Traralgon to Bairnsdale drive: Distance, time and road trip stops
The Traralgon to Bairnsdale drive is 114km in distance, with a driving time of one hour and 22 minutes. The best road trip stops off the Princes Highway include the Holey Plains State Park and Port of Sale Heritage Cruise.
The Traralgon to Bairnsdale drive is relatively short by Australian standards and connects two of the biggest towns in Victoria’s Gippsland region.
If you’re travelling from Melbourne to Bairnsdale, think of it as the second leg of the journey.
Traralgon to Bairnsdale distance and driving time
The Traralgon to Bairnsdale drive is 114km long, with a driving time of around one hour and 22 minutes. Obviously, this can be done fairly easily in one stint behind the wheel, but there are a few stops along the way that might be worth investigating as part of a longer road trip.
Before reaching Sale, the Holey Plains State Park is to the south of the Princes Highway. This Gippsland state park is best known for its plant life, and contains about one in five species found in Victoria. The 6.8km Long Swamp Walking Track is the best way of exploring, if you’re happy to spend half a day mooching around.
Traralgon to Bairnsdale drive: Attractions near Sale
The quickest route from Traralgon to Bairnsdale briefly leaves the Princes Highway to skirt around the north of Sale. But you might prefer to go into the town.
Things to do in Sale include the sensory garden in the Sale Botanic Gardens and the 3.4km Lake Guthridge and Lake Guyatt Loop walk around two man-made lakes. The top attraction in Sale, however, is the Port of Sale Heritage Cruise. This boat tour incorporates Aboriginal traditions, settler history and wildlife-spotting.
Traralgon to Bairnsdale road trip: Sale to Bairnsdale
After Sale, the last potential coffee stop is in Stratford. Then the Traralgon to Bairnsdale drive passes through the Providence Ponds Nature Conservation Reserve on the way into Bairnsdale.
Things to do in Bairnsdale include cooing at the frescoes of St Mary’s Church and learning about local Indigenous culture at the Krowathunkooloong Keeping Place.
Bairnsdale accommodation options include the heritage-heavy Grand Terminus Hotel and family-friendly NRMA Bairnsdale Riverside Holiday Park.
More Victoria travel
Enjoy the lakes around Donald, Victoria.
Explore Gunbower Island near Cohuna on the Echuca to Swan Hill drive.
Go walking in Mount Worth State Park near Yarragon.
What to see on the drive from Bendigo to Echuca.