeer is where the Oxley Highway joins the New England Highway, and it feels rather frozen in time. The Bendemeer Hotel is a nice spot for a beer, mind.

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.

Tamworth to Toowoomba road trip: Bendemeer to Armidale

There are more granite outcrops just south of Uralla. Captain Thunderbolt’s Rock, where a notorious bushranger was shot by police in 1863, is one of them. It’s now a photo stop and picnic site.

There’s more Captain Thunderbolt in Uralla, where he is buried in the Old Uralla Cemetery. The story is told at the McCrossin’s Mill Museum – a converted flour mill.

Elsewhere in this former gold rush town, you cantry your luck panning for gold at the Wooldridge Recreation and Fossicking Area.

Armidale is next. Things to do in Armidale include helicopter flights over the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.